The best family-friendly hikes and walks around Anten

Lake Kvarnsjön is located north of downtown Alingsås. And even though the city is so close by, you can relax in nature here.

Here, in this nature reserve north of Alingsås, there is a beautiful lake, ancient trees and plenty of blueberries. The path around the lake is the highlight, but there are also other nice trails.

observation tower

The Nolhaga nature reserve in Alingsås is 26 hectares in size and has been protected since 2010. It consists of two wooded mountains separated by a ravine called Klämma. Jonas Alströmer bought the land in 1725 and planted a beech forest, which has now developed into an old forest with large trees and dead wood. Dead wood is an important habitat for fungi, insects and larvae. The area near the city has been a popular hiking area since the late 19th century. In 1921, the city of Alingsås bought Nolhaga to make it accessible to the public. To the west, on the banks of the Mjörn, lies the Nolhagaviken nature reserve.

The creator of Nolhaga is the entrepreneur Jonas Alströmer, one of the six founders of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. He expanded the central building of his estate into a manor house in 1725 and surrounded it with a remarkable garden. Plants from all over the world were brought to Nolhaga and grown under Alströmer's care. After his death, the estate went into slow decline. The railway contractor Claes Adelsköld, who had acquired the estate in 1877, had the dilapidated main building demolished in 1879-1880 and a new one built, a patrician villa in the Italian neo-Renaissance style, designed by the architect Adrian C. Peterson. Adelsköld's villa is now popularly known as Nolhaga Castle. The current park is largely due to Adelsköld's efforts. The area became open to the public when the city of Alingsås acquired the castle and park in 1921. Nolhaga Castle, which has recently been renovated, houses a restaurant.

The sculpture fountain "The Water Carrier" has been standing in front of Nolhaga Castle again since 2005. The work of art, cast from zinc, was made in the 1880s on the commission of Claes Adelsköld. The poorly preserved original was removed around 1990, and in 2005 - financed by the Savings Bank Foundation for Culture - the sculpture was recast and reinstalled. It depicts a hunchbacked man with a leather belt and hammer, carrying a large barrel on his shoulders from which water flows. The original sculpture was probably cast in Fridolf Thorssin's workshop in Alingsås, possibly in an imported mold.

The Alingsås "Health Path" (Hälsans Stig) is a lovely walk for everyone around Nolhaga along the river Säveån to Mjörn, Tallhyddan and Fågeltornet. North of Nolhaga Park, the path passes between rock walls. This gorge between the two wooded hills that form the Nolhaga nature reserve is called Klämma.

Trädgård is a large-scale municipal project that is expected to be completed in Nolhaga Park by 2029. The first of three phases is complete, and 4,500 of the 17,000 square meters of garden space have already been landscaped. In the first phase, new walkways were laid and lighting was improved. An open lawn area was also created for picnics and other activities. Another area is a four-part inspiration garden, part of which consists of "Susie's English Garden" designed by garden designer Susie White. The next phases up to 2029 are expected to include a newly designed area for park activities, planted fields and an open area for markets.