Kvinnorna på Själö

Själö was Finland's first mental hospital. The hospital opened in 1622. Intended for locking up people suffering from leprosy. But Själö hospital also had a secret ward. A house for the insane. The ungodly and mentally ill were deposited forever and their property fell to the church. In 1785 Själö hospital became a hospital for mental illness. In 1889 all men were moved from Själö. Some of them were young, one was for example only 9 years old. When Lappviken Hospital opened in Helsinki, Själö became a place for "unbearable insanity" and for criminals.