Gothenburg
Gothenburg (
Swedish: ) ) is a
city and
municipality in the province
Västergötland on the west-coast of
Sweden. As of
2005, the population amounted to 485,000 in the actual city and 879,000 in the
metropolitan area making it the second largest city in Sweden, after
Stockholm. Gothenburg is the largest university city in Scandinavia with some 60,000 students.
The city is situated where the
Göta Älv discharges into the
Kattegat; the River divides the city in two halfs: the upper part located on the island
Hisingen. The inlet of Göta Älv is well suited for a harbour, and Gothenburg has expanded its port into becoming the largest among the
Nordic countries.
In
Dutch,
Scots,
German and
English- languages with a long history of being spoken in the trade and maritime-oriented city - the name
Gothenburg (with varying
pronunciations) was traditionally used for the city, while the
French form of the city name is
Gothembourg. These traditional forms are now widely replaced with the use of the Swedish form
Göteborg.
|
Gothenburg's location around 1600. (Denmark yellow, Norway brown). |
In the 16th and 17th century, the situation of Sweden's borders made it strategically important to have an outpost on the west coast the exposed area in between rivalling countries Denmark and Norway. After some initial failed attempts, Gothenburg was successfully founded in
1621, by King
Gustavus Adolphus (Gustaf II Adolf). The coat of arms was based on the lion of the
coat of arms of Sweden, symbolically holding a shield with the national emblem, the
Three Crowns, to defend against its enemies.
In
1658 and the
Treaty of Roskilde, the Danish and Norwegian provinces (
Halland, south, and Bohus County or
Bohuslän, north), became Swedish, and with a less exposed position, Gothenburg was able to grow into an important port and trade centre on the west coast.
The architectural structure was made by contracted
Dutch town planners hired by the Swedish king, and the blueprint for the canals of Gothenburg are actually the same as those used for
Jakarta.
In the 18th century, the most important industry was the fishing industry. However, in 1731 the
Swedish East India Company was founded, and the city flourished due to its foreign trades with highly profitable commercial expeditions to Asian countries.
The harbour developed into Sweden's main harbour for trades towards the west and with the
Swedish emigration to North America increasing, Gothenburg became Sweden's main point of exit. The importance of Gothenburg as a main port of exit for Swedish emigrants is apparent in the naming of
Gothenburg, Nebraska a small Swedish settlement in the United States.
With the 19th century, Gothenburg evolved into a modern industrial city that continued on into the 20th century. The population increased ten-fold in the century, from 13,000 (1800) to 130,000 (1900). In the 20th century major companies that developed were
SKF (est. 1907) and
Volvo (est. 1926).
In more recent years however, the industrial section has faced a recession, which has spurned the development of new sectors such as increased merchandice and cultural and educational institutions.
Boroughs
The municipality is subdivided into 21
boroughs, which carry responsibility for
primary school, social, leisure, and cultural services within their respective areas. In the
election of
1998 three boroughs held local referenda on forming their own municipalities, but their petitions were rejected by the
Government of Sweden.
Boroughs
Politics
The
legislative body of Gothenburg is the
City Council with 81 members elected by
proportional representation for a four-year term. The council appoints an
executive 13-member
Board of Commissioners, headed by the
mayor. Currently, the mayor of Gothenburg is
Göran Johansson, from the
Social Democratic Party. Vice mayor and leader of opposition is
Jan Hallberg.
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Göteborg viewed from space |
|
Centralstationen, Gothenburg Central Station. |
|
Gothenburg's popular trams travel the wide streets (the one shown in the foreground is a vintage tram used mostly by tourists). |
Main article: Geography of Gothenburg
Situated on the western coast by
Kattegatt, an arm of the
North Sea, at the outlet of the river
Göta älv and the
Göta Canal. Due to the
Gulf Stream the city has a mild climate and quite a lot of rain. The
archipelago of Gothenburg consists of rough, barren rocks and cliffs, which also is typical for the coast of
Bohus County.
The Gothenburg Metropolitan Area extends to the municipalities of
Ale,
Härryda,
Kungälv,
Lerum,
Mölndal,
Partille,
Stenungsund,
Tjörn,
Öckerö in
Västra Götaland County and
Kungsbacka in
Halland County.
