From hostage crisis to luxury: The story behind Stockholm syndrome
- Paul Aage Hegvik
- 6 days ago
- 10 min read
In August 1973, Stockholm’s quiet Norrmalmstorg Square became the epicenter of a dramatic event that captivated the world and gave birth to a psychological phenomenon that continues to intrigue experts and the public alike—Stockholm Syndrome.
The six-day hostage crisis at Kreditbanken not only changed the way law enforcement handled hostage situations but also led to an unexpected bond between captors and hostages that would redefine human psychology.
Today, the building where the crisis unfolded stands transformed as the Nobis Hotel, a luxurious boutique hotel that blends modern sophistication with its layered and sometimes unsettling past. Guests who stay at Nobis Hotel are not just visiting a stylish retreat in the heart of Stockholm—they are stepping into a piece of history that once shocked the world.
The Kreditbanken heist - Became a psychological case study
The story began on August 23, 1973, when Jan-Erik «Janne» Olsson, a charismatic and cunning criminal on temporary leave from prison, walked into Kreditbanken armed with a submachine gun. His initial intent was a straightforward bank robbery, but when things went wrong, Olsson improvised—and changed history.
Upon entering the bank, Olsson fired a round into the ceiling and took four employees hostage: Birgitta Lundblad, Elisabeth Oldgren, Kristin Enmark, and Sven Safstrom. He demanded three things: 3 million Swedish kronor, a getaway car, and the release of his friend and fellow convict, Clark Olofsson, who was serving time for armed robbery. To de-escalate the situation, Swedish authorities agreed to bring Olofsson to the scene.
Olofsson, far from being an unwilling participant, quickly bonded with Olsson and helped him manage the hostages, turning what had been a simple robbery into a prolonged hostage crisis that would last six tense days.
Elvis, laughter and unexpected empathy
As the situation dragged on, an unexpected dynamic began to unfold. Rather than fearing their captors, the hostages developed an emotional bond with them. This shift was most evident during an unusual moment when Olsson, perhaps trying to lighten the mood, forced a police officer to sing «Lonesome Cowboy» by Elvis Presley over the phone.
The surreal moment, where tension was momentarily replaced by laughter and absurdity, marked the beginning of a growing empathy between captors and hostages. Over the following days, the hostages began to trust Olsson and Olofsson, seeing them not as threats but as protectors from what they perceived as the greater danger—the police.
Hostage Kristin Enmark even famously told Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme over the phone that she was more afraid of the police storming the building than of her captors.
Increasing pressure: cutting off resources
Despite the growing emotional bond between the hostages and their captors, Swedish authorities remained determined to end the standoff peacefully. The situation was delicate—any aggressive move could have triggered a violent response that might have endangered the lives of the hostages.
To force a resolution without violence, the police adopted a strategy of attrition:
Cutting off power and ventilation: Authorities cut off electricity and reduced air circulation in the bank vault to create discomfort and fatigue for the captors. The suffocating conditions inside the cramped space increased the psychological pressure on Olsson and Olofsson.
Blocking communication: As negotiations dragged on, police began limiting the robbers’ ability to communicate with the outside world. This isolation was intended to break their morale and force them to surrender.
The turning point: Drilling a hole in the vault
The robbers and hostages then barricaded themselves inside the bank’s vault. Two police officers managed to get inside and close the vault door. On August 26, the police drilled a hole in the ceiling and inserted a camera to monitor the situation. Later, on August 28, they prepared to release gas into the vault. The primary aim was to insert surveillance equipment and assess the situation inside. However, the hole also allowed the police to pump tear gas into the vault if necessary.
To prevent the police from using gas, the hostages were periodically forced to stand against the walls with ropes around their necks, so they would be strangled if sleeping gas was sprayed in.
Olsson fired shots through the hole in the ceiling twice, and during the second attempt, a forensic technician was hit in the hand and face.
The sound of drilling and the realization that the police were prepared to take extreme measures broke the psychological resilience of the captors.
The final surrender: No shots fired
By the evening of August 28, the situation had reached a tipping point. Jan-Erik Olsson and Clark Olofsson realized that they had no escape and that their efforts to negotiate a safe passage out of the bank were futile.
With their options exhausted and the situation inside the vault becoming unbearable, Olsson and Olofsson surrendered peacefully. Remarkably, no shots were fired, and none of the hostages were physically harmed during the entire six-day ordeal.
