General Knowledge: The murder at Locus Peccatorum

Do you feel like CSN is not enough? Well, I do too. But when we think about it, the situation is pretty good, after all. If we would jump into the time machine and travel back in time, all the way back to 1829, there would be a whole different situation. And no, the students…

lundtan Avatar

Do you feel like CSN is not enough? Well, I do too. But when we think about it, the situation is pretty good, after all. If we would jump into the time machine and travel back in time, all the way back to 1829, there would be a whole different situation. And no, the students during the early 19th century did not live like Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte. Many of the students in Lund lived a life in sharp contrast to the life of the upper class, or in contrast to how students in Lund live today. The majority could not even afford food at a local inn, so to solve that problem, they had to beg for food from females in the city, and the quality of that food was said to be anything else than good. Also, a number of students had bad behaviour, causing several incidents on the streets of Lund. The peak of this, however, occurred in 1829, when a student named Jacob Wilhelm Blomdahl beat his study mate Anders Emanuel Landén to death as the result of a conflict between the two students. Blomdahl was a theology student from Västergötland who came to Lund in 1825. Landén was also studying theology and came from Bohuslän. Both of them were members in Göteborgs Nation.

It is unsure what actually triggered the conflict between the two of them, but some say that Blomdahl wanted Landén to pay a debt, which Landén refused to do. Some people also believed that they adored the same girl, which could be seen as another trigger point between the two of them. A third reason to why Blomdahl committed the murder might have been a mental illness. Worth mentioning is that Blomdahl had a hard time studying in Lund, with bad results in school and he was also sick for a longer period. He had therefore decided to leave Lund and join the military. Blomdahl visited Landén on the 7th of september in his home, a room at a student house in central Lund, only two days before he planned to leave the city. There, the two of them got into a fight. Out of the two, Blomdahl were more skilled than Landén in combat. When Landén was hit in the head, he fainted, and Blomdahl kept on beating him until he died.

Landén’s body was left by Blomdahl outside another house on Adelsgatan. When it was discovered the morning after, a track of blood led directly to Landéns room, in which Blomdahl was found, along with Landén’s keys and his wallet. The funeral of Landén was found only three days after Blomdahl committed the murder. There could be no doubt Blomdahl was guilty, and he was later executed by beheading. Back in the 19th century, the city of Lund had a spot where all executions took place, located close to the area in between Getingvägen and Norra Ringen where we today can find stables. Landén’s name was deleted from the member’s register at Gothenburg Nation, of which he was a member.

As a result of this incident, other students and professors realized that something needed to be done to improve the situation of the students besides their studies, as the current situation could not provide them with enough stimulance. After a couple of years, the institution we today know as the Academic Society (AF) was founded. This would allow the students to interact with each other under more regulated conditions with more stimulance. The building in which the murder was committed was a student house until 1898, in which the house came into the possession of Kulturhistoriska Föreningen (Kulturen), who still owns the building today. It is located on the backside of Akademiska föreningen, just next to the entrance of ‘’Källarsalen’’ at AF-borgen.You might recognize it as a house looking a bit misplaced, built centuries ago, made out of wood and brickstones. It was actually built centuries ago, and a lot of things have for sure happened, among them a murder. Since then, the house is known as ‘’Locus Peccatorum’’ – The house of sins.

About Nådiga Lundtan

Founded in 1948 and has since been an important part of student life in the economics program at Lund University. Nådiga Lundtan covers a wide range of topics related to economics, society, and politics, as well as careers, entrepreneurship, and innovation. It is a platform for students to share their ideas and opinions on economics and related fields.

View more articles
  • A LUSEM Alumni About Life After Studies

    While once again trying to remember how to calculate the value of a perpetuity I find myself thinking: How did I get here? Is this really leading me in the right direction? When buying another cup of Alfa’s famous bitter coffee (is it number six today?), I think of other options. My dream of self-sufficient…

  • The Red Pill – At the Intersection of Love and Addiction

    Love is deeply intertwined with humanity. It is at the core of our species, meticulously studied in ancient Greece and carved in imagery on cave walls, discussed in locker rooms and under covers, the root of devastation and great deeds; It’s the red string of human history.  But what if love is not a grandiose…

  • What´s going on with the Tiktok Ban?

    As many know, the US government has been concerned about China’s government collecting users’ data and influencing operations. Therefore, TikTok has been under surveillance and investigation in the US for several years, leaving different videos such as Shou Zi Chew having to explain that he is Singaporean (a few too many times) as evidence. The…