Kungens Kurva Shoppingcenter (King's Bend Mall)

It is not unusual for people to commemorate visits of royals by placing plaques, statues, or even naming areas after them. In the Skärholmen area, this has been taken to an extreme, as the entire industrial terrain has been named after the former king’s traffic accident. 

The accident in question happened on the 28th of September 1946, while King Gustav V and his entourage were on their way home from a day’s hunting at Tullgarn Castle. The road in question was being worked on and not in the best state, and thus the driver (Gösta Ledin) lost control in a curve and drove the car into a ditch where it stopped about 20 meters further. The king and all those in the car were luckily unharmed, but the event had inspired many. The newspaper Dagens Nyheter had arrived shortly after the accident and photographed the whole aftermath, popularizing the event further.

Two Esso petrol stations opened on the new road built near the accident, not long after it had happened. The owner, Tore Jakobson, jokingly named the place “Kungens Kurva,” which later became the official name of the entire terrain. With several streets and buildings named after the event, including one of Scandinavia’s largest malls. If this was not enough reminders for the event, the municipality has decided to name a planned square after Gustav V, as a reminder of the incident. 

Not far from this place is the King’s Carousel, a roundabout that commemorates a traffic accident of the current king.