Gullspång

Life in Skaraborg Municipalities Gullspång

Gullspång’s municipality is located at the very top of Skaraborg and comprises the three major towns of Hova, Gullspång and Otterbäcken, and the smaller communities of Skagersvik and Gårdsjö. There are only 16 residents per square kilometer in our municipality, so there’s plenty of room for a few more! To the north of the municipality lie Kristinehamn and Laxå, and to the south, Mariestad. To the east, the municipality’s beautiful countryside gives way to the Tiveden National Park.

Number of residents: 5,119
Towns: Hova, Gullspång and Otterbäcken
Neighboring municipalities: Mariestad and Töreboda
Price per square meter (single family/town house): SEK 10,817
Number of companies: 844
Major industries: Industry, agriculture and forestry
Employers: Moelven, Partex, Nimo and others
Popular places to visit: Hova Medieval Knight Week, Salmon ladder and Tiveden National Park
Lakes: Vänern, Skagern and Unden
Renowned for: Nature, development, a sense of community, Olof Mellberg, Linda Bengtzing, Andreas Andersson and Stikkan Andersson

Living here

Living in Gullspång’s municipality

More than 5,200 people spend their day-to-day lives here in Gullspång’s municipality, and we’d welcome more! Rural yet urban is Gullspång to a T. It’s quick and easy to get out into nature, be it forest, lake or rural areas. Living in Gullspång’s municipality provides for a laid-back, rural way of life that goes happily together with a job in the municipality, or maybe in one of the neighboring towns where the pace of life is faster and there are even more jobs available.

If you live in the municipality, commuting is no problem at all! For example, Västtrafik runs buses and trains, while European Highway 20 and National Highway 26 run through the municipality and will quickly take you to bigger towns further afield. Many of us commute daily to cities such as Mariestad, Skövde, Kristinehamn, Karlstad and Örebro.

Gullspang Desktop (1). — Distances from Gullspång to a selection of other places

Gullspång Nästa (in Swedish)

Moving here

Moving to Gullspång

There are multiple housing solutions in our communities, rural estates and newly released plots. All homes are reasonably priced!

Dreaming of building your own home? In Gullspång, we’re creating attractive new locations for lakeside living. In Otterbäcken, the Sjögläntan subdivision was recently established along the edge of Lake Vänern, and north of Hova is the Fagersand subdivision by Lake Skagern. Both subdivisions are dream locations, a mere stone’s throw from the water.

Moving to Hova

Hova is the municipality’s second largest town after Gullspång and is located about 20 kilometers south of Gullspång, 20 km north of Töreboda and 30 km northeast of Mariestad. It has stores, a patisserie, hotels, indoor padel courts, a health center and school. It boasts a picturesque main street with an authentic small-town feel, and there’s an excellent outdoor recreation area right in the town center. European Highway 20 runs alongside the town, which makes commuting north or south easy.

Moving to Gullspång

Gullspång is the municipality’s largest town. The Gullspång River runs through the community and forms the boundary between Västergötland and Värmland counties. There’s a salmon ladder in the center of town, and a railroad pedal car station that attracts residents and tourists alike. There are stores, a golf course, a health center, a market garden, restaurants, cafés and a school.

Moving till Otterbäcken

Otterbäcken is located six kilometers southwest of Gullspång, right on the Lake Vänern shore with one of the lake’s deepest harbors. There’s access to swimming, the harbor, fish restaurant, playground, boules court, indoor padel courts, promenades, bandy courts and other outdoor activities. There’s a little store that’s open round-the-clock, a restaurant, campsite, guest harbor, preschool, and Sjötorp and the Göta Canal with its locks are around 10 kilometers away.

Renting a home (in Swedish)

Homes for sale (Hemnet, in Swedish)

Vacant lots (in Swedish)

Jobs

Working in Gullspång

Gullspång’s industrial, agricultural and forestry companies, its many small businesses and the municipality itself create an attractive labor market.

Both the municipality and our larger companies are in need of labor, and we encourage you to apply for a job with us. Many of our residents choose to commute to nearby towns such as Mariestad, Skövde, Kristinehamn and Örebro.

