Everything about G Teborg totally explained
Gothenburg (
Swedish: ) /jœte'bɔrj/) is a
city, a
municipality, and an
urban area on the west-coast of
Sweden.
As of 2006, the population was 489,787 in the
municipality and 510,491 in the
urban area, making it the second largest city in Sweden, after
Stockholm and the fifth largest amongst the
Nordic countries. The
metropolitan area, which is a statistical area, encompassing thirteen municipalities in western Sweden has 890,000 inhabitants.
The City of Gothenburg was founded in 1621 by the King
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. It is situated at the mouth of
Göta Älv river, which crosses the city, and is the largest sea port of Sweden as well as of the
Nordic countries. Gothenburg is also a significant university city with a large student population of both the
University of Gothenburg, which is
Scandinavia's largest university, and
Chalmers University of Technology.
Name
The city was named after the
Geats (Swedish:
Götar varied: Geatas, Gautar,
Goths, Gotar, Gøtar, Götar), the inhabitants of southern Sweden - for example
"Defense of the Geats". The river on which the city sits is the
Götaälv or Göta River.
Göta borg is the fort on the Göta River, built to protect the port, which was created to be Sweden's commercial window to the west.
In
Dutch,
Scots,
German and
English - languages with a long history of being spoken in the trade and maritime-oriented city - the name
Gothenburg has traditionally been used for the city, while the
French form of the city name is
Gothembourg.
Gottenburg is seen in some older English texts. These traditional forms are now sometimes replaced with the use of the Swedish
Göteborg, for example by the Göteborg Opera, Göteborg Ballet, Göteborg Film Festival, and by the city itself (in English, the City of Göteborg). Many British newspapers, and the U.S. Navy, also refer to the city in English as Göteborg. Effective February 1, 2008, however, Göteborgs Universitet, previously named Göteborg University in English, changed to the University of Gothenburg. Other old variations in Swedish are
Götheborgh, and the most common,
Götheborg.
History
In the 16th and 17th century, the configuration of Sweden's borders made Gothenburg strategically important as the Swedish gateway to the west, lying on the west coast in the narrow area between the territories of
Denmark-Norway. After several failed attempts, Gothenburg was successfully founded in 1621 by King
Gustavus Adolphus (Gustaf II Adolf). The city was heavily influenced by the Dutch. Dutch city planners were contracted to build the city as they'd the skills needed to build in the marshy areas around the city. The town was planned after
Dutch cities to have canals like
Amsterdam, and the blueprint for the canals of Gothenburg are actually the same as those used for
Jakarta. The Dutchmen initially won political power and it wasn't until 1652, when the last Dutch politician in the city's council died, that the
Swedes acquired political power over Gothenburg. During the Dutch period the town followed Dutch town laws and there were propositions to make Dutch the official language in the town.
Along with the Dutch, the town also was influenced by
the Scottish, that came to settle down in Gothenburg. Many became people of high profile and one such person was
William Chalmers, who donated his fortunes to create what later became
Chalmers University of Technology. The Scottish influence can still be felt in Gothenburg in present day as names like
Glenn and
Morgan, which in the rest of Sweden usually are rare, are not uncommon in Gothenburg, and the use of a Scottish sounding "r" in the local dialect.
The Gothenburg 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 the
Treaty of Roskilde (1658) Denmark-Norway ceded the then Danish province
Halland, to the south, and the Norwegian province of Bohus County or
Bohuslän to the north, leaving Gothenburg in a less exposed position. Gothenburg was able to grow into an important port and trade centre on the west coast thanks to the fact that it was the only city on the west coast that was granted, together with
Marstrand, the rights to trade with merchants from other countries.
In the 18th century, fishing was the most important industry. However, in 1731 the
Swedish East India Company was founded, and the city flourished due to its foreign trade with highly profitable commercial expeditions to Asian countries.
The harbour developed into Sweden's main harbour for trade towards the west, and with the
Swedish emigration to North America increasing, Gothenburg became Sweden's main point of departure. The impact of Gothenburg as a main port of embarkation for Swedish emigrants is reflected by
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 tenfold in the century, from 13,000 (1800) to 130,000 (1900). In the 20th century major companies that developed included
SKF (est. 1907) and
Volvo (est. 1926).
In more recent years however, the industrial section has faced a recession, which has spurred the development of new sectors such as increased merchandising, tourism and cultural and educational institutions.
In
2001,
major protests occurred in the city during the EU summit and the visit by
U.S. president George W. Bush.
Politics and government
See
Gothenburg Municipality
Geography
|
|-
|
|-
|
|-
|
|}
Gothenburg is located on the west coast, in Southwestern Sweden, approximately half way between the capitals
Copenhagen,
Denmark, and
Oslo,
Norway. The location at the mouth of the river
Göta älv, which feeds into
Kattegatt, an arm of the
North Sea, has helped the city grow in significance as a
trading city. 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
Bohuslän.
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.
Transport
Air
Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport is an international airport serving the Gothenburg region in Sweden. With 5.2 million passengers in 2005 it's Sweden's second-largest airport. It is operated by the Swedish Civil Aviation Administration (Luftfartsverket). The airport is named after the small town of Landvetter, which is located in the municipality of Härryda. It is 20 km east of Gothenburg. It traditionally has had two
terminals, domestic and international, but they're now considered one single terminal. There is only one check-in area now, since all luggage has to be screened.
