Every design for Lysekil

Out at the tip of Stångenäset, where the Gullmarn and the Åbyfjord meet, lies Lysekil – one of northern Bohuslän's larger coastal towns with its whole life turned towards the sea. It all began as a fishing village at what is now Norra Hamnen, in today's Gamlestan district, and herring has shaped the place through the centuries. The catches brought prosperity, and town rights came in 1903.

Traces of the old fishing community and the later spa era remain in the streets. On the map you find the Vikarvet Bohus museum and the remarkable giant's kettles, the rock formation Nålsögat and the wooden coastal promenade leading towards Långevik. Norra Hamnen has gone from industry to guest harbour, and by the water the Havets Hus aquarium draws those who want to see west coast life underwater close up.

There is something about the salt air and the smooth Bohuslän rocks that stays with you. For anyone with roots here, or who has returned to the quays summer after summer, the lines of the map are instantly recognisable. A shirt with Lysekil's streets and fjords is a small way of keeping the home harbour with you even far from the sea.