Setting up a company here

If you have a business idea or already run a company that you’d like to grow and set up here, then there’s every opportunity for success in Gullspång’s municipality. The municipality will be glad to help you with contacts and permits, act as a sounding board for your ideas, help you find land and arrange multiple networks where you can exchange experiences with other entrepreneurs. The municipality has vacant lots ideal for companies and industry. There are large areas available with excellent communications by road, railroad and shipping.

Education

Education in Gullspång

Gullspång’s municipality has preschools and elementary, junior high and high schools as well as adult education. Gullspång’s municipality offers education with a low teacher-student ratio and high resource allocation, with a focus on the individual’s development. For people seeking further education, Örebro University, Karlstad University and the University of Skövde are only an hour away by car.

Childcare (in Swedish)

Schools, grades 1–9 and after-school centers (in Swedish)

Adult education (in Swedish)

Leisure

Things to do in Gullspång

Leisure time here has something for everyone, regardless of interests, age or background. There’s fabulous countryside, engaged associations and renowned destinations.

Outdoor activities

If you like discovering nature on foot or by bike, there are many trails to choose from in the municipality’s six nature reserves. The hiking trails offer a variety of exciting landscapes that bring tranquility to the soul. Along the Gullspång River, the landscape is varied and rural. To the southeast we approach the Tiveden National Park with its deep, taciturn forest character, and in Gårdsjö we experience the simplicity of a rural industrial community. For anyone looking to enjoy a simple evening stroll, there are woods and excellent hiking trails right up close to the towns.

Our natural surroundings consist largely of water. Lakes Vänern, Skagern and Unden welcome everyone who enjoys bathing and fishing. There are perch, salmon, pike, zander and char in the lakes.

Thriving associations

The National Touring Theater association, Gullspång’s shooting club, Hova IF, Otterbäckens bandy club, Gullspång’s horticultural association, Gullspång’s IF and the Gullhov riding club are just a few of Gullspång’s active associations. There’s something for everyone, both sporting and cultural! Our associations create a great sense of togetherness, and they arrange activities such as auctions, concerts, sporting events and cinema.

Places of interest

There’s a great deal to see in Gullspång, as the examples below will show.

Hova Medieval Knight Week

Hova Medieval Knight Week – a medieval market with jousting – is arranged every summer to commemorate the 13th-century Battle of Hova. The jousting park is located in the center of Hova, and everything you see there could have been found in the Middle Ages. You are taken 1,000 years back in time and get to take part in jousting and the medieval market, and visit the children’s Land of Knights.

Södra Råda wooden church

One of Sweden’s best preserved medieval wooden churches, adorned internally with 14th and 15th century paintings, once stood on the place known as Södra Råda old church site. It was a unique, invaluable part of Sweden’s and all of Europe’s cultural heritage. But as the result of arson, the church burned to the ground in November 2001. Today, a reconstruction of the old church can be seen, rebuilt over many years according to methods in keeping with the times.

The salmon ladder

The flowing waters of the Gullspång River are home to the unique Gullspång salmon, a species that only spawns naturally in a single place in the world – the river that runs through the Gullspång community, linking Lakes Skagern and Vänern. A salmon ladder was built in the lower, steepest part of the Gullspång rapids to help the salmon move upriver and spawn. In the fall, when it’s time to spawn, the salmon ladder is the perfect day trip destination!

Railroad pedal car

If you’re in Gullspång’s municipality, take the opportunity to pedal a railroad inspection car – something that can only be done in certain places in Sweden. Take your family or friends along and enjoy a squeaky, rattly railroad ride through beautiful landscapes and wonderful places where public roads are entirely lacking.

Ribbingsfors golf and culture

Surrounded by beautiful oak groves in a magnificent country manor setting beside Lake Skagern are the Ribbingsfors golf course and Gerda’s restaurant. You are greeted by a park and pasture golf course with 9 very pleasant holes to suit every kind of golfer, and every summer in Gerda’s Restaurant right next to the golf course you can enjoy lunch and snacks in a pleasant, laid-back atmosphere.