Originally conceived by the philosopher Jeremy Bentham in 1785, the panopticon was intended to be a type of prison that allowed the guard to observe any of the inmates without them knowing if and when they were being watched. The design features a central platform surrounded by a ring of cells – thus enabling a clear view of every prisoner.

A panopticon was never built in Bentham’s lifetime, but the idea was revived many years later for the design of Statesville Correctional Centre in Crest Hill, Illinois. Opened in 1925 it has two ’roundhouses’, and is the only working example of a panopticon in the United States. Here’s a great photo which clearly illustrates what the interior is like.

Although genuine panopticons are very rare, outside of the US there are a few more for us to see.

The Presidio Modelo on the Isla de la Juventud in Cuba was directly inspired by Statesville, completed in 1931, and remains one of the best examples of Bentham’s concept. Originally holding up to 6000 prisoners, its most famous inmate was probably the current President of Cuba, Fidel Castro, who was held here between 1953 and 1955. The last prisoner was released in 1967 however, and it is now a national museum – this photo shows how it looks inside today.

Chi Hoa prison in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is an outdoor version of the panopticon, but still has the central observation tower and cells ringed round it. During the Vietnam War, the prison was used to hold Viet Cong members, and still serves as the main correctional facility for the city.

Finally, Holland actually has three panopticons – in Haarlem, Breda and Arnhem. Designed by Willem C. Metzelaar, Haarlem’s domed prison has four floors of cells, and was completed in 1901.

Merzelaar’s father was the architect for Breda and Arnhem, which perhaps explains the similar style of the three buildings. The Dutch government refurbished these prisons in 1979, choosing to remove the central observation platforms, but keeping the rings of cells intact.

Wikipedia has more on panopticons, Jeremy Bentham and the Separate System.

On a rooftop in the Netherlands we find a blurry picture that may, possibly, if-you-squint-your-eyes, might appear to be two people that are lying very close to each other.

Now, I’m not going to speculate what these people are doing in the privacy of their rooftop. In fact, I’m not even sure that there’s more than one person there!

For all we know this is just some run-of-the-mill topless sunbathing, right? I mean, what else could it be?

Thanks to “IRoN CYbOrG”

In the yard of Scheveningen prison, the Hague, the incredibly high resolution aerial photography has captured this prison inmate doing press ups!

As an aside, this is actually the prison where the former communist President of Serbia and Yugoslavia Slobodan Milošević was held for 5 years before his death in March 2006, shortly before his trial was due to end.

Thanks to gozoman

This is the bizarre Spiral Jetty, a huge piece of land art on the northeastern shore of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Built of mud, salt crystals, basalt rocks and earth, it forms a 1500 foot long (~450 metre), 15-foot wide counterclockwise coil, which extends from the lake shore. It was actually entirely submerged by rising lake waters for many years, but due to lowering water levels, has since re-emerged.

Spiral Jetty was built all the way back in 1970 by the late American sculptor Robert Smithson, who also created some other pieces of land art which are still visible on Google Earth, including the 1971 piece Spiral Hill, Broken Circle in Emmen, Holland.

See other spirals on GSS, and read more about Spiral Jetty at Wikipedia.

Thanks to Dan Blue and Mike Shubeck.

Yes people, there really is an absolutely enormous seal in The Hague, Netherlands. Apparently it belongs to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and presumably it’s designed to so utterly terrify the seal hunters that they’re unable to ever again harm another seal pup…

However that doesn’t explain why someone else in the Hague has another¹ gigantic seal in their back garden! I’m thinking guard dog. Erm… guard seal.

Thanks to Felippo.