Download free ebooks at bookboon.com

Download free ebooks at bookboon.com
Gothenburg
© 2008 Stig Albeck & Ventus Publishing ApS
Translation: Frances østerfelt
All rights and copyright relating to the content of this
book are the property of Ventus Publishing ApS, and/or its
suppliers. Content from ths book, may not be reproduced
in any shape or form without prior written permission from
Ventus Publishing ApS.
Quoting this book is allowed when clear references are made,
in relation to reviews are allowed.
ISBN 978-87-7061-267-8
1st edition

Pictures and illustrations in this book are reproduced according
to agreement with the following copyright owners
Stig Albeck
The stated prices and opening hours are indicative and may
have be subject to change after this book was published.
Download free ebooks at bookboon.com
Gothenburg

4

Kapiteloverskrift ONLIBRI
Download free ebooks at bookboon.com
Gothenburg


Download free ebooks at bookboon.com
Gothenburg

6

Historical outline
It was in the 13th century that Sweden in the
Gothenburg area gained a land mass between the
Norwegian Bohus Län and Danish Halland with
access to Kattegat. Before that, Lödöse 40 km
from the mouth of the Göta River was the closest
town.
The first fortress built by King Birger Magnusson
was Gullberg, built around 1303. In 1333 the
stronghold Lindholmen was mentioned for the
first time in a letter from King Magnus Eriksson,
and in 1366 Älvsborg was mentioned for the first
time. With these strongholds, the Swedes were
able to control the mouth of the Göta River.
The town Götaholm was founded in 1473 and
later changed its name to New Lödöse. Götaholm
took over the role as trading center for inland
Sweden.
Götaholm was vulnerable to possible attack from
the sea. For this reason, in 1545 dwellings were
moved to Älvsborg, which could offer protection.
In 1570, however, the Danes captured Älvsborg
Fortress, and its inhabitants returned to Götaholm.
At the start of the 17th century, a group of
Dutchmen came to the area. They were to develop

was the center of the entire region for trade with
Chinese tea and porcelain. Trade went through the
East India Company, which was founded in 1731.
The city’s position in the country was strong; and
by that time was already Sweden’s second largest
city. Around 1800 there were 13,000 inhabitants in
the city; and during the explosive growth of the
period, its population increased tenfold to 130,000
in 1900.
At the start of the 19th century, with Napoleon’s
continental blockade, Gothenburg became
England’s port of transfer for products to and
from Europe. Gothenburg flourished; even after
the withdrawal of the blockade; many British and
Scottish businessmen settled in the city.
Besides economic prosperity, the presence of
British businessmen gave the city a cultural lift.
Many of them became well-to-do; and they
Historical outline
Download free ebooks at bookboon.com
Gothenburg

7

donated their fortunes to the city of Gothenburg,
which made it possible to establish various
institutions, including the hospital, library and
university.
Around 1850, Gothenburg had become the
country’s largest import and export harbor; and

1. Central Station
Drottningtorget
www.resecentrumgoteborg.se
Trolley: Centralstationen
Gothenburg’s Central Station dates back to the
childhood of Swedish railways. One of the
country‘s first lines, stretching from Gothenburg
to Jonserede, was opened December 1, 1856; and
with a railway, a station was obviously needed.
Typical of the period, stations were impressive
constructions and Gothenburg’s station was
opened in 1858 in majestic palatial style. Since
then, it has been remodeled and expanded several
times.
In the 19th century more than one million Swedes
passed through the Central Station on their way
from various places in the country to
Gothenburg’s harbor and to the ships for America
that sailed immigrants to the new country.
The Central Station was built in the region that
was originally the bastion Johannes Rex.
2. Little Bomm/Lilla Bommen
www.borjessons.com
Trolley: Lilla Bommen
Little Bomm is part of Gothenburg’ large harbor,
located down by the Göta River in the northern
part of the inner city.
Little Bomm is a good place to start if you want to
experience some of the busy harbor atmosphere; it
is also here where the major maritime attractions

Little Bomm. Despite the name, its 1,300 visitors
not only enjoy opera, but also ballet, musicals and
other arrangements.
Dimensions of the opera house are quite
impressive: 160 meters long, 85 meters wide and
32 meters high.
5. Gothenburg’s Maritime Center/
Maritima Center
Packhuskajen
www.goteborgsmaritimacentrum.com
Trolley: Lilla Bommen
Tour 1: Gothenburg
Download free ebooks at bookboon.com
Gothenburg

10

The Maritime Center in Gothenburg is one of the
largest ship museums in the world. The city has
always been closely connected to the sea and the
Göta River; and has grown thanks to the trade and
transport this has brought with it. In the 1970’s
the wharf industry was in a crisis. The industry
went under and left large areas of the inner harbor
deserted.
On the previous industrial sites the new Maritima
Center opened its doors in 1987. The museum
displays Gothenburg’s maritime development and
there is a large collection of maritime vessels that
the public can see at close hand.

