As you know, I enjoy heading out into the countryside in my VW Multivan, complete with a bed and a well-stocked fridge. Just about 50 kilometres north-west of Dals Langed lies Tresticklan National Park, right on the Norwegian border. It’s a lovely place to be alone with yourself and nature. The national park is an easily accessible destination for a day trip to one of the quietest landscapes in southern Sweden.
Today, Tresticklan is primarily seen as an unspoilt area of woodland and lakes, but the region was also a historic border area. During the Second World War, the old Hallevägen – which ran from Rävmarken in Sweden to Halden in Norway – was used by couriers, resistance fighters and refugees. The remote forests and paths around Rävmarken offered shelter and guidance to people moving between occupied Norway and neutral Sweden.
A key local figure in this story was Arnold Molinder, a farmer and border police officer in Rävmarken. His farm, Rökullehögen, was situated right on the edge of what is now the national park; it was there that many refugees and couriers found their first place to rest on the Swedish side after crossing the border. Molinder was also involved in courier work, monitored the situation along the border and, together with others, supported the network of the Norwegian resistance movement.
So anyone walking through Tresticklan today is not only passing through stunning natural surroundings, but also through a landscape bearing hidden traces of flight, aid and resistance. It is precisely this connection between the natural environment and memory that makes the National Park such a special place in Dalsland.