After ended peacefully, the four hostages—Birgitta Lundblad, Elisabeth Oldgren, Kristin Enmark, and Sven Safstrom—were released physically unharmed. However, their emotional responses and subsequent reflections on the event left law enforcement, psychologists, and the public deeply puzzled. Over the years, the hostages have shared their thoughts, with some providing striking insights into their experiences inside the vault and their relationships with their captors, Jan-Erik Olsson and Clark Olofsson.
Kristin Enmark: The most vocal and controversial perspective
Kristin Enmark, who was 23 years old at the time of the robbery, was the most outspoken of the hostages after the incident. She developed a particularly close emotional bond with Clark Olofsson and was one of the first to publicly defend her captors.
«I was not afraid of Clark and Janne. I was afraid of the police.» In a phone call to then-Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme during the crisis, Enmark famously expressed her fear of the police, worrying that their actions could escalate the situation and result in unnecessary violence. She believed that Olsson and Olofsson genuinely cared about the hostages and that their safety was more secure inside the bank than if the police attempted a violent rescue.
«They treated us well. They were kind. I trusted them more than I trusted the police.» After her release, Enmark reiterated her trust in her captors, emphasizing that they had done everything possible to protect the hostages from harm. She also revealed that Olofsson had comforted her during the ordeal, further strengthening her bond with him.
Aftermath: Enmark continued to speak publicly about her experiences and was critical of how law enforcement handled the situation. She maintained that the term «Stockholm Syndrome» was an oversimplification of what she felt was a survival mechanism rather than misplaced affection.
Sven Safstrom: Mixed emotions and lingering confusion
Sven Safstrom, a 25-year-old employee at the time, struggled to make sense of his emotions after the ordeal. Though he did not express the same vocal support for the captors as Enmark, he acknowledged feeling a strange sense of gratitude for how they had treated the hostages.
«It was like a nightmare, but at the same time, I remember thinking that they weren’t as bad as I had imagined.» Safstrom expressed confusion over his mixed feelings, admitting that the kindness shown by the captors made it difficult to harbor anger or resentment.
«I don’t know if it was fear or something else, but I didn’t hate them. It felt like we were all stuck in this situation together.» Like the others, Safstrom’s emotions aligned with what would later be defined as Stockholm Syndrome—a bond formed between captor and captive as a survival mechanism.
Birgitta Lundblad: Fear mixed with empathy
Birgitta Lundblad, another employee caught in the crisis, described her emotions as a confusing mixture of fear and empathy. Though terrified during the initial moments of the hostage situation, Lundblad, like the others, noticed a shift in her perception of her captors over time.
«In the beginning, I was sure I was going to die. But as the days went by, I began to feel that they didn’t want to hurt us.» Lundblad later admitted that although she felt relief when the ordeal ended, she also experienced a strange sense of loyalty toward her captors, which she struggled to reconcile.
Elisabeth Oldgren: Silent but introspective
Elisabeth Oldgren, who was 32 years old at the time, spoke less publicly about her experiences than the others. She described feeling overwhelmed by relief when the ordeal ended but, like her fellow hostages, acknowledged complex emotions that she struggled to process in the aftermath.
«It was hard to explain what I felt. I was scared, but I also felt like they weren’t the monsters I thought they’d be.» Oldgren’s reflections echoed the emotional conflict experienced by the other hostages, where survival instincts and prolonged exposure to their captors blurred the line between threat and protection.
The aftermath: hostages visiting their captors
Perhaps the most astonishing aspect of the aftermath was that three of the four hostages visited their captors in prison after their release. Kristin Enmark, in particular, maintained contact with Clark Olofsson and visited him in prison multiple times, continuing to express support and sympathy for his situation.
The birth of Stockholm Syndrome
The aftermath left psychologists baffled. The hostages not only expressed no anger or resentment toward their captors, but some even defended them.
This puzzling behavior led Swedish criminologist and psychiatrist Nils Bejerot, who had assisted the police during the crisis, to coin the term «Norrmalmstorg Syndrome,» referencing the location where the incident occurred. It was later renamed «Stockholm Syndrome,» a term that quickly gained global recognition to describe the psychological phenomenon where hostages develop emotional ties to their captors as a survival mechanism.
What happened to Jan-erik Olsson and Clark Olofsson?
After the ordeal, Jan-Erik Olsson was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the Kreditbanken robbery and hostage crisis. Following his release, Olsson led a relatively quiet life, moving to Thailand where he lived for several years before eventually returning to Sweden. He later expressed remorse for his actions, acknowledging the unintended consequences of the event that led to the birth of Stockholm Syndrome.
