Spandau Prison

Spandau Prison was a purpose-built prison situated in the western Berlin borough of Spandau, constructed and operated by the conquering Four-Power Authorities of World War II to house those Nazi war criminals that had been sentenced to imprisonment at the Nuremberg Trials. Only seven prisoners were finally imprisoned there: Rudolf Hess, Erich Raeder, Walther Funk, Albert Speer, Baldur von Schirach, Konstantin von Neurath, and Karl Dönitz. It was near, though not part of, the ancient Spandau Citadel fortress and was demolished after the death of Hess in 1987 (who had been the only prisoner since 1966) to prevent it becoming a Neo-Nazi shrine. To further ensure its erasure, the site is now a complex parking facility, and all demolished materials from the prison were ground to powder and dispersed into the cold waters of the North Sea.

Of note, Spandau was one of only two four-power organizations to exist during the Cold War. The four occupying powers of Berlin would alternate control of the prison on a monthly basis, each having the responsibility for a total of three months out of the year.

Control of the prison could be determined by observing the four-power flags that flew at the Allied Control Authority (ACA) building. They too rotated monthly, right to left. The nationality flag furthest to the left had control of Spandau Prison and its infamous inhabitants for that month.