The main airport is located at
Landvetter, 20 km east of Gothenburg. The smaller
Gothenburg City Airport lies 14 km northwest of the city. Other major transportation hubs are
Centralstationen ("the Central Station") and the
Nils Ericson Terminal with trains and buses to various destinations in Sweden, as well as connections to
Oslo and
Copenhagen. Several ferry lines run to/from
Fredrikshavn,
Kiel,
Kristiansand and
Newcastle.
Gothenburg is a logistic centre, with transports by train and truck from Sweden and Norway to Gothenburg harbour which is by far the largest port in Scandinavia with a cargo turnover of 36.9 million tonnes a year (2004)
[Statistics from the homepage of the Port of Gothenburg, www.portgot.com].
With over 150 km the
Gothenburg tram is the largest tram/light rail network in Northern Europe.
Gothenburg, as most Swedish metropolitan areas, has a large immigrant population. According to SCB in 2005, there are 93,965 immigrants resident in Gothenburg, which is about 20% of the population, out of which 10% is from
Iran and 9% from
Finland. The Iranian population, as well as other immigrants from the
Middle East (notably
Iraq) and former
Yugoslavia, is concentrated in
Angered (most notably
Bergsjön, Hjällbo and Hammarkullen) and other suburbs in the north east. This has received criticism from the
Swedish Integration Board (
Integrationsverket), since these areas are becoming more and more subjects of
segregation.
By its naturally advantageous location, Gothenburg houses the largest and most important harbour installation in
Scandinavia. Trade and shipping have always been important businesses and in the
18th century, the city was the home to the
Swedish East India Company. Industry developed into an important business, e.g.,
SKF,
Volvo and
Ericsson.
The blue collar industries dominated until the late 1980s when shipyards started to shut down. Today the town has a mix of hi tech industries with
Volvo Cars being the largest employer and a number of smaller computer software vendors.
The are two universities in Gothenburg:
Gothenburg University and the
Chalmers University of Technology. They were both initiated in the 19th century as
university colleges on private donations. Today there are more than 60,000 students, which makes Gothenburg the largest university city in Scandinavia.
The Gothenburg University contains such faculties as:
*
Gothenburg School of Economics and Commercial Law*
Sahlgrenska University Hospital (both hospital and medical school)
*
The Valand Academy of Art While the Technological University contains faculties such as:
*
Chalmers Lindholmen University College*
IT University of GöteborgThere are also four
folk high schools (
Arbetarrörelsens Folkhögskola i Göteborg,
Folkhögskolan i Angered,
Göteborgs Folkhögskola and
Kvinnofolkhögskolan).
Gothenburg has some 25-30
gymnasiums. Some of more notable are
Hvitfeldtska gymnasiet, founded in 1647, the Christian-oriented
LM Engströms gymnasium,
Göteborgs Högre Samskola, and the
Sigrid Rudebecks gymnasium, established in 1869.
Göteborg has four twin towns and two sister cities.
*Twin towns
**
-
Bergen,
Norway**
-
Ã…bo,
Finland**
-
Ã…rhus,
Danmark**
-
Lyon,
France *Sister cities
**
-
Port Elizabeth,
South Africa**
-
Shanghai,
ChinaThe cooperation with South African City of
Port Elizabeth (established 1998) is a partnership fostering development of common fields of interest such as solid waste management, public libraries, sport and tourism.
The sea, trade and industrial history of the city is evident in the cultural life of Gothenburg. The biggest attraction in the city is the amusement park
Liseberg (see Sites of interest). Another fact related to the industrial heritage of the city is that many of the cultural institutions, as well as hospitals and the university, were created thanks to donations from rich merchants and industrialists, for example the
Röhss Museum.
The 1923 Gothenburg Industrial Exhibition saw the creation of the art museum and a number of other institutions. The event culture of the city was an important factor behind the creation of a number of other sport and cultural institutions.
