Långholmens spinnhus

Långholmens rasp- och spinnhus, commonly known as Långholmens spinnhus, was a women's prison in Långholmen, Stockholm, Sweden. The prison was established in 1649 when the Malmgården in Alstavik at Långholmen was erected, and was closed in 1825. The building became state property in 1724 and was used as a spinnhus (thread-spinning house). Malmgården was later expanded to increase its capacity. In 1825 the spinnhus was relocated to Norrmalm. After the move, the Långholmen Prison started to operate on the grounds.

The Långholmen Prison was modelled after the rasp and spinnhus in the Netherlands. It was created mainly as a means of controlling the numbers of beggars, the homeless and the unemployed. From 1723 onward, any unmarried homeless woman who did not have an employer, a legal profession or personal property, were labelled as defenseless, a status which was considered criminal at the time, and were subsequently sent to this prison. The incarcerated women were divided into different groups depending on their ages and abilities. Amongst the better known prisoners were the Gråkoltarna, religious dissenters who were imprisoned in 1733. The institution included training programmes for women prisoners which included occupational training with an emphasis on sewing. In 1746, the premises of the spinnhus were expanded to their present form.