Sighet Memorial: the former communist prison in Sighetu Marmației

A prison turned into a memorial

The Memorial of the Victims of Communism and of the Resistance (Memorialul Victimelor Comunismului și al Rezistenței) stands in the centre of Sighetu Marmației, right by the Ukrainian border. The building was put up in 1896–1897 as an ordinary prison. After the Second World War it became one of the darkest places of communist repression in Romania: on the night of 5 to 6 May 1950 the secret police arrested some 80 politicians of the interwar period — former ministers, members of parliament, party leaders — and brought them here. Greek Catholic bishops and priests were added later. Most prisoners had neither a sentence nor a trial. According to historians, at least 53 people died here between 1950 and 1955; they were buried secretly at night in unmarked graves.

In 1993 the Civic Academy Foundation (Fundația Academia Civică) took over the ruined building to turn it into a museum. The idea came from the poet Ana Blandiana, and the International Centre for Studies into Communism led by Romulus Rusan spent years collecting testimonies, documents and photographs. The first rooms opened on 20 June 1997, the last in 2015. The memorial holds the European Heritage Label. In 2025 a new exhibition space opened on the second floor, and in 2026 a multifunctional centre for educational events opened in a neighbouring historic building.

Why go

This is one of the most important memorial museums in Central and Eastern Europe. It tells honestly and without pathos how a totalitarian state destroyed the rule of law, political opponents, churches and peasants. For Ukrainian visitors the story of Sighet feels especially close: it is the same era and the same methods as on the other side of the Tisza.

What to see

• More than 50 museum rooms in the former cells, arranged chronologically: arrests, collectivisation, deportations, labour camps, armed resistance in the mountains, persecution of the churches.
• The cells of prominent prisoners, including the National Peasants' Party leader Iuliu Maniu, who died here in 1953.
• The Space of Recollection and Prayer in the courtyard — a descent between walls bearing the names of the dead.
• The sculpture group «The Cortege of the Sacrificed» by Aurel Vlad — eighteen figures walking towards a blank wall.
• The Paupers' Cemetery on the edge of town, where prisoners were buried — with an altar-cenotaph.

Practical information

Address: Str. Corneliu Coposu nr. 4. The museum is in the pedestrian centre of town; the Solotvyno — Sighetu Marmației border crossing is a few kilometres away, so it makes a convenient first stop after the border. From 15 April to 14 October the memorial is open daily 9:30–18:30; from 15 October to 14 April Tuesday to Sunday 9:30–16:30, closed on Monday. The last visitor is admitted 30 minutes before closing. Tickets cost 25 lei for adults, 15 for pensioners and 10 for pupils and students; former political prisoners, people with disabilities and journalists enter free (as of November 2026). An average visit takes about an hour, but allow two for a careful look. Explanations are mostly in Romanian, with some material translated. The subject is heavy and may be too difficult for small children. Phones: +40 262 319 424, +40 262 316 848.

Nearby

• The Elie Wiesel Memorial House — a few minutes' walk.
• The Maramureș Village Museum on Dobăieș Hill.
• The Merry Cemetery in Săpânța — about 18 km.
• Bârsana Monastery in the Iza valley.
• The Mocănița in Vișeu de Sus — a forest narrow-gauge railway with a steam engine.

Official website: memorialsighet.ro

Photos: Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Andrei kokelburg, CC BY-SA 3.0 ro, Wikimedia Commons; Chainwit., CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Nenea hartia, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Adam Jones Adam63, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Thalpha, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Monica groza, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.