One of the most famous prisons in the world is the American prison Alcatraz (Alcatraz)

One of the most famous prisons in the world is the American prison Alcatraz (Alcatraz), also known as the Rock (from the English Rock), which is located on a small island of the same name in the Bay of San Francisco.

Alcatraz was the first military prison in the country, which held such famous criminals as Al Capone under the most severe protection. The prison is located on a 5-hectare cliff, and the icy waters of the 2.5 km wide strait with dangerous currents, sharks and sewage separates Alcatraz from the coast of San Francisco. No one escaped Alcatraz alive. For a long time, the island has been the subject of heated territorial disputes with indigenous peoples. Since the maintenance of the guards and food brought to the island cost more than if the prisoners lived in the Ritz, the prison was closed in 1963.

From 1969 to 1971, the island was occupied by Indian chiefs in protest against the American occupation of the indigenous lands. Their confrontation with the FBI is immortalized in the museum exhibits at the pier and in the graffiti "This is the land of the Indians" on the water tower. Water for the now growing shrubs and trees had to be delivered to the American military, who were kept in a building that served as a penalty barracks until 1934. Alcatraz Prison, along with the Golden Gate Bridge, is considered one of the city's main attractions.