High Chaparral is a Wild West theme park and post-industrial museum of cultural artifacts and collectibles, located close to Värnamo, Sweden. It opened in 1966 and was founded by Bengt Erlandsson, more commonly known as "Big Bengt".
 High Chaparral logo | |
 Park entrance | |
| Location | Kulltorp, Sweden |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 57°15′48″N 13°49′38″E / 57.26333°N 13.82722°E |
| Opened | 1966 |
| Owner | Emil and Philip Erlandsson |
| General manager | Emil Erlandsson |
| Theme | Wild West |
| Slogan | Bli en del av äventyret! ("Become part of the adventure!") |
| Operating season | May-August |
| Attendance | ca 250,000[1] |
| Area | 14 hectares (35 acres) |
| Website | www |
The park is located near Hillerstorp in Gnosjö Municipality and on the border with Värnamo Municipality. and the national park Store Mosse. It is close to the E4 motorway and Swedish national road 27.
History
editBengt Erlandsson was born in 1922 in Brännehylte, Småland, Sweden. His parents owned a forest farm and a saw mill. His interest in the American frontier and Wild West was born from coming from a countryside where many had emigrated to America and from the stories they told. Erlandsson went to the United States himself in 1956 at age 34 and in four months touring covered 4,000 kilometres (2,500 mi). He came back to Sweden with a lot of impressions. When the Swedish national phone company had to get rid of 200,000 telephone poles, Erlandsson took the opportunity and constructed a western American style frontier fort and town with log cabins as it might have been used by the old United States Cavalry and U.S. Army in the Indian Wars on the western frontier in North America during the 19th century. When many people started to get curious about the place, he realized its commercial/tourist and historical purposes and possibilities. Similar to Walt Disney's construction of various Disneylands and Disney Worlds with "Frontierlands" portions built into the entertainment parks in several foreign countries decades later.[2]
In the 1990s Bengt was convicted of tax evasion.[3]
For many years, the park offered free entrance to residents in neighbouring municipalities.[4][5][6]
The park is currently managed by Bengt's grandsons, Emil and Philip Erlandsson, which have focused on attracting families.[3]
Bengt Erlandsson died in March 2016 at the age of 93.[7] In September 2016 Emil Erlansson, stepped down as the CEO and announced that he would build a similar but bigger park in the USA.[8] The project was discontinued in 2019 for undisclosed reasons.[9]
In 2018, two years after the death of Bengt, Emil and Philip created a large museum inside the park with their grandfather's collection of 1,200 items of, among others, toys, signs, paintings, cars, motorcycles and a steam train. The museum was however not a success and at the end of the season it was decided that the collection would be put on auction.[10][11]
Following floods in January 2023, major parts of the park ended up underwater.[12]
Attractions
edit
Apart from the Wild West theme there are Native American and Mexican themed areas. There are also a steam train and paddle steamer that run through the park and a pasture with buffalos.
The park stages several stunt shows a day and shows featuring Lucky Luke and the Daltons and Zorro. There are many activities for kids including gold panning and a miniature city. There are stores with gear such as hats, vests, holsters and revolver and rifle replicas.
There is also a museum overflowing with cultural artifacts, old cars, machinery, and various Cold War oddities such as the bronze monster-size statue of Lenin expelled from Nowa Huta.[13]
Accommodation
editNext to the park, there is a camping with cabins and trailers and a lake for swimming.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "High Chaparrals historia - Hur Vilda Västern kom till Småland". High Chaparral (in Swedish). Retrieved 2024-06-10.
Varje år kommer en kvarts miljon besökare [...]
- ^ Christensen, Poul Rind; Poulfelt, Flemming (Jan 1, 2006). "Extreme entrepreneurs". Managing Complexity and Change in SMEs: Frontiers in European Research. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 173. ISBN 1847202853. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ^ a b ""Han var en stor man"". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
- ^ "Patientbrickan tas bort". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). 2012-08-01. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ "Nu är det bara en vecka kvar". Facebook (in Swedish). High Chaparral Sweden. 2014-05-21. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
Patientbricka tillsammans med legitimation gäller för alla i GGVV i år också [...]
- ^ bubbelbubbel (2006-04-21). "High Chaparall". Hästar & ridsport iFokus (in Swedish). Retrieved 2024-07-12.
haha, vi kommer in på våran patientbricka, och idkort. iaf gjorde vi det förr. tror man gör det fortfarande.
- ^ "Big Bengt har avlidit". Sveriges Radio. 22 March 2016.
- ^ "Emil Erlandsson tar vilda västern västerut". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). 2016-09-08. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
- ^ "High chaparral lägger ned sin USA-satsning". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). 2019-08-22. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
- ^ "Big Bengt får ett eget museum". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). 2018-03-22. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
- ^ "Nu auktioneras Big Bengts lyxsamlingar ut". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). 2018-10-13. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
- ^ Johannes Tolf (16 January 2023). "Västernparken High Chaparral delvis under vatten" (in Swedish). SVT Jönköping. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ Ukielski, Paweł (2017). "Settling Accounts with the Communist Past in Poland". Arhivele Totalitarismului. XXV (3–4): 207–218. ISSN 1221-6917.
External links
edit
- Official website (in English)