Goli Otok
A small island situated in a touristy area of Croatia, in between the islands
of Rab and Krk. In a complete isolation, with a stone quarry and almost no
vegetation, it was an ideal place for one of the hardest jail houses for political
prisoners in Europe. As a reaction to Soviet temptations for greater influence
in Yugoslavia, Marshal Tito used the Stalinists own methods against them.
From the 50s the adversaries of the Yugoslav leader worked here under unbearable
conditions exploiting marble. Later on the jail house was used also for the
nonpolitical prisoners sentenced for the hardest crimes. Officially it was
closed down in 1988, since that time it is a deserted island.