There is a great deal of things to discover in Gislaved municipality. We are surrounded by a glorious, diverse countryside that makes a number of leisure activities and outdoor pursuits possible throughout the year. Our 388 lakes and beautiful green spaces provide many opportunities for bathing, birdwatching, relaxing walks or fishing.

Sports, culture and experiences

We offer a wide range of cultural and recreational amenities for inhabitants and visitors. Sports and culture have put our municipality on the map. This includes the Nordic region’s largest motor racing track, Scandinavian Raceway, and a rich music life that has its roots in an active municipal music school.

The Nissan River runs from north to south through the municipality. In olden times the Nissan was used for timber floating, as a transportation route and a source of power. These days, the Nissan provides opportunities for active outdoor pastimes such as canoeing, hiking along great trails and fishing.

Leisure

Gislaved municipality provides excellent conditions for a wide range of recreational activities all year around. Whether you are looking for active leisure time on your own account, as a member of a club or association, there is plenty to choose from.

There are sports halls and gyms in most of the municipality’s communities. They are used by the schools during daytime and by associations, companies and private individuals in the evenings and at weekends. In addition, our associations have built sports halls in several towns. In Gislaved and Anderstorp there are an indoor pool for family swimming, exercise and fun.

Several communities have so-called multi-purpose sports arenas. There are facilities for playing football, basketball, hockey and volleyball. In Gislaved there is an attraction called “Tillsammans”, “Together”. It includes a multi-purpose sports arena, parkour course, a traditional play park and also horticultural allotments with greenhouses. It is a meeting place where everyone can enjoy different activities regardless of age … together. A skate park is situated in Smålandsstenar.

With 388 lakes and several waterways, activities on or by the water come naturally. Our many waterways offer canoeing, kayaking, fishing, water sports and, naturally, swimming during the summer months. There is a canoe trail along the Nissan with rest areas for overnight stays.

​Association activities

Gislaved municipality is home to a busy, broad range of club activities in everything from sports to social groups. The municipality endeavours to provide non-profit associations with the best conditions possible for pursuing their activities by providing support and awarding subsidies and grants.

Sports associations

Almost all sports associations in Sweden are counted as voluntary organizations, as they are non-profit making. In most cases, membership and practice fees are relatively low. Youth clubs can apply for activity grants from the municipality, and receive a lot of help from parents involved as leaders. There are 300 different associations in the municipality, 90 of which have a youth section.

Social groups and village communities

Social groups and village communities protect and develop local areas.

Local folklore societies

There are several active local folklore societies in the municipality who work with the local history and environment. They take care of the rural community centres in the municipality and exhibit buildings from several different centuries. Visits to them show us how people lived in times past. In the course of the year they also arrange traditional festivities and activities such as Midsummer celebrations and hay-making.