1. Neumünster Abbey
The Neumünster Abbey was built in the years 1543-1544 to replace the previous Altmünster Abbey. In 1789, the French administration installed a prison in the former convent building along with barracks for the gendarmes.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the buildings became an orphanage as part of the city of Luxembourg’s charitable services.
From 1815 onwards, the abbey was used as a military hospital for the garrison of the German Confederation. After its withdrawal, the abbey buildings functioned again as a prison. There was indeed an urgent need for a place of detention for Luxembourg inmates after the 1830 independence movement. Those who had been imprisoned in Belgium were brought back to Luxembourg where the abbey functioned as the official prison from 1869 to 1985.
The industrial revolution and the miserable employment and living conditions of the population lead to a stark rise in criminal activity in the country. In 1879, there were 130 prisoners, the number which increased to 436 in 1918.
Even though efforts were made to increase the size of the prison, very little change was possible to improve the still mediaeval physical conditions of the detainees. The diet had to be cheap and was mainly composed of potatoes and bacon. The hygienic and sanitary conditions in the cells were appalling, infested with rats and a variety of other vermin. Obviously, the inmates suffered both mentally and physically in these deplorable conditions. During the 1970s, the suicide rate was definitely higher than in other European centres of detention. This situation continued till 1985 before the detainees were moved to a modern prison in Schrassig where the offenders could be housed in decent, modern and humane conditions.
The Neumünster Abbey suffered a particularly depressing period during the German occupation of the country during World War II. Many of the resistance fighters arrested by the Gestapo and brutalised in the Villa Pauly were brought provisionally to the Neumünster Abbey before being transported to concentration and labour camps in Germany. Many of the prisoners’ families would stand on the walls of the old fortress to catch a last glimpse of their loved ones before they disappeared behind the prison walls. In total, 3,700 patriots and resistance fighters passed through this temporary detention centre between 1940-1944. Many of these did not survive the internment in the concentration camps.
After massive restoration and renovation work, the Neumünster Abbey has been transformed and since 2004 functions as an international centre for social and cultural events, exhibitions and concerts. It has become a favourite meeting place for artists, academics, scientists from all over the world and anyone interested in cultural exchange.
Interesting Detail
Report on the conditions of detention in Neumünster in 1939:
‘The detention centre with an average of 150 inmates had only 38 single cells at their disposal. The majority of inmates were held in communal dormitories. Imagine a cell size of about 6 X 7 metres with eight wooden partitions separating the whole into eight individual bunk units with wire netting as a ceiling. Light and fresh air were limited to the two units possessing a window. Eight inmates would be locked into and left to themselves from 7 o’clock in the evening to 7 o’clock in the morning.
When one considers the stressful state of the individual prisoners sharing this restricted accommodation, it is easy to imagine the devastating mental impact each individual inmate was subjected to. If he did not participate in the evening and nightly exchanges, this individual would have to suffer an unimaginable level of humiliating and demeaning abuse and insults. Quiet and sleep were out of the question.’
Significance for Human Rights
In the Neumünster Abbey and for over a century, the most basic human rights of those interned there were violated. The conditions were inhumane and the inmates suffered both mental and physical abuse. The history of the Neumünster Abbey makes us aware of how important it is to protect and defend the dignity of every individual person.
Article 1
All human beings are born free and equal.
Article 5
Everyone has the right to be free from torture.
Article 9
Everyone has the right to freedom from arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Article 25
Everyone has the right to a decent standard of living, including medical care and social services.
