Åhus (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈôːhʉːs])[2] is the second largest locality in Kristianstad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden, with 9,840 inhabitants in 2015,[1] but the number triples during the summer due to tourists who come seeking the beaches and nature of the Helgeå and Hanöbukten area.

Åhus is also famous for hosting one of the largest beach handball tournaments in the world with approximately 20,000 participants.

Åhus history dates back to the late Iron Age/Vendel Period, when a significant trading post was established some distance upstream of the modern settlement.

The construction of the castle was long attributed to the Archbishop of Lund, Eskil, but findings of charcoal in an archaeological survey in 2010 suggest that it may be older than that.

The oldest known city rights are from 1326, but according to the town's own tradition, it is believed that it was founded in 1149, when Archbishop Eskil received it as a grant.

The period of decline was completed with Åhus losing its city rights in 1617, when the fortress town of Kristianstad was founded by Christian IV.