History

Famous prisoners of the Tenth Pavilion

More than 40,000 people passed through the cells of the Tenth Pavilion - among them uprising leaders, independence activists and politicians known from the history books.

Updated: June 23, 2026
Maintainer: Editorial team

Brama Straceń na terenie Cytadeli Warszawskiej — Brama Straceń, Cytadela Warszawska, Warszawa (2).jpg, Adrian Grycuk, CC BY-SA 4.0

A political prison at the heart of the fortress

The Tenth Pavilion was an investigative prison for political prisoners. During its operation more than 40,000 people were held here — from participants in the uprisings to independence and revolutionary activists. Many were sentenced to death, exile to Siberia or hard imprisonment, and executions took place on the nearby slopes, by the later Execution Gate.

The best-known prisoners

Romuald Traugutt

The last dictator of the January Uprising, executed on the Citadel slopes in 1864 — one of the symbols of resistance.

Jozef Pilsudski

Independence activist and later Head of State, imprisoned in the Tenth Pavilion for conspiratorial activity.

Roman Dmowski

A leading politician of the national camp, held at the Citadel at the turn of the 20th century.

Stefan Okrzeja

A young revolutionary activist of the PPS, executed by the Execution Gate in 1905.

Rev. Piotr Sciegienny

A priest and peasant activist, imprisoned for preparing a popular uprising.

Gustaw Ehrenberg

A poet and conspirator, one of the political prisoners of the partition era.

A timeline of repression

1864
Romuald Traugutt and four members of the National Government are executed on the Citadel slopes (10 August).
1886
Activists of the First Proletariat are executed - among the first executions of socialists in the Kingdom of Poland.
1887
A young Jozef Pilsudski passes through the Tenth Pavilion, then sentenced to exile in Siberia.
1905
Stefan Okrzeja, a PPS activist, is executed by the Execution Gate during the 1905 revolution.

Archive images

Obraz Antoniego Piotrowskiego przedstawiający egzekucję powstańca — “Execution of an insurgent” — detail of a painting by Antoni Piotrowski (1885).Antoni Piotrowski, 1885 · Domena publiczna · source

Wewnętrzna strona Bramy Straceń z inskrypcją, 1934 — The inner side of the Execution Gate with its inscription, 1934.Willem van de Poll, 1934 (Nationaal Archief) · CC0 · source

Cela więzienna z tablicą pamiątkową w X Pawilonie, 1934 — A prison cell with a commemorative plaque in the Tenth Pavilion, 1934.Willem van de Poll, 1934 (Nationaal Archief) · CC0 · source

Szubienica na stokach Cytadeli Warszawskiej, 1934 — The gallows on the slopes of the Citadel, 1934.Willem van de Poll, 1934 (Nationaal Archief) · CC0 · source

Why this place matters

The list of Tenth Pavilion prisoners shows that people from very different, often opposing political camps passed through the same institution. That makes the Citadel one of the most important sites of memory of 19th-century repression. It is worth combining a visit to the Museum of the Tenth Pavilion with a walk to the Execution Gate.