From hometown hero to superstar
Håkan Hellström was born and raised in Gothenburg and both the city itself and its thriving music scene in the 90s have had a significant impact on his music.
Hellström shot to fame, seemingly out of nowhere, in the year 2000 with his debut album Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg. Since its release, the beloved artist has had a motion picture made based on his music, played club gigs in New York and Berlin, set a new Nordic concert crowd record in 2016 (70 091) and received numerous awards and accolades. Oh, and British megastars Coldplay even covered a bit of his hit single Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg during their Gothenburg gig (in Swedish, sort of).
A recurring theme throughout his music has been the city of Gothenburg. The late nights at indie clubs, trips to the beautiful archipelago and the scenic views of the city have all inspired well known lyrics. Håkan Hellström’s fame is such that many of the places he mentions become part of a fan pilgrimage of sorts. We’ve put together a guide to some of the many Gothenburg locations that feature in his music and what to do when you’re there.
Dance the night away
Håkan Hellström is an avid fan of samba rhythms and dancing in general, so let’s start by going to some of the clubs and pubs that feature in Håkan’s music.
When indie music peaked in the 1990s, indie clubs were everywhere. Most of them have since closed, including legendary Gothenburg indie club Jazzhuset (closed in 2017), a club name-checked in the hit Kom igen Lena.
Take a walk in the lovely park Kungsparken on the other side of the street Nya Allén.
The streets Långgatorna
The bar-lined street Andra långgatan is located just a short walk from the impressive stone houses of the neighbourhood Vasastan and Jazzhuset.
Andra långgatan is one of the main night life hubs in Gothenburg and a favourite among thirsty locals and revelling visitors. The street is mentioned in Håkan Hellström’s song Kom igen Lena, and featured in the 2013 motion picture Känn ingen sorg based on his music. The parallel street Första långgatan is mentioned in the song Dom där jag kommer ifrån.
Grab a seat at one of the many bars on the street and sit and watch people come and go. You’re likely to hear at least one Hellström song.
Magasinsgatan
The area around the street Magasinsgatan used to be full of clubs, including one where Håkan Hellström unsuccessfully tried to impress a woman in the song Magasinsgatan. Today, it’s an area with trendy interior design and fashion shops well worth a visit, with just a couple of late night haunts left.
Visit the inspiring shops around Magasinsgatan, not least Artilleriet, one of the most influential design shops in Sweden.
The neighbourhood Vasastaden
Vasastaden is a beautiful neighbourhood in the middle of Gothenburg. The main street Vasagatan is always bustling with life and the surrounding cityscape is made up mostly of stone houses dating back to around 1870–1920.
Vasastan is full of exciting art galleries. Check out our guide and find your favourite.
Vasaparken
The area is also featured in several of Håkan Hellström’s songs, including a longing for love in the park Vasaparken in Atombomb, the school Schillerska gymnasiet in Livets teater and a nod to the fast food joint 7:ans gatukök and a late night meal when everything else has failed in Nu kan du få mig så lätt.
Close to Vasaparken you’ll find the Röhsska museum, with everything from contemporary design to several thousand years old Chinese ceramics on display.
Sailing
Gothenburg’s ties to the sea are as old as they are strong, and that connection is also evident in Håkan Hellström’s music. Let’s have a look at some of the marine-themed Hellström locations throughout the city.
The song Mitt Gullbergs kaj paradis describes Håkan walking along the docks of Gullbergs kaj, one of his favourite spots in Gothenburg. The dock is home to rusty boats, debris and ships undergoing maintenance.
Cross the bridge Hisingsbron and visit the park Jubileumsparken, an evolving urban park with new features added continuously and the exiting urban area Ringön – with craft breweries, clubs and restaurants.
Feskekôrka
The famous fish market Feskekôrka (the fish church) is located in the middle of Gothenburg. The building is inspired by gothic churches and offers fresh fish and sea food of the highest quality (the fish market is closed for renovations until 2024). Make sure you don’t miss it while in Gothenburg. Feskekôrka gets name-checked in Håkan Hellström’s song Tro och tvivel.
Långedrag
That same song also takes us out to the tip of the Saltholmen peninsula and Långedrag, where Håkan sang about sitting with the pensioners, cursing the young people passing by.
Take a walk to Saltholmen and sit down on the cliffs or get a ferry and explore the southern archipelago.
Brännö
From Saltholmen, you can get a ferry to Brännö, the idyllic archipelago island that gave name to Håkan’s haunting Brännö serenad.
Go dancing at the famous Brännö brygga, immortalized by singer/songwriter Lasse Dahlquist, or visit the quirky restaurant Brännö varv.
Vinga
If you keep going further out in the archipelago you’ll eventually reach Vinga, the westernmost island of the archipelago. It’s also the island where famous composer and singer Evert Taube was born. Håkan is a big admirer of Evert Taube and the island of Vinga gets a mention in the jaunty Saknade te havs.
Visit the childhood home of Evert Taube, today a popular museum. You can reach the island with different boat tour operators, for example Kastor Boat Trips. Strömma or Hönö båtturer.
Stigbergsliden
The square Stigbergstorget and the street Stigbergsliden are located in the western parts of the city centre, and mentioned in Zigenarliv dreamin’. From here you’ll be able to view the rolling street Karl Johansgatan and you’ll spot the bridge Älvsborgsbron in the distance.
Discover the cosy area around the square, and the neighbourhood Majorna with its many vintage shops, cafés and restaurants.
Slottsskogen City Park
Slottsskogen city park is a favourite among locals and when you see the vast green open spaces it’s not hard to understand why. The Azalea valley where the azaleas bloom in May/early June is a popular spot. In Valborg Hellström suggests that it’s so beautiful, it’s impossible not to fall in love when you’re there.
Slottsskogen city park also hosts the annual music festival Way Out West where Håkan has performed several times, along with several international superstars.
Explore Slottsskogen, and when you’re done you can cross the road and check out Gothenburg Botanical Garden, one of the best northern Europe.
Gamla Ullevi Stadium
Sports are a big part of Gothenburg and the city hosts several professional teams in many different sports, among them football. Håkan Hellström was a promising young player for the green and black-striped GAIS, and he still supports the “Mackerels”. The club has adopted the song Gårdakvarnar och skit as their anthem, and it’s played when the players enter the pitch of the home stadium Gamla Ullevi.
Walk to the other, larger Ullevi arena (built originally for the 1958 world cup) and have a look at where Håkan Hellström set his Nordic crowd record in 2016, with 70 091 people in the audience.
The view from the top
Let’s end this tour of Håkan’s Gothenburg by visiting a few spots with great views. The island of Hisingen gets a mention in När lyktorna tänds. It’s a rather large island and home to many great spots.Go up the hill Ramberget, from where you’ll get a splendid view of the Gothenburg skyline and the river Göta älv.
Go for a walk along the waterfront from Lindholmen to Eriksberg or head to the neighbourhood Kvillebäcken and check out all the tasty treats at the market hall Kville saluhall.
