Tidaholm

Tidaholm’s history

Tidaholm’s municipality has a long industrial history. The town grew up around Vulcan’s Match Factory and Tidaholm’s Mill at the end of the 19th century. Today, our old industrial buildings, which have either been preserved or re-purposed with new contents, are what create Tidaholm’s special atmosphere. There are businesses, sights and places of interest to discover, each with its own special history.

Culture & leisure

The delightful River Tidan bubbles through the countryside linking beautiful nature with charming townscapes. Our most popular place of interest is Hökensås, a piece of preserved wilderness with major natural values, deep forests and peaceful tranquility. Turbine House Island showcases blacksmiths’ cottages and mill workers’ homes furnished in the late 18th century style.

Tidaholm has a wealth of leisure activities, and residents can enjoy tennis, golf, the gym, padel, movies, bowling, soccer, ice hockey, swimming, horseback riding and much more.

And on Hökensås, there’s also motorcross and First Camp Hökensås.  
First Camp Hökensås is a vacation cottage and campsite that’s open all year around in the Hökensås conservation area. The facility has large areas for various activities such as minigolf and boules. There’s a store and restaurant, and hiking trails next to the facility and ski trails in the winter.

Families with children

Vulcan is a visitors’ center with a Children’s House, a museum and a tourist bureau. Here we tell the story of Tidaholm’s origins and development. We guide you through our glorious countryside. The Children’s House offers playful, inspiring environments where a child’s creativity gets the chance to break free. Vulcan is both a meeting place for Tidaholm residents and the natural starting point for a visit.

The Children’s House offers playful, inspiring environments where a child’s creativity gets the chance to break free. 

Library

Tidaholm’s town library is located in a beautiful building from the end of the 19th century. There’s a library, an assembly hall and a genealogy room. Tidaholm’s town library is located in a neo-Renaissance cultural center that was built in 1897. The building has been renovated a number of times in keeping with its original style. It houses the municipality’s main library, an assembly hall and a genealogy room etc. The large, magnificent assembly hall has been restored to its original condition and is a spectacle in its own right and a place where temporary exhibitions and events are arranged. The library building, which harkens back to the 19th century, is a meeting point for cultural life in Tidaholm. Back then, Vulcan was one of the world’s biggest match factories and it erected the building for its employees.

Places of interest in Tidaholm

Tidaholm’s museum houses permanent exhibitions describing how the industrial town of Tidaholm emerged. At one time, the Vulcan match factory was the biggest in the world. Cars, fire trucks and trucks were built way more than 100 years ago in Tidaholm. Come and experience our permanent exhibitions in Tidaholm’s Museum.

Welcome to Helliden Castle. It’s home to Helliden’s adult education college which has courses in art, handicrafts and design. The School of Graphic Art on Vulcan Island and Skövde Art School also belong to Helliden. Many of our students board at the school, and we serve a fantastic lunch every weekday.

Events

The cultural offer in Tidaholm is both varied and constantly evolving. Our goal is to offer something for everyone, regardless of interests and age. Among our popular events are the Crab Whale, Matrally, Farmer's Day, Tidaholmsdagen and Cruising. During the year, several Christmas events and the popular Culture Weekend are also arranged, which add a golden edge to our local calendar.

Night life

Tidaholm is home to the Fyranhuset banquet hall, which arranges evening festivities. It’s also home to VinContoret, which has wine and other beverages as its core business. They offer complete wine-tasting events and gourmet dinners, and will also tailor wine tasting to suit your special wishes. The classic people’s park is a meeting place with events for every age group.

Food & beverages

Tidaholm has a small but thriving town center with food to suit most people. It’s home to VinContoret, Granqvist Beverage House, JIVES, Gränden, Nohrbergs Bageri & Konditori, LaFamiglia, the Fyranhuset banquet hall, Town hotel, Turbinen and more. 