Kronhusbodarna
Postgatan
www.kronhusbodarna.nu
In the area behind Crown House, Kronhusgården,
are some 18
th
century workshops for craftsmen,
which comprise a living museum in the midst of
the inner city. In the old houses are a glass blower,
watch maker and a chocolate factory.
Tour 1: Gothenburg
Download free ebooks at bookboon.com
Please click the advert
Gothenburg

11

8. Gustav Adolf’s Square/
Gustav Adolfs Torg
www.goteborgstingsratt.dom.se
Trolley: Brunnsparken
This square is one of Gothenburg’s central city
spaces, previous called – and perhaps more
descriptive – the Great Square. Its present name
comes from the city’s founder King Gustav II
Adolf. A statue of him from 1854 stands in the
center of the square.
On the south side of Gustav Adolf’s Square is the
Great Harbor Canal (Stora Hamnkanalen), which
flows into the Göta River. There was also a canal

© Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.
360°
thinking
.
Discover the truth at www.deloitte.ca/careers
© Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.
360°
thinking
.
Discover the truth at www.deloitte.ca/careers
Download free ebooks at bookboon.com
Gothenburg

12

9. Christina Church/Christinae Kyrka
Norra Hamngatan 16
www.svenskakyrkan.se/tyska
Trolley: Brunnsparken
Christina Church, also known as the German
Church because of its German congregation, is
housed here. The name Christina is from the
queen Christina, one of the largest donators to the
church’s construction.
In 1623 the growing numbers of German and
Dutch inhabitants were given permission to build
a church for their own congregation, which was
consecrated in 1648. Adornment of the church,
however, continued for several decades; but a fire
in 1669 put a stop to its completion. Thanks to

include a wealth of various relics from the
different periods and levels of society. The history
of the building’s original owners, the Swedish East
India Company, is also told in this exciting
museum.
11. The Cathedral/Domkyrkan
Västra Hamngatan
www.svenskakyrkan.se/gbgdomkyrko
Trolley: Domkyrkan
Gothenburg’s Cathedral was consecrated in 1815,
and its official name is Gustavi Domkyrka, named
after King Gustav II Adolf.
Other churches have also lain on this site in
centuries past. The first temporary church was also
the city’s first church. The first real church was
built in 1626-1633; but the tower was first
completed in 1643. The church and many of the
surrounding houses burned in 1721. Just one year
Tour 1: Gothenburg
Download free ebooks at bookboon.com
Gothenburg

13

later, a new church was consecrated. Fire in 1802
again destroyed the church; the present building
was built and consecrated in 1815. The total
construction was finished in 1825 with the tower’s
completion.
The cathedral is in the classical style with Doric

from King’s Port Bridge (Kungsportbron) near
King’s Port Square (Kungsportsplatsen).
The classical Paddan trip sails through the center
of the city along the main canals Vallgraven and
Stora Hamnkanalen, before sailing out onto the
Göta River and the large harbor installations lying
there. The return trip through the city center is
along the Rosenlund Canal.
13. Salu Hall
Kungstorget
Trolley: Kungsportsplatsen
Salu Hall is a lively marketplace with many small
shops. The building itself was built on the wharf
Götaverket as a marketplace in 1888-1889.
As early as the mid-19
th
century, King’s Square
(Kungstorget) was the midpoint for the city’s market
and trade of agricultural products.
Tour 2: Gothenburg
Increase your impact with MSM Executive Education
For more information, visit www.msm.nl or contact us at +31 43 38 70 808
or via
the globally networked management school
For more information, visit www.msm.nl or contact us at +31 43 38 70 808 or via
For almost 60 years Maastricht School of Management has been enhancing the management capacity
of professionals and organizations around the world through state-of-the-art management education.
Our broad range of Open Enrollment Executive Programs offers you a unique interactive, stimulating and
multicultural learning experience.
Be prepared for tomorrow’s management challenges and apply today.

