Located in east Singapore, the Changi Prison, Museum and Chapel are some of the most-visited Singapore attractions. Bearers of the tumultuous history of Singapore, the Changi Prison, Museum and Chapel take you on a trip down memory lane, into the past of this glorious city.
The British built the Changi Prison in 1936. During the Second World War, the Japanese used this prison as a camp to house prisoners of war from the Allied group after the Fall of Singapore in February 1942.
Although it was built to accommodate 600 prisoners, the Changi Prison actually held about 3,000 civilians. During their imprisonment, about 850 POWs died in Changi Prison and many of them were transferred to Japanese labor camps.
The Changi Prison in Singapore was demolished in 2000 and prisoners were relocated to a new complex nearby. However, the legendary front gates of the old prison were moved to the new one and saved for posterity.
The most serious criminal offenders of Singapore are housed in Changi Prison now. It also serves as the detention site for death row inmates.
Prisoners housed in the Changi Prison during World War II constructed the Changi Chapel and Museum. In 1944, the chapel was built by Australian POWs, using simple tools and materials available to them. One of the British prisoners painted a series of murals here, and another built a Christian Cross out of a used artillery shell.
In 1988, the chapel was shipped to Australia to be reconstructed and placed in the Prisoner of War Memorial in Canberra. It was in the same year that Singapore built a replica of the Changi Chapel and Museum, just next to the Changi Prison.
During the expansion of the prison in 2001, the Changi Chapel and Museum was relocated to a new place, about one kilometer from the original site. In February 2001, the Singapore government officially established the Changi Chapel and Museum.
The Changi Chapel and Museum, Singapore houses a vast collection of paintings and photographs donated by numerous prisoners of war. Many of these paintings clearly depict the life and times of these prisoners during their internment.
The Changi Prison, Chapel and Museum are excellent sites for researchers, historians and art lovers on tours of Singapore.
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