Goli otok (Goli Island) also know as «the Croatian Alcatraz» is one of the most
known and infamous prison in Europe following the second world war, which opened
in 1948 and closing in 1988.
The most tragic history of the island occurred during the period between 1949
and 1958, when political prisoner, the opponents of the then Tito communist
regime and followers of the Stalinist regime were imprisoned and tortured.
According to statistic, some 16000 prisoners experienced the Goli otok in which approximately
400 lost their life due to exhaustion and disease, while at times were over 3500 prisoners holding in
the prison at one time. Other sources claim almost 4,000 prisoners were killed.
At the Goli Otok extreme punishment was applied aimed at making the prisoner lose their personality.
The strong currents of the sea, the heavy surveillance and the long distance
from shore made the escaping quiet impossible.
Today guided tours are organised from Rab island by local agency.
The tourists can walk in the old buildings of the former prison, mostly
devastated by the ravages of the weather.
