Museum of the Underground Prisoners – Acre

At the northern part of old Acre stands an impressive fortress built in the Ottoman era over the ruins of a crusader fortress. During the British rule the fortress was used as a central prison. Hundreds of members of the underground organizations – Haganah, Etzel and Lehi, were imprisoned here due to their struggle to defend the Jewish settlement, war against the British Mandate and their right to establish a national home in the Land of Israel. The museum presents the story of the Acre Prison – the imprisonment of Ze’ev Jabotinsky and the defenders of Jerusalem in 1920, the nine prisoners sentenced to death (“Oley Hagardom” 1938-1947), the break-in into the Acre Prison in May 1947 as well as the story of the central groups of prisoner, prison routine and more.

What’s at the site: an innovative display combining an interactive experience, accompanied by guidance, original and reconstructed exhibits, a tour of the prison cells, the Jabotinsky section, the break-in point, the solitary confinement cells, execution chamber and commemoration rooms.

For the general public: the visit at the site combines the stories of the undergrounds and the old fortress, with an introduction to the values of the underground fighters during the rule of the British Mandate, such as: Zionism and love of the homeland, valour and sacrifice. The tour lasts approx. 1.5 hours and must be arranged in advance.

The museum belongs to Museums Unit of the Ministry of Defence.