Göteborgs Konserthus Culture Evening: The Locked-in Children

For decades, thousands of children with disabilities were kept locked up in Swedish institutions. But how did they get their freedom? In the second cultural evening of the autumn, journalists Michael Verdicchio and Kristian Wedel meet in a conversation about an unknown part of Swedish history.

In the 1970s, Stretered was one of the country’s largest nursing home areas for people with disabilities. At that time, around 700 adults and children lived there.

When 90-year-old Åke calls journalist Michael Verdicchio, a journey begins into a story about poor care, teenage dreams and love in World War II Gothenburg. About a new father who makes a horrific discovery at the Stretered nursing home. And on the barricade: the mothers and the resistance movement who fought to crush the system.

Michael Verdicchio, author and investigative reporter, Göteborgs Posten, searches for answers in the darkness of the archives in the documentary novel The Boy with the Teddy Bear. What happened to the children at Stretered? Why was there a fire in the attic? And what is the meaning of the eerie rhyme whispered in the corridors – a secret that has been kept for decades. Hear the true story of the children that Sweden locked up – and of those who tore down the walls.

Contributing are Michael Verdicchio, author and investigative reporter, Göteborgs Posten, and Kristian Wedel, author and writer.

At Konserthuset’s culture evenings, we take a look at Gothenburg’s cultural life. With exciting guests and challenging ideas, we look beyond the borders and see the possibilities. Join us too. The conversation is led by Johan Hilton, author and cultural director at GP.