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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
Lifestyle
Berlin, London - Asharq Al-Awsat

German Prison Reopened as Hotel

Inmates at the Saginaw County Jail in Saginaw, Mich., wear the new black and white jumpsuits. (AP)

A prison located in the town of Fürstenau, north western Germany has been reopened as a hotel in May.

Since then, tens of visitors, including newlyweds, have willingly stayed in the former prison's cells.

Although the cells are small and look nothing like the fancy hotel rooms, people seem to enjoy staying in them.

The beds (200 cm × 90 cm) provide a high level of comfort in the scattered cells, says Werner Briss, archaeologist and head of the local work team that has been restoring the former prison since 2015.

Briss slept in one of the beds and said: "It was so peaceful."

During their stay, the visitors are offered the traditional prison outfits striped in black and white.

According to the German news agency, the association plans to offer visitors the chance to take them from the station to the hotel, tied up in chains in an open carriage.

It is also considering the development of 19th-century punishment tools, such as a wooden or metal frame with openings through which pass the hands and the head.

The group member pointed out that the prison was established in 1720, and its cells imprisoned many charged criminals including a killer and a thief who stole a horse and was executed in Fürstenau, in 1883. You can spend your night at the prison for £45 ($50) or for £37 per night if you plan a longer stay.

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