Gothenburg has a rich music life - the
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra is the best known when it comes to classical music. Bands like
Soundtrack of Our Lives and
Ace of Base are well known pop representatives of the city. The city is also noted for being the centre of the
melodic death metal movement(sometimes even called "
The Gothenberg sound"), a typically Swedish musical style, being home to such internationally known bands as
At The Gates,
Dark Tranquillity,
The Haunted,
In Flames,
Soilwork, and
Arch Enemy. It is also a
pop music center in
Sweden, with an active indie scene.
There are many free theatre ensembles in the city, besides institutions like
Gothenburg City Theatre, Backa Theatre (youth theatre) and Folkteatern.
The
Gothenburg Film Festival, held each year, is the biggest film festival in Scandinavia.
Architecture
There are very few houses left from the 17th century when the city was founded, since all but the military and royal houses were built of wood
[Nationalencyklopedin (NE), The Swedish National Encyclopedia (Most of this section is based on NE) ]. One example is
Skansen Crown.Instead the first major architectural interesting period is the 18th century when the
East India Company made Gothenburg an important trade city. Imposing stone houses with a
Classical look are erected around the canals. One example from this period is the East India House, which today houses
Gothenburg's City Museum.
In the 19th century the wealthy bourgeoisie begun to move outside the city walls which had protected the city when Norway and Denmark still was a threat. The style now was an eclectic, academical, somewhat over decorated style which the middle-class favoured. The working class lived in the overcrowded city district
Haga, in wooden houses.
In the 19th century the first important town plan after the founding of city was created, which led to the construction of the main street
Kungsportsavenyn.The perhaps most significant type of houses of the city,
Landshövdingehusen, were built in the end of the 19th century; three story-houses with the first floor in stone and the other two in wood.
A very important period in the architectural history of the city was the early 20th century, when the
National Romantic style dominated. Among the many monumental building erected the
Masthugget Church can be mentioned.
And in the beginning of the 1920s, when the city celebrated its 300th anniversary, the
Götaplatsen square with its
Neo-Classical look was built.
After this the predominant style in Gothenburg and rest of Sweden was
Functionalism which especially dominated the suburbs like
Västra Frölunda and
Bergsjön. In the 1950s the big stadium
Ullevi was erected when Sweden hosted the 1958 World Cup in football.
The modern architecture of the city are being formed by such architects as
Gert Wingårdh who started as a
Post-Modernist in the 1980s.
Food and drink
Gothenburg, with its location just by the
North Sea, has a number of top class fish and seafood restaurants. The city also has a number of star chefs â€" over the past decade seven of the Swedish Chef of the Year Awards have been won by Gothenburgers. The most popular place to buy the raw ingredient is the
Feskekôrka ("Fish Church"); an indoor fish market, it got its name from the building's resemblance to a
Gothic church. Four restaurants have presently (2006) a star in the
Michelin Guide: 28 +, Basement, Fond and Sjömagasinet
[Information from the tourist company Göteborg & Co, website www.goteborg.com].
Gothenburg is perhaps the city with the highest concentration of cafés and coffee shops in Sweden; with a large group of students in the city centre and a long tradition of more traditional cafés the number of establishments exploded in the 1990s.
There are also a large number of pubs, bars and discotheques â€" for example at the main street
Kungsportsavenyn.
Sports
;Held events:
*
1992 European Football Championship*
1993 World Men's Handball Championship* 1993 World Championships in
Table tennis*
1995 World Championships in Athletics*
1997 World Championships in
Swimming (Short track)
* 1997
Davis Cup Finals,
Tennis,
Sweden-
United States* 1997 World Championships in
Latin American Dance* 1998 World Championships in
Latin Formation Dancing*
1999 European Championships in
Athletics (20-22 year olds)
*
2002 European Men's Handball Championship* 2002
Ice Hockey World Championships* 2002
Volvo Ocean Race*
2003 World Championships in Skating (allround)
*
2004 O-Ringen - A 5-days
orienteering competition
*
2004 World Championships in Skating (short track)
*
2004 UEFA Cup Final
* 2006
Volvo Ocean Race*
2006 European Championships in Athletics;Annual events:
|
The Ullevi Arena in central Gothenburg |
*
Gothia Cup;Planned events:
*
2008 World Figure Skating Championships;Arenas:
*
Scandinavium (
ice hockey)
*
Gamla Ullevi (
football)
*
Ullevi (multisport)
;Teams:
*
Frölunda HC (
ice hockey)
*
GAIS (
football)
*
IFK Göteborg (
football)
*
BK Häcken (
football)
*
Qviding FIF (
football)
*
Västra Frölunda IF (
football)
*
Örgryte IS (
football)
Sites of interest
|
Relax in Slottskogen park |
Gothenburg has a wide selection of cultural establishments worth seeing. A new
opera house was inaugurated in
1994, the
Gothenburg Opera. Museums include art (
Gothenburg Museum of Art) and (
Göteborgs Konsthall), design and handcrafts (the
Röhss Museum), sea history, natural history, science, East India, and the
Museum of World Culture [
1] inaugurated in
2004.
