Barnhem in Sweden

Sweden > Orphanages in Sweden > Barnhem in Sweden

By the second half of the 1800’s, the number of institutions for children increased. Many of these children had parents that were sick, dead, or single (widow, widowers, divorced or single.) It was during this time period that Barnhems began to be created. The purpose of a barnhem was to provide a place for the child to grow up. The barnhem would be held up as a model even for the orphanages. Good natured children in difficult circumstances could be placed at a barnhem. Troubled or bad children were placed in a protective institution (Skyddshem), while juvenile delinquents’ were sent to youth institutions (Uppfostringsanstalter), but it was not always clear to which institution a child should be sent. Even the name of an institution did not always reflect the type of institution it was. At Barnhems, girls would be trained for female labor. Many became domestic servants to find work as a Piga for a household. During the late 1800’s it was not as common to find young women who wanted domestic work, as more were finding work in the manufacture industry. Some barnhems for girls focused on educational training to become school teachers.

Here is a list of Barnhem in Sweden: (- as of May 2013 the list is only for Stockholm. Barnhem in other locations will added later)

Name of Barnhem	Location	Time Period
Adolf Frederiks Församlings Barnhem	Stockholm	1874-1938
Aspuddens Ungdomshem	Stockholm	1948-1970
Barnasylen vid Norrtullsgatan	Stockholm	1920-1921
Barnasylen vid Sabbatsbergsvägen	Stockholm	1900-1938
Barnasylen vid Åsögatan	Stockholm	1900-1942
Barnbyn Skå	Stockholm	1947-1980
Barnhärbärget, Stockholm Stad	Stockholm	1902-1930
Barnängens Flickhem	Stockholm	1937-1954
Barnängsgatan, Flickhemmet	Stockholm	1966-1970
Bellevue Barnhem	Stockholm	1904-1928
Björnstamhem, Barnavårdsnämndens	Stockholm	1952-1958
Blackebergs Mödrahem	Stockholm	1950
Blecktornsparken, Ungdomshemmet	Stockholm	1946-1951
Brunnslasarettet, Sabbatsberg	Stockholm	1945-1946

Tools

• Further information about the Barnhem in Stockholm can be found on the Stockholm City Archive Website at: here.
  

References

Clemmensson, Per and Andersson, Kjell. Släktforskaa vidare. Natur och Kultur, Falköping: 2003

Nordisk familjebok. Uggleupplagen 2, ”Barnhem”, Stockholm 1904, page 911

Reuterswärd, Elisabeth. ”Oäktingen” Fader Okänd. Sveriges Släktforskarförbund, Falköping 2011