Landskrona Citadel and the Angel-Maker

Skåne · Sweden · Prison

Landskrona Citadel, on the Öresund coast in Skåne, is one of northern Europe's best-preserved 16th-century fortresses. The building has been both a defensive stronghold and a prison, and its history is filled with both drama and tragedy

Landskrona Citadel and the angel maker

Landskrona Citadel, on the Öresund strait in Skåne, is one of the best-preserved sixteenth-century fortresses in the Nordic countries. The building has been both a defensive stronghold and a prison, and its history is full of drama and tragedy. Visitors meet a place carrying dark secrets and moments that still seem to sit in the walls.

From fortress to prison

The citadel was built in 1549 by the Danish king Christian III, originally as a defensive installation with thick walls and deep moats. When Skåne became Swedish after the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658, the fortress was extended and strengthened further. By the 1700s, however, it had begun to be used as a prison.

People considered dangerous to society were brought here, and from the middle of the 1800s it became a prison for those serving life sentences. In the 1900s the citadel became a forced labour institution for women. One of its most famous prisoners was Hilda Nilsson, known as the angel maker.

Hilda Nilsson and cell number five

Hilda Nilsson is among the most written-about women in Swedish criminal history. In 1917 she was sentenced to death for killing eight infants she had taken in for payment. Her case became a national scandal. After sentencing she was taken to Landskrona Citadel to serve her punishment.

On 10 August 1917 Hilda was found dead in her cell. She had made a noose from a linen cloth and hanged herself from the window bars. Since then her spirit is said never to have left cell number five.

Strange events

After Hilda's death, strange things began to happen in the cell. Prisoners placed there screamed in panic, saying they had seen a woman hanging at the window. One woman recounted that a Bible in the cell had begun to bleed, frightening her so badly that she refused to stay. Even today, guides describe visitors who feel uneasy in the cell or see shadows move in the old passages.

Visiting today

The citadel is now owned by the Swedish National Property Board. Guided tours are arranged, and visitors learn about both the fortress's role in history and life as a prisoner within its walls. The grounds also hold one of Sweden's oldest allotment areas, giving the place a strange contrast between life and death.

FAQ

Where is Landskrona Citadel and the Angel-Maker located?

Landskrona Citadel and the Angel-Maker is in Skåne, Sweden.

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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.

Image: spokkartan.se