Tanumshede: Rock Carvings and Historical Traces
Accommodation in Tanumshede
If the Bronze Age and rock carvings are to be the focus of your trip, Tanumshede offers a convenient starting point for planning. Historic buildings, a cultural center, and trails with burial mounds or rock carvings add to the experiences available in the town and its surroundings.
Cultural Heritage and Local History
The Tanum World Heritage area extends south and east of Tanumshede and includes at least 450 rock-carving sites. Tanumshede is considered a natural starting point for visiting the rock carvings in the surrounding area. In the Tanum World Heritage area, the rock carvings prepared for visitors are accessible around the clock, all year round.
The landscape can also be understood in terms of its geological history: Tanumshede and Kungsvägen lie on the Berghemsmoränen, a glacial marginal formation deposited at the end of the last Ice Age. The Vinbäcken flows across this formation, between today's center of Tanumshede and the “church village” of Vinbäck to the south.
The Tingshuset and its stable are a listed historic building in Tanumshede. The historic Tanums Gestgiveri is also listed. It was founded in 1663 and is believed to be Sweden's oldest continuously operating inn.
Culture and learning come together at Kulturhuset Futura, which is also home to the municipality's main library. Futurateatern has 140 seats and is suitable for lectures, meetings, and theater and music events. This cultural and event venue complements visits to the historic archaeological sites.
Choosing Rock Carvings and Trails
The nearby Vitlycke Museum is located two kilometers south of Tanumshede, along Road 914. It has an exhibition about Tanum in the Bronze Age and about rock carvings. The Vitlyckehällen rock surface, over 20 meters long, contains more than 500 carved images. At Aspeberget, seven rock carvings lie along a trail just under one kilometer long. At Litsleby is Spjutguden, a 230-centimeter-tall figure described as the largest rock carving of a human in Scandinavia. Two large and two smaller rock carvings can be visited in the Fossum visitor area.
The hiking trails also offer a range of destinations. Tanumsleden is five kilometers long and passes Valbrets grav (Hällekistan). Vandring i Världsarv is six kilometers long and leads to three rock carvings. In direct comparison, Tanumsleden is the shorter of the two stated routes; the other trail explicitly lists rock carvings as a destination. Tassemarksstigen is near Tanumshede and passes several Bronze Age burial mounds.
Suitable starting points for hiking in Tanumshede are the parking lot at Stall Heane (Tanums Ridklubb) and Höjden (Campus Futura). Both locations have information boards about the various trails. Sparvallen in Tanumshede can be rented for sports and exercise activities. The facility includes a full athletics track and a synthetic-turf soccer field.
Discover more destinations: Sannäs, Flötenmarksen, Rabbalshede, Hamburgsund, Lur, Resö, Grebbestad and Havstenssund.
Go to the main travel overview: Tanum.
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