Kvillebäcken rocked by explosion: Life goes on amid the unease
There's a strange feeling waking up in Kvillebäcken today. The sky over Hisingen is grey as ever, the trams are running on schedule at Hjalmar Brantingsplatsen, yet something feels different. In the early hours of Thursday morning, there was a loud bang. An explosion near a row of terraced houses has left its mark, both on the buildings and on people's minds. Usually, the biggest worries around here are whether you'll make it to Friskis&Svettis before the evening class, or if you can get an appointment at Capio rehab for that troublesome shoulder. But last night was about something else entirely.
The police set up cordons early on, and forensics have been working through the morning to secure evidence. For those of us who live here, or pass through daily, it all feels surreal. You think about the kids heading to school, people going to work at the local Ica supermarket, or catching the tram into town. At the same time, it's almost bizarre how quickly everyday life tries to reassert itself. Just a stone's throw from the police tape, Flexmassage Kvillebäcken on Gamla Tuvevägen is open for business as usual. Inside, the scent of calming oils still lingers, and in the lounge with its comfy armchairs, someone's waiting for their booked deep tissue massage. Life goes on, even when it's unsteady.
Finding comfort in the everyday – from rehab to the dentist
The peculiar thing about an event like this is how it brings everything into sharp focus. Suddenly, those mundane, taken-for-granted routines become anchors of normalcy. Take Folktandvården Kvillebäcken on Borstbindaregatan, for instance. I know they're open until 7 pm today, as they are Monday to Thursday. Usually, 25 people work there across nine treatment rooms, handling everything from fillings to trialling new digital tech with their development clinic. For patients booked in for an exam this afternoon, it's probably a relief to step into that bright space and focus on something as basic as a scale and polish. Right now, even a root canal might feel like less of a big deal than last night's blast.
It's the same with rehab and fitness. Places like Capio rehab and Friskis&Svettis are hubs in so many people's daily lives. You go there to get stronger, to heal an injury, or just to clear your head after work. The need to look after yourself, physically and mentally, becomes even more pronounced when the world outside feels unstable. You need to work your body, have a sweat, or just be pampered.
What we know now – and what we do
Right now, things seem calm, as far as I can tell. The police are investigating, and those of us based here have to trust they're doing their job. What's important to remember is that Kvillebäcken is so much more than the headlines from one single night. This area is full of people going to work, keeping appointments, and looking out for one another.
Here are a few of the local spots that keep turning, no matter what:
- Friskis&Svettis: For anyone needing to run off the anxiety or lift some weights to clear their head for a while.
- Flexmassage Kvillebäcken: Ideal for those carrying tension in their shoulders and neck after a restless night. They always ask "How are you?" when you arrive – a question that perhaps carries a bit more weight today.
- Folktandvården: A reminder that we carry on looking after our health, even in a crisis.
- Capio rehab: For everyone in the middle of a recovery process who needs to keep moving forward, regardless.
It's easy to focus on the bang itself, the detonation and the police work. That's the news, that's the drama. But for those of us actually here, who have Kvillebäcken as part of our everyday lives, it's something else that sticks. It's the contrast. Knowing that just a few hundred metres from a crime scene, someone is sitting in an armchair getting a massage, someone else is lifting weights at the gym, and another person is in the dentist's waiting room flicking through a magazine. It's that quiet, everyday resilience that means an area like this will get back on its feet.