Colonia Dignidad
Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date. Always verify with primary sources before acting on any figure. See data sources.
For families
How to send mail, money, and visit Colonia Dignidad
Step-by-step guidance using the Chile system — addresses, money services, visit booking, what to bring on your first visit.
Gallery
From Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA where not otherwise stated).
Photo by Natacha LSP via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by Natacha LSP via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by Natacha LSP via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by Natacha LSP via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by Natacha LSP via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by Natacha LSP via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by Natacha LSP via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by Natacha LSP via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
colonia religiosa alemana en Chile dirigida por Paul Schäfer, que sirvió como lugar de tortura bajo la dictadura de Pinochet
Background
Colonia Dignidad (Spanish pronunciation: [koËlonja diÉ¡niËdad]; lit.â'Dignity Colony') was an isolated colony established in post-World War II Chile by emigrant Germans which became notorious for the internment, torture, and murder of dissidents during the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet in the 1970s while under the leadership of German emigrant preacher Paul Schäfer. Colonia Dignidad has been described as a "state within a state". Schäfer and members of the colony were deeply religious and followed the teachings of William Branham. The main legal economic activity of the colony was agriculture; at various periods it also was home to a school, a hospital, two airstrips, a restaurant, and a power station. Colonia Dignidad's longest continuous leader, Paul Schäfer, arrived in the colony in 1961.
Source: Wikipedia article lead, CC-BY-SA.
Capacity
—
Current population
—
Occupancy
—
Year opened
1961
Operational
Figures from official sources · verified 29 May 2026 · methodology
Facility profile
Operator
—
Population held
Mixed/unknown
Opened
1961
Region
—
Security level
—
Death-row facility
No
Conditions
No conditions summary available yet.
Visiting
No visiting information available.
Mailing
No mailing information available.
Practical info
Contact the operator's website for inmate-specific procedures.
Known issues
No major issues documented in our database.
Contact & address
No public contact details available.
Conditions Risk Score
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
Related facilities
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
- CDP Cochranecochrane
- Ex CAIS de AricaArica
- CDP MulchenMulchén
- Buque Lebu
- CP Alto Hospicio ConcesionadoAlto Hospicio
- CDP Yumbelyumbel
Data completeness
24%How many of our profile fields are populated. We surface this so families and researchers know the limits.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Wikimedia Foundation
- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation
- Wikidata (Q701176)
- Wikipedia
- Wikimedia Commons
- See /data-sources for our overall methodology.
Cite this page
Under CC-BY-4.0. Include the URL and access date; the site is a living reference and entries can change.
World Prisons. (2026). Colonia Dignidad. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/colonia-dignidad
"Colonia Dignidad." World Prisons. Accessed October 20, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/colonia-dignidad.
@misc{worldprisons-colonia-dignidad,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {Colonia Dignidad},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/colonia-dignidad},
urldate = {2026-10-20}
}