Kungsparken 1
storan.sami.se
Trolley: Kungsportsplatsen
The Grand Theater is one of Gothenburg’s
cultural centers. The theater has existed since 1816;
but the present building was constructed in 1859
by B.C. Malmberg. The building was opened
under the name New Theater. Building style is
new-renaissance, and was inspired by Gottfried
Semper’s court theater in Dresden. As in Dresden,
the exterior was formed to fit the inner demands
and needs. In 1880 the theater got its present
name; and has been the scene for many different
art forms. From 1920-1994 operas, operettas and
musicals have been performed here. In 1994
performances were moved to the newly built
Gothenburg Opera. Since then, the building has
been bought by SAMI, an organization for
Swedish artistes and musicians. The organization
renovated and refurbished the Grand Theater so
that today it is used for large theatrical
performances, concerts and other cultural
arrangements.
16. Garden Society’s Park/
Trädgårdsföreningens Park
www.tradgardsforeningen.se
Trolley: Kungsportsplatsen
Gothenburg’s Garden Society was founded in
1842, inspired by the botanical gardens in Berlin.
King Carl XIV Johan donated the ground by the

laid out on the old road to King’s Port and the
heart of Gothenburg. Today it is a fashionable
street with large institutions, businesses and cafés.
Kingsport Avenue is popularly called The Avenue
(Avenyn); and ends at the beautiful square, Göta
Square (Götaplatsen).
18. Röhsska Museum
Vasagatan 37-39
www.designmuseum.se
Trolley: Valand
Röhsska Museum is the museum for design and
handicrafts. The collections are concentrated
around older Swedish and European objects and
utensils; but there are also Greek and Roman
antiquities as well as Chinese and Japanese crafts.
The museum was created from donations by the
brothers August and Wilhelm Röhss in 1901. The
design of the building itself was chosen from an
architectural competition. Carl Westman’s design
in national romantic style won. Construction was
completed in 1914 and the museum opened in
1916; and was remodeled in 1961.
Tour 2: Gothenburg>
Download free ebooks at bookboon.com
Please click the advert
Gothenburg

17

19. Vasa Church/Vasakyrkan

The sooner you realize we are right,
the sooner your life will get better!
A bit over the top? Yes we know!
We are just that sure that we can make your
media activities more effective.
Download free ebooks at bookboon.com
Gothenburg

18

Tour 2: Gothenburg
Download free ebooks at bookboon.com
Gothenburg

19

Tour 3: Gothenburg
21. Göta Square/Götaplatsen
Trolley: Berzelligatan
The square at the end of Kingsport Avenue was
envisioned in the 1860’s where the city planners
were inspired by Paris or Vienna’s Ringstrasse. The
final plans and completion, however, were finally
carried out in the 1920’s as part of the city’s 300
year anniversary in 1923.
Carl Mille’s Poseidon fountain, unveiled in 1931,
stands in the center, harmonically placed between
the large buildings on the square. The Greek god
of the seas, Poseidon, was an obvious choice in
light of the sea’s significance for Gothenburg’s

alternating exhibits.
The museum building was opened in 1923. It is
monumental modern classical in style, as the other
buildings on Göta Square.
21c. Gothenburg’s City Theater/
Göteborgs Stadsteater
www.stadsteatern.goteborg.se
The City Theater was built in 1930-1934; its façade
is a blend of the 1900’s classicism and modern
functionalism.
The theater was re-built in 2000, but keeping the
famous parts of the spectators’ areas, including the
stairways, in their original 1930’s style.
21d. Gothenburg’s Concert House
www.gso.se
The Concert House was originally part of the plan
for the buildings which should be ready for the
city’s 300-years’ anniversary in 1923; but due to
lack of funds, construction was postponed. There
was another concert house, opened close by on
Tour 3: Gothenburg
Download free ebooks at bookboon.com
Please click the advert
Gothenburg

20

the Heath in 1905; but as it burned down in 1928,
the need for a new concert house grew.
In 1931 construction was begun and Gothenburg’s

