Långholmen

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Långholmen is an island in central Stockholm, between Södermalm and Kungsholmen.

Långholmen is a green oasis in the city, and a popular spot for walks, picnics, and swimming. The small beaches are usually crowded in the summer. However, up until 1975, Långholmen was used as a prison island. Today, what remains of Långholmen prison has been turned into a hotel.

Långholmen was originally rocky and barren, but in the eighteenth century, prison inmates covered the island with mud dredged from the surrounding waterways. After several years, the fertile soil transformed much of the island into lush gardens with somewhat exotic flora, due to the introduction of various seeds that were spread via trade and merchant ships passing by the island. This peculiarity still persists, and today the island is considered a lush retreat.