In the early 1980′s, before the economic recession and crisis, there were built many new amusement parks in Sweden. Only in 1984 five such places were built around the country. A few years later they built even more, including ‘Tanum Sommarland’ (Tanum Summerland) in Bohuslän. Here the children ran around happy using slides, climbing frames and doing other water activities. The kiosk was selling food that one enjoyed in the sun or sitting at small wooden tables with roof.
Now everything is left desolate and abandoned. The water slide is empty and the pool table next to the kiosk has clearly seen better years.
The innermost, largest climbing stand is in such bad condition that I did not dare to go up in it. A garbage bin is enclosed with tall grass. It is a sad sight and my thought goes back to a time when children were laughing and there were happy days.
Welcome to Tanum Sommarland
Reception house were people bought tickets and parked their cars on the grass fields
Inside reception
Climbing structure in the back
Some sort of asphalt track
The biljard table next to the kiosk
Alien bin
Water slide in the woods
Doesn’t look to tempting perhaps..
On top of the slide looking down
Dirty water
In the early 90′s the positive trend turned and Sweden struggled financially. High inflation and high interest rates meant that many went bankrupt. The competition between the amusement parks increased and cheaper foreign travel, computer games and cable TV contributed to a battle for filling people’s spare time. Someone had to lose like ‘Tanum Sommarland’.
The kiosk were people bought food
A wheel that is part of a water installation
When an event company (Mega Event) in the early 2000′s decided to add a music and extreme sports festival on the same day as the ‘Hultsfred festival’, it ended in a huge bankruptcy and they were owed 5 million kr.
Mega Event leftovers
Some years later the area was bought by a Norwegian company with plans to turn it into another recreational facility. They wanted to build an apartment hotel, spa and amusement park. But that initiative also went bankrupt.
Slide
In 2007 a large rave party was held on the grounds with 2000 young people. It ended with 30-40 policemen stormed the area and many were arrested for use and possession of drugs.
It is obviously not easy to conduct business here. That’s why the park is decayed and abandoned, waiting for someone with a new smart business idea to try out.
Derelict playground
Some sort of slide on a hill overgrown with trees and bushes
The water installation
