Copenhagen Stocks House

The Copenhagen Stocks House, originally built in 1677, served as a military prison before opening to civilian prisoners in 1741. Located on Øster Voldgade, it was notable for housing those sentenced to penal labor, with a distinction between 'honest' and 'dishonest' prisoners. The facility expanded in 1783 to accommodate up to 600 inmates. Although torture was abolished in 1771, it was reintroduced and abolished again in 1837. The Stocks House was closed in 1860 and demolished in 1929, making way for the expansion of the Polytechnical University of Denmark. Today, it stands as a historical site reflecting Denmark's penal history.