The museum is where the British imprisoned (and in some cases tortured and executed) members of the Jewish underground - the Hagana, IZL, and Lehi - the heroes of the Israeli struggle for independence. 

A beautiful museum.  Superb and intense presentation on the heroism of early freedom fighters.  Especially intense exhibit on Meir Feinstein and Moshe Barazani, the prisoners that took their lives with grenades shortly before their scheduled execution. 

For some unfathomable reason the place is barely known to the tourist office and locals (at least as of 2005).   We could not find anyone who could give us detailed directions - even the staff at the main police station two blocks away!   The map below will help you avoid the hassles we endured finding this place.  Note:  the museum entrance is on a side street, behind the Jerusalem Municipality, behind and around the corner of the landmark Russian Orthodox Church.

The old Central Prison Jerusalem - now the Museum of the Underground Prisoners.  Right: typical cell.

The Zinzana - isolation cells block. (Marlene inspecting one of the cells).

Left:  the gallows;  Right:  where Meir Feinstein and Moshe Barazani took their own lives with grenades (smuggled into the prison in oranges - see two oranges in photo) before their scheduled execution at the gallows.

  The passageway to an escape tunnel