About Carlsten Fortress

At the top of Marstrandsön, Carlsten Fortress is at the top of Marstrandsön. For more than 300 years, this vast guardian has protected the small wooden town below. Today, the fortress is a captivating overall experience out of the ordinary. Welcome to Marstrand's largest attraction.

Construction of the fortress

At the peace in Roskilde in 1658, Bohuslän and thus Marstrand became Swedish. The city has long been an important trading place. Since the port rarely freezes, part of the West Swedish fleet was laid here. To defend Marstrand, Carl X Gustav decided to build a fortress on the island's highest peak. First, a square tower and walls were built around a small courtyard. In the 1680s, the fortress was reinforced by making the tower round and higher, and raising the walls. At the beginning of the 18th century, the ramparts surrounding the large courtyard were completed. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the outer parts were built. In 1860, the fortress was reported to have been completed.

Prisoners at Carlsten

Dragging stone to the fortress building was hard work. In order to get enough labour, a new penalty was introduced in the Swedish law: "Marstrand work". From all over the country, criminals were then brought in to join the workforce. They were murderers, big thieves, forgers and rapists, but also simpler criminals such as petty thieves and vagrants. The length of the sentence ranged from a couple of years to life.

To prevent escapes, the prisoners were fitted with a two-kilo iron bullet attached with chain around one ankle. Troublesome and escape-prone prisoners could carry a so-called iron crown, an prison that could weigh up to 36 kilograms. The hard work and poor living conditions meant that the mortality rate was high. Some winters, up to 20% of prisoners died. Marstrand's work was abolished in 1854 and most of the prisoners were moved to Gothenburg.

Lasse-Maja

The most famous prisoner at Carlsten Fortress was Lasse-Maja. His real name was Lars Larsson Molin and he came from the area around Arboga. Lasse-Maja was a successful thief. By dressing up as a woman, he managed to escape the long arm of the law for a long time. In the end, however, he was arrested and sentenced to life in 1813. Thanks to the cooking skills he learned as a "woman", Lasse-Maja served much of his sentence as a chef. In 1839, after 26 years of captivity at Carlsten, he was pardoned by King Charles XIV Johan.

Attack on the fortress

Carlsten's fortress has been attacked twice and both times the tick fell into the hands of the attackers. In 1677 Carlsten was taken by Gyldenlöwe, a Danish governor in Norway. In 1719, the Norwegian Admiral Tordenskjold conquered the fortress.
Both times the Swedes got Carlsten back through negotiations and peace endings. In 1882, the fortress was closed down as a military fortification.

Carlstens Fortress website

Carlstens Fästing also has its own fine website with lots of information about the restaurant, conference and the fortress. Just click on www.carlsten.se