Carlsten Fortress

On the Swedish island of Marstrand, Carlsten Fortress crouches above the tiny town it has guarded since 1658. The sprawling fortress with its distinct round tower was built up over the centuries by generations of convict labor consigned to brutal “Marstrand work.” Carlsten also doubled as a lighthouse, beaming the world’s first rotating light in 1781.

The massive pile of brick and stone is perhaps best known for holding the convict Lars Larsson Molin, or “Lasse-Maja,” a notorious 19th century Swedish criminal who dressed as a woman while robbing from the rich. Molin was romanticised for his sensational acts and still remains a popular figure of folklore in Sweden. While imprisoned at Carlsten Fortress, he served as a tourist attraction for upper class curiosity seekers who came to enjoy Marstrand’s quaint appeal. One visitor, the future King Carl XIV of Sweden, pardoned Molin for his crimes in 1839. The legend of Sweden’s iconic cross-dressing criminal lives on at Carlsten.

The fortress’s history is laced with violence and built by the hands of thousands of suffering prisoners. But these days Carlsten can be toured and explored, and the town below famed for its sailing, car-free streets and colorful houses. Marstrand’s past as a free port that welcomed a diversity of people is worth investigating on its own. If it’s the fortress you’re after, however, you’re in luck – these days, visitors can stay in hotel or dormitory rooms inside Carlsten itself, no prior conviction required.