In this Umedalen district of Umeå, over 44 sculptures been inventively incorporated into the natural landscape of the park, which have been sneakily blended into the surroundings. Among these are the permanent sculptures by acclaimed artists Miroslaw Balka, Louise Bourgeois, Tony Cragg, Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor and Clay Ketter and countless more. Since 2012, the park has turned its focus on the native Spaniard Jaume Plensa, an established contemporary sculptor well deserving of this honour. The park has seen its fair share of accolades, having been awarded the Swedish Magazine Association’s “Best European Art Event in Sweden” in 2000, the first prize for “Best Cultural Sponsorship” in 2004, the “Best Art and Design in the Public Domain” award in 2006, and most recently, the “Tourism Award” in 2007. The latter seems to be no mistake, as the garden attracts over 20,000 visitors each summer, who compete to spot the greatest number of their famous art pieces. This is no mean feat considering some sculptures are as inconspicuous as a clothes hanging one a line strung between trees and old, worn out shoes lying discarded. Nonetheless, more prominent sculptures do feature such as a forest of poles and a large metal reflective box that children will love to clamber over and explore.

The park is also home to the IKSU Spa, Sweden’s only cultural spa where you can work up a sweat in the gym before letting your worries float away in the hot baths. The experimental Bistro Le Garage is also on-site, where you can try a wholesome meal crafted from the best of organic local produce.