Långholmen Prison Hotel & Restaurant
By Lifecruiser's Mr. Lifecruiser and I spent a night in the Långholmen Crown Prison in Stockholm, Sweden. We were locked into a double cell for the night. Not that we got arrested for doing something naughty in public, I swear. It was just one of my "let's do something fun" spasms, and hey-presto, I booked us into prison. I spotted a package deal on the Internet, and found out that we did quite a trendy thing. So-called "dark tourism" - visiting places where bad things had happened - seems to be very popular. The Långholmen Island, where the Crown Prison is situated, has its name from the long and narrow shape - 1400 m long and 400 m wide. Long before there was a prison, the Island was a landscape full of pasture and stone. It's only approximately 2 kilometres away from the city kernel, ideal for a comfortable stay away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
The green and lush Island is a recreation area for the Stockholmers. We have to thank the prisoner for the beautiful landscaped Island. The rocky, desolated and bare area was transformed by the sweaty labour of the prisoners, who dragged soil and mud from Lake Malären to plant shrubs and trees that give the Island its lush and inviting appearance today. Did we live on bread and water only?Heck no. The food has come a long way since bread and water only was served to the captured. We enjoyed quite a delicious dinner, served by a very compliant waitress with a great sense of humour.
Starters Kalix vendace roe with cheese waffles Wine: Petit Chablis 2005 My main course Mr Lifecruisers main course The restaurant and the pub Finkan (The Nick/Lock-up) are situated in the old prison hospital. I can assure you though, that the ambiance is anything but a sterile hospital atmosphere.
The old exercise yard was transformed into an open-air café that is open from mid May until the cold creeps onto the island. It wasn't open when we spent our prison-time there. Instead, we went to the nearby café "Lasse I Parken," a very popular spot among the Stockholmers, so you've got to be prepared to stand in line. Although the weather was excellent up to this point, it started to change suddenly while we enjoyed our sandwich in the garden. Dark clouds appeared out of nowhere, and before we knew it, rain poured in buckets and thunder kept us there way longer than planned. Langholmen Island and its History
Although prehistoric finds occurred - silver German coins minted in the 10th century - the Island wasn't mentioned in historical documents before the 15th century. The Island was empty until Gustav Vasa stationed his troops there in 1523. A marine customs house followed in 1622 and was in operation until 1857. Jochum Ahlstedt, a wealthy brewer, leased parts of the island and began with cultivation. He built himself a majestic residence named Alstavik. His residence was acquired by the state in 1724 and converted into a spinning-house - a nice twist for nothing else but forced labour for women. It was the way the city dealt with vagabonding women. It's safe to say that if anything was handed down by the Vikings to us through DNA, it must be vagabonds blood that very much keeps us always on the go. The facilities were extended with a prison that dominated the island for 250 years. New ideas were introduced in 1840 - improved cells and open exercise yards for prisoners. That made it a bit easier than before to escape, though the jail-breakers didn't really have much chance. Stockholm was pretty small at the time and the underworld was well known. The central prison - the largest in Sweden, with more than 500 cells - has held some of Sweden's most well known criminals. For ex, the spy Stig Wennerström, author Lasse Strömstedt, as well as other guests to the warden, like the famous Swedish poet and composer Carl Michael Bellman. I was surprised to learn that it was a functional prison until the Seventies. The last prisoner left in 1975. Only the old Crown Prison was spared from demolition and 1989 converted into the Langholmen Hotel. There is a unconventional gallery in the middle of the "prison" which makes it very bright and striking despite the fact that the rest still has a typical jail feel and look.
There is a Museum In the same building as the hotel - open every day. You don't have to stay in the hotel for a visit. They offer guided tours to tell the history or you can do it on your own. It's a jail-themed adventure, with arranged scenes where visitors can get involved. Some of it sounds like great fun to me. What to Expect
What's so cool about the Långholmen Hotel? The rooms are actually the old prison cells. The cells are small as you can imagine, but you get two in one. One of the cells is the bedroom and the other one is the bathroom, which of course didn't exist when real prisoners occupied the cells. Some of the furniture is still the same as they were back in prison time, which gives the whole experience even more authenticity.
It could be a bit nightmarish just to think of what happened in those cells during the prison years. 15 hours of hard work on only bread and water, isolation, dark cells in the cellar and corporal punishment is enough to break even the strongest person. What's more, execution was performed with a new guillotine from France - the thought that it was only done ones (and the last one in Sweden at that) gives me at least a little peace of mind. You can even celebrate your wedding there - no need for special striped wedding dresses. The banquet will be held in the oldest building, dating back to 1670 - the former women's spinning-house.
Actually, we liked it so much that we tried to get thrown back into jail again. Check out time is 12 noon. We were in no hurry and didn't show up until 1pm. They thought we'd left without paying. I guess you really have to obey the rules when in jail. The only disappointment was that there were no leg-irons waiting for us - even though we'd seen some of them. No ghosts clanking with chains in the corridors, and no knocking on walls to communicate. They left us to our own imagination to create entertainment. When going to jail, you don't expect a 5* rated stay. Though I'd rather give them 4 stars than only the 3 they have. I wholeheartedly recommend the place, and assure you that I wasn't whipped to say this. They kept renovating the place to even lift it up a notch, and I must say they succeeded. Very neat, fun, interesting experience, and above all - captivating! AddressLångholmen Långholmsmuren 20 Box 9116 102 72 Stockholm Telephone: ++46 (08) 720-8500
They also offer a hotel - an award-winning place at that. It was nominated the best hostel in Sweeden by Hostel Worldwide in 2008. Please visit their homepage for further information. Rooms: Single and double cells Facilities: Concierge 24hours Smoking: no Internet: free wireless Breakfast: Included Rates: SEK 995 - 1400 depending on room and season, packages available. Note: The information provided here was correct when published. Rates and details can change without notice. LocationFlights Daily flights to Stockholm, Sweden, from just about anywhere. Car Free parking for over 50 cars; please ask at the time of booking. If the car park should be full, there is parking for a fee under Västerbron. Download PDF for directions. Transfer Airport Express train Arlanda - Stockholm (approx. 20 minutes). Red Subway (called T-bana in Swedish) line 14 from Stockholm Central station to Hornstull station (towards Fruängen) - about 8 minutes, then 10 min. walk. Download PDF for directions Or take a taxi from either outside the Central station or Hornstull station.
Slideshow by Lifecruiser.
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