The Sprogø Women's Home

On Old Sprogø, the small island in the middle of the Great Belt, stand the buildings that hold one of the darker chapters of modern Danish social history: the Sprogø Women's Home, popularly known as the girls' home. From 1923 to 1961 the island served as a closed institution where young women were confined, cut off from the world by the wide belt of water.

The home was part of the Keller Institutions and arose at a time when society saw certain women as a threat to "public morality". Around 500 women were sent to Sprogø over the years – often because they were regarded as "morally deficient", of limited ability or sexually deviant. Many came from poor backgrounds, and for a large share of them the placement was indefinite. Daily life consisted of domestic work and farming, and a number of the women were sterilised before being allowed to leave the island. It is a story of neglect made systematic – and a testimony to how well-meaning social ideas could lead to serious abuses of some of society's most vulnerable.

Today the buildings still stand on Old Sprogø, silent and weathered, with nature closing in around them. The history has since been brought to light through research, books and film – including the research project "The Girls from Sprogø" and Jussi Adler-Olsen's novel Journal 64 – and the island has become a place where Denmark remembers and reckons with its own past.

Sprogø is a protected area, closed to the public, and there is no free access to the historic buildings. It can only be reached on a guided tour, where a guide gives voice to both the harsh history of the place and the nature that now surrounds it. The tours are arranged by Destination Sjælland from Korsør.

A visit to Sprogø is a thought-provoking experience that joins striking nature with an important story of human dignity, power and vulnerability. Find more at Destination Sjælland and Sund & Bælt.

Frequently asked questions about the Sprogø Women’s Home

Can you visit the women’s home on Sprogø?

The buildings still stand on Old Sprogø, but the island is protected and closed to the public. The home can only be seen on a guided tour.

Why did the Sprogø women’s home close?

The institution closed in 1961, as attitudes to institutional care and forced confinement changed and the law was reformed.

Who were the girls on Sprogø?

Around 500 young women – often from poor backgrounds – were confined because society regarded them as “morally deficient”, of limited ability or sexually deviant.

Were the women on Sprogø sterilised?

Yes, a large share of the women were sterilised, in many cases as a condition for being allowed to leave the island.

Book a guided tour to Sprogø

Book a guided tour to Sprogø with Destination Sjælland – the women’s home and the island can only be seen with a guide.