"La Model opened in 1904 as a new “model” prison. Built as a panopticon (a circular building where the cells, built in a ring around the outside of the circle, are visible from a single interior vantage point), it ensured that guards could surveil inmates at all times. During the Franco regime (1939–75), La Model was used to house thousands of political opponents, many of whom were executed in its courtyard. Shut down in 2017, the former penitentiary is now open to the public for tours (free on Fridays and Saturdays) and its courtyard has been turned into a public garden."