Åstol () is a

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

situated south of

Tjörn Municipality Tjörn Municipality () is a municipality that covers the island of Tjörn in Västra Götaland County in western Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Skärhamn. Tjörn is the sixth largest Swedish island. It is located in the province of ...

(close to

Marstrand Marstrand () is a seaside locality situated in Kungälv Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 1,320 inhabitants in 2010. The town got its name from its location on the island of Marstrand. Despite its small population, for histo ...

Västra Götaland County Västra Götaland County () is a county or '' län'' on the western coast of Sweden. The county is the second most populous of Sweden's counties and it comprises 49 municipalities (''kommuner''). Its population of 1,616,000 amounts to 17% of S ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

with 210 inhabitants in 2010. Åstol is an island and a locality in

in Rönnäng Parish situated in the Province of

Bohuslän Bohuslän () is a Provinces of Sweden, Swedish province in Götaland, on the northernmost part of the country's west coast. It is bordered by Dalsland to the northeast, Västergötland to the southeast, the Skagerrak arm of the North Sea to the ...

. In 2015, Åstol lost its status as an urban area due to its population decreasing to under 200 residents. Instead, the island came to constitute a small residential area. The island is located just south of Tjörn (near

) and has approximately 200 year-round residents. The island can be reached via the Hakefjord ferry which departs from Rönnäng on Tjörn and also serves Tjörnekalv, as well as Åstol's neighboring island, Dyrön. During the summertime, there is a ferry which connects the island to and from Marstrand.

History

Åstol was known as a fishing hub with a net bindery (workshop for making fish nets), as well as an ice plant that supplied ice to both Åstol's fishing fleets and other nearby fishing camps and bunker boats. The village had amenities like a shore cash desk that provided everything needed for fishing, a number of grocery stores, and a bakery. However, by the late 1960s, there was no more space left on the island to build new homes. The fishing industry on Åstol came to an end in the 1970s when modern steel trawlers, some only a few years old, were sold off. Administratively, Åstol was orgininally part of Stenkyrka parish. However, following the municipal reform in 1862, it became part of Stenkyrka rural municipality. In 1886, the Tjörnekalv municipal society was established for the locality. From 1918 onwards, Åstol and Tjörnekalv became part of the newly formed Rönnäng rural municipality. This was later incorporated into Tjörn rural municipality in 1959, where Tjörnekalv municipal society was dissolved. Since 1971, Åstol has been part of Tjörn Municipality.

Population development

Åstol's peak population consisted of around 540 inhabitants in 1960. In 2015, it lost its status as an urban area (tätort) because its population dropped below 200 people, instead becoming a small residential area (småort).

Community

Åstols Handelsbod is the only operating grocery store on the island and is open year-round. It encompasses both a post office and a

Systembolaget (, "the System Company"), colloquially known as ("the system") or ("the company"), is a government-owned chain of liquor stores in Sweden. It is the only retail store allowed to sell alcoholic beverages that contain more than 3.5% alcohol by ...

. In the middle of the harbor is Åstol's café, housed in an old warehouse. There is also a fishing boat tour, boat Hajen (The Shark), which takes sports fishers out to the sea.

Culture

Åstol is renowned for hosting folk music evenings in a converted smokehouse, Åstols Rökeri, located at the end of the harbor. The island gained further recognition when the Swedish comedy troupes Galenskaparna and After Shave filmed their satirical story "Åke från Åstol" there in the summer of 1998. This was a parody of the famous musical " Kristina från Duvemåla." Additionally, music groups Coldtears and Åstolpojkarna both originated from Åstol.

References

Populated places in Tjörn Municipality {{VästraGötaland-geo-stub