Thief Island (Tjuvholmen)

Before late-1800s spruce forest covered the island, Tjuvholmen was a bare rocky outcrop visible from much of Kungälv, with town gallows at its highest point. Historical records and local guides describe public hangings, prisoners rowed across the river, mandatory attendance, bodies left exposed as warnings, and remains buried near the execution area. The name Tjuvholmen — "Thief Island" — reflects theft as a capital crime. Gallows fixtures reportedly remained visible into the 1900s. In the 1900s, local tragedy added to the island's reputation when several boys tending cattle drowned in the strong currents nearby.

Locals and visitors report feeling watched from the Kungälv shoreline, unease after sunset, shadow-like movement among the trees, heaviness and anxiety, and unexplained sounds from the island at night. The horror is largely psychological: a modern promenade looks directly at dense forest hiding centuries of executions, river fog, and contrast between everyday town life and historic brutality.