Behind the Bars: Langholmen Prison Hotel

Are you looking for a unique and exciting place to stay, a cozy inn with the best of the Swedish food tradition or a meeting place for all imaginable occasions with conferences and events? Then come to Långholmen! Here is a rich history, marked by the old jail, closed in 1975. Today, you are met by a modern hotel with newly renovated "cells" and an inspirational conference environment.

Langholmen Hotel was once the old Crown Prison. It was a large, imposing building with more than 500 cells which was built in the early 19th century. The last prisoner was discharged in 1975 and in May 1989 the prison hotel was opened after two years of renovation work. The cells are now comfortably furnished and in contrast to the past each has its own shower, WC, telephone, radio and cable TV. Today there are 89 single and 13 double cells.

The reception, originally the old prison entrance hall contains a cafeteria offering local delicacies. The building also houses a gallery built in 1866 which forms a nice open atrium.

Långholmen is Stockholm’s seventh-largest island, and perhaps the one about which most myths and stories are told, because of the old prison.

Many guests are lured by the captivating experience of spending a night in a real prison and getting to know the history not only of the building but of the many inmates that spent their time here behind the bars. You can learn about the last prisoner executed in Sweden in 1910, about the broad axe of the local executioner or even the conditions of the prisoner’s lives. Don’t worry though. The receptionist promises to give you your own key and perhaps the breakfast will consist of more than bread and water.