Graz-Karlau Prison

Graz-Karlau Prison stands in Gries, the fifth district of Graz in Styria. Built between 1584 and 1590 in late Renaissance style, it began as Dobel Castle, a summer hunting residence for Archduke Karl II. The castle was renamed Karlau after the archduke to avoid confusion with a nearby hunting lodge. From 1769 it served as a workhouse before becoming a provincial prison in 1803. The prison was enlarged twice, once between 1847 and 1848 and again from 1869 to 1872. The prison has a dark history tied to war and execution. During the Second World War it was bombed, killing 14 guards and 107 prisoners. In 1946 British executioner Albert Pierrepoint trained Austrian staff in the long drop method of hanging. This method was used eight times before Austria abolished capital punishment in 1950. The prison was renamed Graz-Karlau in 1993. Notable inmates include serial killer Jack Unterweger, letter bomb terrorist Franz Fuchs, and Udo Proksch, convicted of six murders. Wolfgang Ott, suspected of serial killings, and Tawfik Ben Chaovali, involved in the Rome and Vienna airport attacks, were also held there. The prison remains the third-largest in Austria, with space for 552 inmates. Its imposing walls and history of punishment make it a sombre place in the city.