HI Mandal - The old jailhouse

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A house with history

Located in Mandal, 500 meters from Sjøsanden and 1.1 km from Lordens strand, The Old Jailhouse Mandal provides free bikes, a shared lounge, barbecue facilities and free WiFi. The accommodation has a shared kitchen and a terrace. The hostel has family rooms.

Mandal is located 3 driving hours from Stavanger and the famous Pulpit Rock. If you are driving along the coast Mandal is the perfect chance to experience an idyllic southern village with beautiful small wooden houses, fantastic beaches and wonderful swimming. Mandal has as much as 8 beaches, If you chose to stay in The Old Jail House you get access to all of them in a short walk. The the chance, make a stop in Mandal, the southernmost summer village in Norway!

Around 1780 the magistrate Fredrich Friedrichsons decided to build a small jail in Mandal. He contacted the building contractor Georg Johnston, born in Charlisle, England. He was the only building contractor in the Mandal region during that period. The master mason was brought from England. When it was decided that the new jail and courthouse was going to be built the idea was to construct the bottom floor in mortar and the top floor in timber. Due to the lack of timber in the woods of the state the whole building was created in mortar. When the house was ready the summer 1784 it contained multiple session-halls in the top floor and prison cells in the bottom floor. The property has been preserved since 1924 and has today a new exciting use that you can become part of. If you are looking for a unique kind of accommodation in one on the most sunny and cosy villages, feel free to contact us! The location is very good in the center of Mandal close to all the stores, facilities and beaches.