Kungsportsavenyn, commonly known as just
Avenyn, "The Avenue", is the main boulevard. It was created in the 1860s and 1870s as a result of an international town planning competition
[Guide till Sveriges arkitektur, red. Waern, Caldenby, Arkitektur förlag]. With a total length of about two kilometers, it stretches from the old
moat at the edge of the older part of Gothenburg, and ends at the
Götaplatsen square, where the
Gothenburg Museum of Art and several other cultural institutions are located.Avenyn passes the
Stora teatern, a
Neo-Renaissance theatre and opera building from 1859, and has a major concentration of pubs, discoteques and restaurants.
The
Göteborg Botanical Garden [
2] is considered to be one of the most outstanding
botanical gardens in
Europe.
Just across Dag Hammarskjöldsleden is Gothenburg's largest park,
Slottskogen, where you can visit Gothenburg's Natural History Museum (Naturhistoriska Museet), a tropical animal park (Tropikhuset), a children's zoo (Barnens Zoo), and a family animal park (Djurgårdarna). The park is also home to the city's oldest observatory, but if you prefer, it's a perfect place for sun-bathing, picnicking, or taking a relaxing stroll through Gothenburg's shady forests.
The amusement park
Liseberg located in the central part of the city, is the largest in Scandinavia, and the most popular attraction in Sweden by number of visitors per year (>3 millions). Next to Liseberg is the science discovery centre
Universeum.
The central city and the harbour can be viewed from the
The Gothenburg Lookout.
One of Gothenburg's most popular tourist attraction is the archipelago (
Southern Gothenburg Archipelago), which can be reached by boat.
Älvsborg Fortress,
Vinga and
Styrsö islands are popular places to visit.
Image gallery
Images of buildings and places mentioned in the text
Image:livpågatornailärjedalen.jpg|AngeredImage:Avenyn.jpg|AvenynImage:Brunnskanal.JPG|The CanalsImage:Ostindiefararen-Götheborg-avsegling-oktober-2005.jpg|East Indiaman GötheborgImage:Goteborgopera.JPG|Gothenburg OperaImage:Konstmuseet Göteborg.JPG|Gothenburg Museum of ArtImage:MillesPoseidon.jpg|Carl Milles' PoseidonImage:Goeteborg botanisk traedgaorden.jpg|Göteborg Botanical GardenImage:Haganygata.jpg|HagaImage:Göteborg från Liseberg.jpg|LisebergImage:Goteborg masthuggskyrkan.jpg|Masthugget ChurchImage:Museum of World Culture Göteborg entrance.jpeg|Museum of World CultureImage:Skansenkronan.jpg|Skansen CrownImage:Universeum1.jpg|UniverseumImage:Älvsborgs fästning.jpg|Älvsborg FortressImage:Gothenburg, Sweden, from the Älsborgs Bridge.jpg|Gothenburg inlet*
East Indiaman Götheborg*
Protests during the EU summit in Gothenburg 2001*
Metropolitan Gothenburg*
List of people connected to Gothenburg*
Gothenburg & Co. - Official Tourist site
*
Gothenburg - Official City site
*
Gothenburg Botanic Garden - Official site
*
Hotels in Gothenburg*
Photos from Gothenburg*
Photos from Gothenburg Archipelago*
Architecture in Gothenburg - Pdf-guide in English
*
Urban Planning of Gothenburg - Pdf-guide in English
