Plans for the prison were begun in 1937, during the reign of
King Zog. The government of
Kostaq Kotta decided to build a prison for 2000 inmates, but the project was not finished until 1939 due to problems with funding its completion. The prison is well known for having housed political prisoners before and during the regime of
Enver Hoxha, many of whom were imprisoned without due process, tortured, and forced to endure inhuman conditions. Albania may have had more than 100 prisons during this time, but Burrel Prison is one of the most notorious sites along with
Burgu i Qafë Barit and
Burgu i Spaçit. Political prisoners eventually included many people and the families of people who held prominent positions within the
Socialist People's Republic of Albania party apparatus, who were subsequently accused of opposition crimes by the regime, as well as people imprisoned for practicing religion, which was illegal, and others thought to be associated with an opposition movement in any form. Those charged with opposition crimes were convicted for terms of at least 20 years, but many prisoners had their sentences "extended" while in the prison, including
Pjetër Arbnori who was known as "the Mandela of the Balkans" because of the length of his more than 28-year internment in Burrel Prison. == Notable inmates of Burrel Prison between 1939 and 1992==