The Sighet prison, located in the town of Sighetu Marmaţiei, Maramureş county, Romania, was used by the communist regime to hold political prisoners. It is now the site of the Sighet Memorial Museum, part of the Memorial of the Victims of Communism.
The prison in Sighetu Marmaţiei (often referred to just as "Sighet") was built in 1897, when the area was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as a prison for criminal offenders.
After 1945, at the end of World War II, the repatriation of Romanians who had been prisoners of war and deportees in the Soviet Union was done through Sighet.
In August 1948, once communist power had been consolidated in Romania, Sighet prison was reserved for political opponents of the regime. At first, it held a group of students, pupils and peasants from the Maramureş region. Many of the surviving prisoners are still living in Sighet to this very day.
On the night of May 5, 1950, over one hundred former dignitaries from the whole country were brought to the Sighet penitentiary (former ministers and other politicians, as well as academics, economists, military officers, historians, and journalists), some of them sentenced to heavy punishments, and others held without any form of trial. The majority were over 60 years old. Many important figures of inter-war Romania died in custody, including the leader of the National Peasants' Party and former Prime Minister of Romania, Iuliu Maniu. Between 1950-1955, no death certificates were issued and the families of the deceased were not notified.
Constantin Argetoianu, former Prime Minister of RomaniaIon Bălan, Greek-Catholic bishop of LugojDinu Brătianu, politician and historian, committed suicide in prison in 1951Gheorghe I. Brătianu, politician and historian, leader of the National-Liberal Party-BrătianuDimitrie Burilleanu, former Governor of the National Bank of Romania, died in SighetIon Cămărăşescu, former Minister of the Interior, died in SighetArlette Coposu, wife of Corneliu Coposu, worked at the Ministry for Foreign AffairsCorneliu Coposu, former secretary to Iuliu Maniu, leader of the National Peasants' Party after 1989Anton Durcovici, Roman Catholic bishop of Iaşi, died of forced starvation in Sighet in 1951Grigore Dumitrescu, professor of Roman Law at the University of Bucharest, former Governor of the National Bank of Romania, died in SighetGeorge Fotino, jurist and historian, member of the Romanian AcademyStan Ghiţescu, Vice-President of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania (1926), former Minister of Labor, died in SighetConstantin C. Giurescu, historian, professor at the University of Bucharest, Royal Governor 1939, Lower Danube Province, Minister of Propaganda 1939-1940Gheorghe Grigorovici, deputy, senator, former Under-secretary of State, died in SighetIon Gruia, professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Bucharest, former Minister of Justice, died in SighetPan Halippa, president of Sfatul Ţării when it voted union of Bessarabia with Romania in 1918Emil Hațieganu, former Minister of StateIuliu Hossu, Greek-Catholic bishop of Cluj-GherlaAlexandru Lapedatu, professor of History at the University of Cluj, general secretary of the Romanian Academy, former Minister of Culture and Arts; arrested at the age of 75, died in SighetIon I. Lapedatu, former Finance Minister, Governor of the National Bank of Romania, member of the Romanian Academy, died in SighetIlie Lazăr, leader of the National Peasants' PartyIoan Lupaş, professor of History at the Cluj University, former president of the History Section of the Romanian Academy, former Minister of Health and of Culture and ArtsGheorghe N. Leon, economist and politician, former Minister of EconomyIon Macovei, former head of the Romanian Railroads, former Minister of Public Works and Communications, died in SighetIuliu Maniu, leader of the National Peasants' Party, former Prime Minister of RomaniaMihail Manoilescu, former Foreign Minister, died in Sighet in 1950Ioan Mihail Racoviţă, General and former Minister of Defense in 1944, died in SighetIon Manolescu-Strunga, doctor în Economics at the University of Berlin, former Minister of Industry and Commerce, died in Sighet prisonIon Mihalache, leader of the National Peasants' Party, former Minister of the InteriorIon Nistor, historian and former Minister of Cults and the ArtsDumitru Munteanu-Râmnic, journalist, teacher, historian, and politician, died in SighetPetre Papacostea, secretary for general Alexandru Averescu, head of the Postal Service in the third Averescu cabinetVictor Papacostea, historian, founder of the Institute for Balkan Studies in Bucharest, former Under-secretary at the Ministry of Education in the Constantin Sănătescu and Nicolae Rădescu cabinetsNicolae Păiș, naval officer, former ministerConstantin Titel Petrescu, leader of the Social-Democratic Party, who opposed fusion with the Communist Party of RomaniaMihail Priboianu, engineer, former ministerAlexander Raţiu, author and priest in Giurtelecu ŞimleuluiAlexandru Rusu, Greek-Catholic bishop of Baia MareJoseph Schubert, Titular Bishop of the Roman Catholic ChurchGheorghe Tașcă - economist, former Minister of Industry and Commerce, leader of the National Peasants' PartyGheorghe Tătărescu, leader of the National Liberal Party-Tătărescu, former Prime Minister of RomaniaŞtefan Tătărescu, soldier, leader of the National Socialist Party
