Every design for Åhus

By the monastery ruin in the old quarter, Åhus's history feels close at hand. Cobbled streets wind between picturesque half-timbered houses, and buildings such as Kungsstugan, Anders Håkansgården and the ruined chapel of Sankta Anna speak of a town with a long memory, where the Helge å river meets Hanöbukten.

But Åhus is also summer and the sea. Along the stretch known as Ålakusten, the eel coast, long sandy beaches open out, and every year the town fills with life during the Åhus Beachhandboll Festival. The name is recognised around the world thanks to Absolut Vodka, which is made right here.

For anyone who grew up among the beaches or lived close to the river mouth, these places stay with you long afterwards. A map of Åhus becomes a way to carry the lanes, the harbour and the sea with you — the routes you once walked without giving them a thought.