Outdoor life

Tidaholm’s Camping Maple Lake Adventure is the little campsite in the center of town. The campsite is a stone’s throw from the town of Tidaholm and just a few meters from the meandering River Tidan. Enjoy a comfortable stay in your own trailer home, RV or tent with electricity available on 16 pitches. The little campsite with a big heart eager for you to have a great experience. Come just as you are and stay in one of our romantic glamping tents. There is a double bed, furniture and a stove for a glorious fire on cold evenings. Enjoy a snack outside in your sun chair in the company of your travel partner. There’s room for an extra bed for a child. Dogs are welcome to sleep on a dog bed you bring along.

Hökensås

Many of us are looking for silence, peace and quiet. Hökensås is a paradise for the hobby fishermen, lovers of nature and the family. Hökensås Sports Fishing has been running sports fishing tourism in the area since 1957. Here, on the Hökensås bedrock ridge around 45 km northwest of Jönköping and 15 km south of Tidaholm, you’ll find tranquility. The area bears the distinctive marks and remains from the continental ice sheet whose mighty sandy deposits have shaped the topography with its ridges and kettle holes. Many of the lakes are crystal clear source lakes, but there are also forest pools with darker waters. The raven is a bird that characterizes an area where the black-throated diver and Slovenian grebe nest, and the Tengmalm’s owl, capercaillie and the goldeneye thrive. The landscape is reminiscent of lower Norrland’s pine forests and their sparse expression. The Hökensås conservation area is a bedrock ridge up to 300 meter high and 100 km long. The natural beauty of Hökensås with its coniferous forests, excellent hiking trails, abundant mushrooms and berries attracts mushroom pickers, berry pickers and joggers.

The area is widely known among fishing enthusiasts. With around 50 lakes and woodland pools, of which 30 are excellent fishing waters, Hökensås is regarded as a paradise for fishermen, be they pros or amateurs.

Hökensås is also renowned for its rich animal and birdlife in a slice of wilderness with great natural values, deep forests and peaceful tranquility. In addition to birds, you may encounter moose, roe dear, lynx, foxes and hares.

Fishing

You can try your hand at angling, fly fishing, sports fishing and fishing for all the family on Hökensås. Hökensås Sports Fishing offers fishing, especially for rainbow trout, brown trout and Arctic charr. Hökensås is a paradise for fishermen, be they pros or amateurs. It’s easy to understand why, as around 15% of the Hökensås land area is water. Most of the lakes offer fishing in all its forms. You can fish from boats, float tubes or waders for better luck. Hökensås Sports Fishing has been running sports fishing tourism in the area since 1957, especially for rainbow trout, brown trout and Arctic charr. There’s a well-stocked fishing shop at First Camp Hökensås where you can buy fishing licenses as well as all kinds of fishing tackle and accessories. While fishing is mainly from the shore, wading is possible in most places. There are also bridges across certain lakes, of which two are handicap access bridges. It’s also possible to rent boats on five lakes in the area.

Golf

Hökensås golf club is located just outside Tidaholm. The club was formed in 1961, and today it has more than 700 members.

Camping

First Camp Hökensås has vacation cottages and a campsite that’s open all year around in the Hökensås conservation area. The facility has large areas for various activities such as minigolf and boules. There’s a store and restaurant, and hiking trails next to the facility and ski trails in the winter.

Hiking

Experience the beautiful Hökensås landscape with its sparse pine forests and soft, rolling ridges. The 11.5-km hiking trail is suitable for all the family. Hökensås Hiking is located in the Hökensås nature reserve.

Hiking trails

There are several hiking trails around Kungslena. Large parts of them are an easy hike, while others are a little more demanding. Hikers should take care along the steep edges of the rock. The trails are marked out with route signage, stakes and signposts. Maps are available for loan in the church parking lot, and there’s a restroom in the church hall. The trails are marked out in white along their length. The trail is also known as the Hjo-Kungslena Pilgrims Way.