A short lesson in history takes us in front of this monument, errected to commemorate the victims of communism, political inmates, mostly students, known as "The Piteşti Experiment".

"The Piteşti Experiment" or the Piteşti phenomenon was described by most as "the genocide of souls". It happened in the former Piteşti penitenciary, best know for "re-education" through torture, directed by the communist authorities between 1949-1952. During this time, in communist Romania, horrible things took place at the Piteşti penitenciary (according to some analysts "the devils laboratories"), called "student re-education", in effect "brainwashing" and "murder of the personality", where inmates were subjected to unimaginable tortures, both physical an psychological.

This theory of re-education was invented in the USSR and Romania was the only country in Eastern Europe that applied this horrible concept.

It can't be reduced to an excuse for beatings and brutal tortures. They were aplied daily with the express purpose of "total re-education" of political inmates. The aim was to remove personal convictions and political and religious views, thus altering their personalities.

It started on December 6th 1949, with psychological punishments (usually humiliation) and physical torture. Besides the severe beatings they received, inmates were forced to torture each other, to discourage previous loyalties.

Stages of reeducation:

1. "external exposure" - all victims of the experiment first went through an interrogation, with torture to reveal intimate details from their personal lives. Inmates were forced to reveal information supposedly not revealed during previous interrogations, with the hope of avoiding further torture. This way many "admitted" to imaginary guilt.

2. "internal exposure" - the second stage, aiming to reveal the names of those who were somewhat less brutal or otherwise lenient during their detention.

3. "public moral exposure” - public humilation was applied as a third phase; inmates were forced to renounce their convictions, ideas and personal values and forced to slander their loved ones: parents, wives, friends, God.

4. putting the inmate into the role of the torturer, having to "re-educate" others, usually starting with their best friend in prison. These stages were accompanied by monstruos tortures and and physical anguish.

Besides physical violence, these inmates were forced into doing humiliating labours for a long time, were kept poorly fed, in unsanitary conditions, not allowed any contact with the outside world and forced to cover their eyes each time they left the cell. Newcomers were often beaten by veteran inmates as part of the "re-education" process, including hits to prevent falling asleep, forced to eat from plates put on the floor with hands beind their backs.

Approximately 101 inmates died at Piteşti from torture and living conditions. This prison also did preliminary selections for who was going to be sent to labour camps at the Danube-Black sea channel and other prisons such as Ocnele Mari, Aiud, Gherla, Târgu Ocna, Râmnicu Sărat, Târgşor and others, where teams of former inmates were sent to continue the "experiment".

Into a museum - an unfulfilled dream.

The Piteşti penitentiary was disbanded in 1977. Today the former prison, situated in the North neighborhood, has three owners. Part of it has become a company headquarters, most of the prison yard was rebuilt as blocks of flat. A memorial was errected between the residential buildings, a place of rememberence that can be visited, where one can hold a moment of silence for the victims.

Resources (mostly in romanian):

https://www.youtube.com/@MemorialulÎnchisoareaPitești/
http://www.experimentulpitesti.org
http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experimentul_Piteşti
http://www.procesulcomunismului.com/marturii/fonduri/pitesti/tpopescu/docs/cap1.htm
http://www.historia.ro/exclusiv_web/general/articol/fenomenul-pite-ti
Memorialul Durerii - o istorie care nu se învaţă la şcoală (documentar TVR)
http://memorialul-durerii.blogspot.ro/

To log this virtual cache as "found" :

Vizit the memorial in Piteşti and take a picture of yourself or an object of yours such that the wall, guard tower, window with bars and locked door are visible.