There have long been many disturbing rumors about the diminutive island of Munkholmen near Trondheim, Norway. From an ancient Viking execution site to a state prison, who is still there in the afterlife?
Emerging calmly from the waters of Trondheim Fjord, Munkholmen appears serene by day. Tour boats sail past its rounded shores, seabirds cry overhead, and the island appears to be little more than a picturesque landmark. But beneath this serene surface lies one of Norway's darkest historical places, a place shaped by executions, imprisonment and spiritual isolation.
For centuries, Munkholmen has enjoyed a reputation as a haunted island where the past has never completely loosened its grip.
From the Holy Land to the place of execution
Munkholmen's turbulent history began long before the stone walls were built. In the early Middle Ages, the island was a place of executions. Criminals and enemies of the crown were carried across the water and killed, their bodies often left on spikes as a warning to others. It is said that in 995 Olav Tryggvason ordered the heads of Count Håkon and the slave Karek to be stuck here.
Later, the Nidarholm Mariakloster Benedictine monastery was founded on the island, from which Munkholmen received the name of the oldest monastery in the country. The monks came seeking solitude and devotion, but even prayer could not erase the island's grim legacy. Fires repeatedly destroyed the monastery, and many believed that the ground itself was cursed, soaked in blood long before the first stone of the chapel was laid.
Prison Island
Munkholmen's darkest chapter began in the 17th century, when the city was turned into a state prison and fortress. Political prisoners and criminals. Some were kept in damp underground cells where daylight never reached them. Others were chained in diminutive stone chambers, listening to the waves continually crashing against the walls.
One of the most infamous prisoners was Count Peder Schumacher Griffenfeld, once the most powerful man in Denmark and Norway. Under Christian V, he became the king's chief advisor and definitely the de facto ruler of Denmark and Norway.
Griffenfeld failed to prevent the war and in 1675 Denmark and Norway entered into armed conflict with Sweden, known as the Scanian War. Various negotiations surrounding the beginning of the war and his friendliness towards the French contributed to his being charged with high treason and lèse-majesté.
After falling out of royal favor, he was imprisoned at Munkholmen for almost two decades. He spent his time reading, teaching children, and writing diminutive religious writings. He was then transferred to the city of Trondheim, where he was kept under guard for the last time, and a year later he died.
Victor Hugo published the novel The Prisoner on Munkholmen in 1831 about Griffenfeld's stay in prison. Visitors and guards later claimed that his spirit never left, wandering unseen corridors long after his death.
Many prisoners died on the island from disease, exposure or despair. Their bodies were buried nearby or thrown into the sea. Over time, stories spread of tormented voices heard at night, echoing from empty cells and closed passageways.
Spooky sightings and unexplained phenomena
Reports of hauntings on Munkholmen date back hundreds of years. Guardians once told of shadowy figures moving along the fortress walls after sunset and disappearing as they approached. Others described the sound of chains being dragged across the stone, even though no prisoner remained.
Some people report a sudden drop in temperature inside the fortress, accompanied by an overwhelming feeling of fear. On still days, you can hear doors slamming and footsteps echoing where no one is standing.
The case was popularized again when newspapers began publishing a photo purporting to show a ghost roaming the island in 2008.
Tommy Skog and his son were visiting the island and taking photos of the prison towers when his attention was caught by an oval hole in the wall on the first floor. Looking at the photo, he was sure he had taken a photo of the ghost of a man sitting in the hole.
The island that never really sleeps
Today, Munkholmen is a popular summer destination, but its dim reputation persists. Locals often say that when the last boat leaves and silence returns, there is a different atmosphere on the island. When darkness falls, the fortress seems to look out over the fjord, its bulky walls hiding centuries of suffering.
Whether haunted by monks, prisoners, or people executed long before history was recorded, Munkholmen remains a place where the past feels uncomfortably close. The sea may surround it, but it has never truly washed the island pristine.
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