Download free ebooks at bookboon.com
Gothenburg

21

If one likes danger, then walk among the
poisonous snakes in Deadly Beauties, while the
rain forest offers the visitor piranhas, cockroaches
and spiders.
In short, there is a world of adventure awaiting
visitors at the science center.
23. Museum of World Culture/
Världskulturmuseet
Södra vägen 54
www.varldskulturmuseet.se
Trolley: Korsvägen
Gothenburg’s Museum of World Cultures was
built in 2004 after a decision made eight years
prior by the Swedish parliament to fuse several
museums and create this exciting concept.
The building’s modern architecture was thought of
as a huge block of ice containing variations as
from nature’s hand within. The heart of the
construction is the main staircase, which was
inspired by the Spanish Stairway in Rome.
The primary aim of the Museum of World Culture
is to describe mankind and its creations in all
respects.
The museum has its beginnings with its
ethnographic collections which were begun in the

restaurants and the wheel of fortune to the hair-
raising roller coasters that practically shoot the
guests out of a cannon, reaching enormous speeds.
Revues and glamorous shows are also a natural
part of the park, which at night is like an
illuminated gem at the foot of the rolling terrain of
the area.
25. Örgryte Old Church/
Örgryte Gamla Kyrka
Danska Vägen/S:t Sigfrids Plan
www.svenskakyrkan.se/orgryte
Trolley: S:t Sigfrids Plan
The cozy Örgryte Old Church in its original form
is from the mid-13
th
century. However, through
the ages, it has been re-built and expanded many
times. Its present form is from the 18
th
- and start
of the 19
th
century.
The church lies in a beautiful natural area between
two of the elevations just outside Gothenburg’s
center.
Tour 3: Gothenburg
Download free ebooks at bookboon.com
Gothenburg


strategically important Gullberg, but only with the
construction of Skansen Lion was there now a
permanent edifice.
The walls are 7 meters thick; and on the top of the
solid, round central tower sat a lion. After a fire in
the roof in 1891, the present lion was set up in
1893. The figure is 4 meters high, cast in copper.
Tour 3: Gothenburg
Download free ebooks at bookboon.com
Please click the advert
Gothenburg

23

Tour 4: Gothenburg
28. Feskekôrka
Rosenlundsgatan
www.fiskekyrkan.se
Trolley: Järntorget/Hagakyrkan
The word Feskekôrka means Fish Church, which is
very appropriate for this unique building that looks
like a church, but is a fish market.
Originally, fish were sold on the quays along the
Great Harbor Canal
(Stora Hamnkanalen); but when
the area around Gustav Adolf’s Square was to be
renovated, the fishermen moved to Rosenlund
Canal. Feskekôrka opened on the new site in 1874.
Gothenburg’s large commercial fish market moved
to the newly installed fishing harbor in 1910; but

24

30. Skansen Crown/Skansen Kronan
Skansberget
www.skansenkronan.se
Trolley: Prinsgatan
Skansen Kronan is a massive fortified tower
constructed at the end of the 17
th
century as part
of Gothenburg’s defense, not least against the
Danes to the west. Skansen Crown was built to
replace Ryssåsens Skanse (i.e. entrenchment), and
was taken into use in 1698. A year later, the first
crown was placed on the top of the roof.
The walls around Skansen Crown are 4-5 meters
thick and of course of stone; there were 23
cannons in position.
At the start of the 1730’s the entrenchments were
renovated, with 150 years until the next repair. The
present crown was placed on the top at the end of
the 1800’s.
The place was built as a fortress; but never played
an active military role. At the start of the 19
th
century it was disarmed. Later in the same century,
the tower was refurbished as a prison and later as
temporary residence during a period of housing
shortage. In 1904-2004, Skansen Crown was a
military museum.

century, there was so little
space for the exhibits that a new building was
needed.
The museum’s displays are primarily of Swedish
fauna; but animals from other parts of the world
are also present. Topics such as ecology,
environmental problems, mankind’s affect on
nature, life in the sea, etc. are also presented, all
together in an interesting and informative manner.
The museum also has a good collection of stuffed
animals, including an African elephant and the
museum’s famous blue whale, the so-called Malm
Whale.
Tour 4: Gothenburg
Download free ebooks at bookboon.com
Gothenburg

25

The Malm whale stranded in Askimviken, south of
Gothenburg, in 1865. It was a young male, 16
meters long and weighing 25 tons. Director James
Dickson bought it and donated it to the museum.
August Wilhelm Malm was given the task of
preserving the whale. He had it towed to a dock at
Gothenburg’s wharf. The whale’s skin was
stretched across a wooden skeleton and a salon
was arranged inside the whale, the entrance of
which was through the whale’s mouth. The whale
was an enormous attraction and was displayed in