Långholmen prison
Encyclopedia
Långholmen Prison, officially Långholmen Central Prison , was historically one of the biggest prison facilities in Sweden
with more than 500 cells, located on the island of Långholmen
in Stockholm
. It was built 1874-1880 as the central prison of Sweden, and was in use until 1975. Today the building is being used as a hotel/hostel and museum, as well as to accommodate a folk high school
. Part of the prison was demolished in 1982. The prison is also noted for being the location of the last execution in Sweden prior to the abolition of capital punishment in 1921. The execution took place in 1910, by guillotine.
The island itself was originally rocky and barren, but in the nineteenth century, the then current prisoners were made to cover the island with mud dredged from the waterways around it. After a few years, the fertile soil had turned the island into a lush garden with a somewhat exotic flora compared to its surroundings, caused by various seeds accidentally brought and spread by the trade and merchant ships from other places and countries that passed by the island. This peculiarity still persists, and today the island is known as a lush oasis.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
with more than 500 cells, located on the island of Långholmen
Långholmen
Långholmen is an island in central Stockholm, between Södermalm and Kungsholmen.Långholmen is a green oasis in the city, and a popular spot for walks, picnics and swimming. The small beaches, located right outside the former prison, are usually crowded in summer. However, up until 1975, Långholmen...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. It was built 1874-1880 as the central prison of Sweden, and was in use until 1975. Today the building is being used as a hotel/hostel and museum, as well as to accommodate a folk high school
Folk high school
Folk high schools are institutions for adult education that generally do not grant academic degrees, though certain courses might exist leading to that goal...
. Part of the prison was demolished in 1982. The prison is also noted for being the location of the last execution in Sweden prior to the abolition of capital punishment in 1921. The execution took place in 1910, by guillotine.
The island itself was originally rocky and barren, but in the nineteenth century, the then current prisoners were made to cover the island with mud dredged from the waterways around it. After a few years, the fertile soil had turned the island into a lush garden with a somewhat exotic flora compared to its surroundings, caused by various seeds accidentally brought and spread by the trade and merchant ships from other places and countries that passed by the island. This peculiarity still persists, and today the island is known as a lush oasis.
Notable prisoners
- Barbro AlvingBarbro AlvingBarbro Alving was a Swedish journalist and writer, a pacifist and feminist. She is widely known for writing under her pseudonym Bang. She wrote for, among others, the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter and the magazines Idun and Vecko-Journalen...
- Johan Alfred AnderJohan Alfred AnderJohan Alfred Andersson Ander was a convicted Swedish murderer and the last person to be officially executed in Sweden, and the only to be executed by a guillotine in Sweden.-Early life:...
- Jan GuillouJan GuillouJan Oskar Sverre Lucien Henri Guillou is a Swedish author and journalist. Among his books are a series of spy fiction novels about a spy named Carl Hamilton, and a trilogy of historical fiction novels about a Knight Templar, Arn Magnusson...
- Mohammed Beck HadjetlachéMohammed Beck HadjetlachéMohammed Beck Hadjetlaché was a Circassian journalist, writer, SIS and cheka agent...
- Zeth HöglundZeth HöglundCarl Zeth "Zäta" Konstantin Höglund was a leading Swedish communist politician, anti-militarist, author, journalist and mayor of Stockholm ....
- Ture NermanTure NermanTure Nerman was a Swedish socialist. As a journalist and author, he was a well-known political activist in his time. He also wrote poems and songs.Nerman was a vegetarian and a strict teetotaler...