Easy hikes and walks around Gerdsken

Several stepping stones have been placed in the lake along the shore, allowing you to reach the small island just offshore. It’s the perfect spot for a break.

The forest floor here, near Stora Kroksjön, is covered in moss, creating a mystical atmosphere. The walking trails and rest areas are set amidst unspoilt nature.

The Stora Kroksjön is a nutrient-poor lake with predominantly flat shores - only in the north does the rock drop steeply into the water, where you can discover several impressive glacial potholes. A narrow circular path leads you through varied mixed forests of pine, spruce and birch, as well as past open moorland and swampy passages.

Jonas Alströmer (1685-1761) was a Swedish agricultural and industrial pioneer and co-founder of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Among other things, he founded a mechanized textile factory here in Alingsås, which, unlike the "Spinning Jenny" in England (1764) a few years after his death, did not help transform Sweden from an agrarian country into an industrial nation.

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 artwork "Twisted Sisters", a two-part sculpture made of Bohus granite by Christina Monti, has been standing in front of the Parkbad since 2012. The "Twisted Sisters" are dedicated to the courage of people and cross-border friendship, today and during the Cold War between East and West. Monti's art project deals with the dramatic separation of siblings and families that took place in the GDR and Småland in the early 1960s. Fifty years ago, the Berlin Wall and the Cold War ran straight through the artist's family. In recent years, her artistic career has increasingly resembled detective work, repeatedly leading back to Finsterwalde in the GDR, where the family lived during that time.

At the beginning of 2025, the new Nolhaga Ice Rink (Nolhaga Ishall) was opened, which was built on the site of the previous building. The new hall, designed by Wahlström & Steijner, has an ice surface with changing rooms, sanitary facilities and storage rooms for the club's activities, as well as space for a café, offices, a fitness and warm-up area and a conference room. The two-storey hall has a capacity of 500 spectators. The new building was planned with the best possible energy efficiency. It is heated primarily with the recycled heat from the cooling machines and the meltwater from the ice rink is reused via a closed water cycle. The roof is equipped with solar cells.

The Nolhaga Labyrinth consists of a winding stone path designed by architect Stefan Peterson. It is based on an old Nordic model, the "Baltic Labyrinth". Those who follow the stone path take a journey through time, through history and into the future. On the stones you will find 33 panels with texts about the history of Alingsås. In the middle of the labyrinth there are also two flat rocks that are large enough to sit on and perhaps reflect on the magic of nature in the park. The Nolhaga Labyrinth was built in 2012 by the "Friends of the Museum" and donated to the city of Alingsås.