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UFO-Memorial Ängelholm

UFO-Memorial Ängelholm is an altar dedicated to a supposed UFO landing in Kronoskogen, a district of Ängelholm in Sweden. Erected in 1963, it stands in a clearing in the forests surrounding Kronoskogen. The monument commemorates a reported landing said to have taken place on 18 May 1946 and witnessed by Swedish ice hockey player Gösta Carlsson. It consists of a scale reproduction of the craft and the landing traces, built of concrete. The case was later investigated by Clas Svahn, president of UFO-Sverige, who wrote a book with Gösta Carlsson about the incident, but he found no convincing evidence that events happened as Carlsson described.

UFO Memorial concrete sculpture with a stylized flying saucer form and circular ring in a grassy clearing
The UFO Memorial stands in a grassy clearing surrounded by trees.
August 2021 © · CC0
UFO Memorial concrete sculpture in a forest setting with a flat top and pipe-like fixture.
The UFO Memorial stands among tall trees in Ängelholm, Sweden.
October 2010 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Aerial view of the Angelholm UFO Memorial site showing a large circular design with concentric rings, partly framed by dark trees.
The future site of the Angelholm UFO Memorial, seen here as a circular pattern in a clearing.
January 1963 © LANTMÄTERIET · Public domain
Aerial view of the UFO Memorial showing a circular ground design with a central pedestal and concentric rings.
The UFO Memorial seen from above, with its circular layout of rings and paths around a central pedestal.
August 2021 © · CC0
Verdigris plaque on the UFO Memorial with engraved Swedish text and dates.
A close-up of the UFO Memorial plaque, showing engraved Swedish text on a weathered metal surface.
January 1972 © · CC BY 4.0

Identification

TitleUFO-Memorial Ängelholm
Typememorial monument
Alternative nameÄngelholm UFO memorial

Historical context

PurposeTo commemorate an alleged UFO landing
Event commemoratedThe alleged UFO landing said to have occurred on 18 May 1946
Claimed significanceProbably the first memorial in Europe to commemorate a purported UFO landing

Creator

Associated peopleGösta Carlsson; Clas Svahn; Eugen Semitjov; Erik von Geijer

Discovery and provenance

Basis for designCarlsson's sketches made after his reported 1946 encounter
Origin storyBuilt in connection with Carlsson's account of a UFO encounter in the Kronoskogen woods near Ängelholm

Physical characteristics

ComponentsConcrete model, concrete landing traces, and copper plaques mounted on pillars
Weight3 tons
Ground featuresFull-size landing traces or impressions in the ground
FormOne-eighth-scale model of a flying saucer with a rear fin, support legs, and a metal periscope-like device

Materials

Main materialsConcrete and copper

Technique

ManufactureCast in Carlsson's Välinge factory

Appearance

SettingA clearing in the Kronoskogen forest, west of Ängelholm, Sweden

Location and ownership

LocationKronoskogen, Ängelholm, Sweden
Heritage statusSwedish National Heritage Board heritage site no. RAÄ Strövelstorp 47:1
MaintenanceMaintained by Ängelholm Municipality under a 2015 initiative

History and restoration

Erected1972
Maintenance workCleared encroaching plants, replaced rotten wood benches, and repaired the concrete paths

Significance

TourismTourist destination
Public receptionGuided tours began in 1996; after Mötet i gläntan was published, UFO-Sverige organized a national conference in Ängelholm
InterpretationInvestigations have not corroborated Carlsson's account; Clas Svahn disbelieved the encounter, while Dick Harrison described it as alleged but not proven