Through the peace in Roskilde in 1658 the region of Bohuslän, and also Marstrand, turned Swedish. The city of Marstrand
had long since been an important place for merchants and commerce, because the harbour almost never freezes. Bacause of this a large part of the western Swedish navy was placed here. To defend Marstrand the king Carl X decided to build a fortress on the highest top of the island. At first a square tower was built and walls surrounding a small courtyard. In the 1680s the fortress was reinforced by creating a round tower, thickening the walls and also making it higher,. In the beginning of the 18^th century the walls surrounding the large courtyard were ready. During the 18^th and 19^th centuries the outer parts are built. In 1860 the fortress was reported finished.

Carl X Gustav
 

Dragging and carrying rocks to the construction site was hard work. To get sufficient manpower the new punishment “the Marstrand labour” was introduced into the Swedish law. Criminals who would join the working staff came to Carlsten from all over Sweden. These prisoners were mainly murderers, master thieves, pirates, rapists and makers of counterfeit money, but also petty thieves and loiterers. The duration of the punishment could be anything from a few years to life time imprisonment. To prevent escapes each prisoner wore a two-kilo iron ball attached with a chain around one of their ankles. Troublesome prisoners could be sentenced to wear the iron crown, a shackle that could weigh up to 36 kilos. The hard work and lousy conditions caused a high mortality. During some winters 20 of the prisoners died. The Marstrand labour was abolished in 1854 and most of the prisoners were moved to Gothenburg.

Fånge i järnkrona

The most famous prisoner of Carlsten Fortress was without
a doubt Lasse-Maja. His real name was Lars Larsson Molin and he came from the regions near Arboga. Lasse-Maja was quite a successful thief. By dressing up as a woman he managed to avoid the long arm of the law for a long time. Eventually he got caught and in 1813 he was sentenced to the Marstrand labour for life. Thanks to the cooking skills he had learned by “being a woman” Lasse-Maja served a large part of his punishment as chef for the officers. In 1839, after 26 years in prison, he was pardoned by the Swedish king Karl XIV Johan.

Lasse-Maja

Carlstens Fortress had been attacked twice and both times it fell into the hands of the enemies. In 1677 Carlsten was conquered by Gyldenlöwe, the Danish commander in Norway. In 1719 the fortress was taken by the Norwegian admiral Tordenskjold. Both times the fortress was delivered back to Sweden through negotiations and peace treaties. In 1882 the fortress was put of military use.

Amiral Peder Tordenskjold