Clark Olofsson, however, had a more complex trajectory. Although he claimed he was merely trying to protect the hostages, Olofsson was convicted of complicity in the robbery and received a six-year sentence. Over the following decades, Olofsson was in and out of prison for various offenses, maintaining his reputation as one of Sweden’s most notorious criminals.
Quiet life in Sweden
Jan-Erik Olsson, the mastermind behind the 1973 Kreditbanken robbery that led to the birth of Stockholm Syndrome, is still alive today. After serving 10 years in prison for the robbery and hostage crisis, Olsson was released in the early 1980s.
Following his release, he distanced himself from his criminal past and led a relatively low-profile life. Olsson moved to Thailand, where he lived for several years before eventually returning to Sweden. In his later years, he expressed remorse for his actions and acknowledged the unintended consequences of the hostage crisis that coined Stockholm Syndrome. As of recent reports, Jan-Erik Olsson is believed to be living a quiet life in Sweden, where he occasionally participates in interviews reflecting on the events that unfolded at Kreditbanken.
The show revisits the 1973 Kreditbanken hostage crisis at Norrmalmstorg Square, where Olofsson’s unexpected bond with the hostages led to the psychological phenomenon that still fascinates experts today. Filmed at key locations, including Norrmalmstorg, the series blends fact and fiction to explore Olofsson’s charm and criminal genius.
The complicated life of a career criminal
Clark Olofsson, who was brought to the bank at Olsson’s request and played a key role in influencing the hostages during the standoff, has led a far more turbulent life. Despite being sentenced to six years for his involvement in the Kreditbanken incident, Olofsson continued his life of crime after his release.
Over the following decades, Olofsson was in and out of prison for various offenses, including drug trafficking, assault, and robbery. His criminal career spanned across multiple countries, including Sweden, Belgium, and Denmark.
In 2018, Olofsson was sentenced to 14 years in prison for drug trafficking in Belgium. Following that conviction, he returned to Sweden and has reportedly retired from crime after completing his sentence.
As of now, Clark Olofsson is still alive and living a quiet life in Sweden. Despite his infamous past, he remains a complex figure in Swedish criminal history, even inspiring the popular Netflix series «Clark» (2022), which dramatized his life and exploits.
From hostage vault to hotel suite: The birth of nobis hotel
Following the closure of Kreditbanken, the building remained a silent witness to the dramatic events of 1973. But in 2010, after years of careful renovation, the historic site was reborn as the Nobis Hotel, a luxurious boutique hotel that effortlessly blends its dramatic past with modern Scandinavian elegance.
Preserving the Past: The 19th-century building’s neoclassical façade remains intact, preserving the grandeur that once stood as the backdrop for the hostage crisis. Inside, the transformation is remarkable—sleek marble floors, minimalist design, and carefully curated spaces pay homage to the building’s layered history.
The Original Vault: The bank vault where the hostages were held for six days has been preserved and repurposed. While the space has been integrated into the hotel’s design, standing inside evokes a sense of the tension that once gripped Stockholm.
How to experience the history at Nobis Hotel today
Guests at Nobis Hotel have the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in history while enjoying modern luxury. Whether you’re a history enthusiast or simply curious about the origins of Stockholm Syndrome, Nobis Hotel offers ways to connect with its fascinating past.
Explore the former Vault: Walk through the original vault where the hostages were held, now part of the hotel’s carefully preserved spaces. The echoes of the past still linger in this atmospheric area.
Walk through Norrmalmstorg Square: Just steps from the hotel, Norrmalmstorg Square remains a landmark where the world’s media gathered during the tense days of the hostage crisis. Standing in the square offers a glimpse into the scene that unfolded in 1973.
Historical insights from hotel staff: Nobis Hotel staff are knowledgeable about the building’s history and are often happy to share stories and insights about the Kreditbanken robbery and the birth of Stockholm Syndrome.
Luxury with a legacy: What to expect at Nobis hotel
Beyond its intriguing past, Nobis Hotel offers a refined experience where history and luxury intersect. Guests can expect:
Elegant suites and rooms: Thoughtfully designed with a blend of modern Scandinavian aesthetics and historic charm.
Restaurant NOI: Offering contemporary Nordic cuisine with international influences.
The Gold Bar: A chic space where guests can unwind with craft cocktails after a day of exploring Stockholm.
Where luxury meets history
One of Nobis Hotel’s stylish lounge areas occupies what was once Kreditbanken’s main hall, where hostages stood alongside their captors as the world watched. Today, this space, filled with elegance and tranquility, offers a surreal contrast to the tension that once gripped the building, allowing guests to sip cocktails where history unfolded.
