Långholmen – old prison and lush oasis in central Stockholm

Interiors from the Långholmen prison in 1920 and today.

About the museum

Långholmen, Stockholm’s seventh-largest island, is a lush oasis in central Stockholm. This island is located between Södermalm and Kungsholmen, and a popular spot for walks, picnics and excursions. This is also a very popular place for swimming in summertime.

This island was a prison island between 1724 and 1975, housing one of Swedens bigger prisons with more than 500 cells since 1874, called Långholmen Central Prison (Långholmens Centralfängelse).

This prison was also the place for the last official execution in Sweden. On November 23, 1910, Johan Ander was executed by the guillotine.

In 1989 the abandoned prison was converted into a hotel and hostel with more than 110 rooms, including the old cells.

Långholmen is indeed lush and green, and this we can thank the inmates and their hard work for, as they dredged surrounding waterways and covered the island with mud.

This island is well worth a visit.

Långholmen – old prison and lush oasis in central Stockholm at Flickr