Gothenburg's second international airport is
Gothenburg City Airport formerly known as Säve Flygplats and Sweden's 7th largest airport . It is located within the borders of
Gothenburg Municipality. Prior to the arrival of
Ryanair in
2001, the airport had 9000 passengers per year. In 2005, more than 500,000 flew from City Airport. In addition to commercial airlines, the airport is also operated by a number of rescue services, including the Swedish Coast Guard. Due to its location many business jets prefer flying to City Airport rather than Landvetter. Gothenburg City Airport can handle planes up to the size of a
Boeing 767, an
Airbus A320 or similar jets. The airport also accommodates General Aviation acitivities, including 2 flying clubs, Aeroklubben i Göteborg, one of Europe's oldest flying clubs, and Chalmers flygklubb.
Sea
The Swedish company
Stena Line operates between Gothenburg/
Fredrikshavn in
Denmark and Gothenburg/
Kiel in
Germany
The "
England ferry" (
Englandsfärjan) to Newcastle (currently run by the
Danish company
DFDS Seaways) ceased at the end of October 2006, after being a Gothenburg institution since the 19th century. The company cited high
fuel prices and new
competition from
low-cost air services, especially
Ryanair, as being the cause. DFDS Seaways' sister company, DFDS Tor Line, will continue to run scheduled
freight ships between Gothenburg and several English ports, and these have limited capacity for passengers, but not private vehicles. It is unclear if the Gothenburg-Kristiansand route will continue.
Rail and intercity bus
Other major transportation hubs are
Centralstationen (
Gothenburg Central Station) and the
Nils Ericson Terminal with trains and buses to various destinations in Sweden, as well as connections to
Oslo and
Copenhagen (via
Malmö).
Freight
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).
Public transport
With about 80 km of double track the
Gothenburg tram is the largest tram/light rail network in Northern Europe. The bus network, however, is almost as important. There are also some boat and ferry services. The lack of a subway is due to the soft ground on which Göteborg is situated. Tunnelling is very expensive in such conditions. There is also a
commuter rail in Gothenburg.
Demographics
Gothenburg, as with most Swedish metropolitan areas, has a large immigrant population. According to Statistics Sweden in 2005, there are 98,480 immigrants resident in Gothenburg, which is about 20% of the population, out of which 10% are 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 Hjällbo and Hammarkullen) and other suburbs in the north east (
Bergsjön), while other immigrants from Scandinavia,
Southern Europe (notably
Portugal,
Italy and
Greece) and
Eastern Europe are far less segregated.
Frölunda is also known for its larger Chinese population. Other notable East and South East Asian nationalities are the Thais and the Vietnamese.
Economy
By its naturally advantageous location, Gothenburg houses the largest harbour installation in
Scandinavia. and one of the most versatile in Sweden.
Chalmers University of Technology is a notable private university located in Johanneberg 2 km south of inner city.
There are also four
folk high schools (
Arbetarrörelsens Folkhögskola i Göteborg,
Folkhögskolan i Angered,
Göteborgs Folkhögskola, and
Kvinnofolkhögskolan).
Gothenburg has some 25-30
high schools. Two of the more notable schools are
Hvitfeldtska gymnasiet, and
Göteborgs Högre Samskola.
Culture
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.
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. Similarly, the
Gothenburg Book Fair, held every year in September, is the largest such event 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. One example is
Skansen Crown.
The first major architecturally interesting period is the 18th century when the
East India Company made Gothenburg an important trade city. Imposing stone houses with a
Classical look were 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 the Union of Denmark and Norway was still a threat. The style now was an eclectic, academic, 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 is being formed by such architects as
Gert Wingårdh who started as a
Post-Modernist in the 1980s.
A further remarkable construction is
Brudaremossen TV Tower, one of the few
partially guyed towers in the world.
Music
Gothenburg has a rich music life - the
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra is the best known when it comes to classical music. Gothenburg also was the birthplace of the Swedish composer
Kurt Atterberg. Bands like
The Soundtrack of Our Lives and
Ace of Base are well known pop representatives of the city. There is also an active indie scene. For example, the musician
Jens Lekman was born in the suburb of
Angered and named his 2007 release
Night Falls Over Kortedala after another suburb (
Kortedala).
The city is also noted for being the centre of the
melodic death metal movement (sometimes even called "
The Gothenburg sound"). Gothenburg metal is unique and distinct because of its mixture of brutality and aggression with very melodic and sometimes progressive guitar riffs and solos. Often, keyboards and clean singing are incorporated (instead of just using the traditional
death grunt vocals). Gothenburg's own
At the Gates,
In Flames and
Dark Tranquillity are credited with pioneering this melodic style. Another well known band in the Gothenburg scene is
Soilwork, although they reign from
Helsingborg. The Gothenburg metal has influenced numerous significant death metal and metalcore scenes across Europe and the rest of the world, including
Finland, the
United States, and
Canada.
Food and drink
Gothenburg, with its location by the sea, is famous for its many fish dishes and varieties of these dishes. Various fish restaurants exist in the city, all from low class shacks to world class eateries. The city also has a number of star chefs – over the past decade, 7 of the
Swedish Chef of the Year Awards have been won by Gothenburgers.
A popular place to buy fish ingredients is the
Feskekôrka ("Fish Church"); an indoor fish market, which got its name from the building's resemblance to a
Gothic church. Five Gothenburg restaurants have a star in the 2008
Michelin Guide:
28 +,
Basement,
Fond,
Kok&Vin and
Sjömagasinet.
Sports
Held events:
Planned events:
Arenas:
Scandinavium (ice hockey)
Frölundaborg (ice hockey)
Gamla Ullevi (football)
Ullevi (multisport)
Nya Gamla Ullevi (football)
Teams:
Frölunda HC (ice hockey)
GAIS (football)
IFK Göteborg (football)
BK Häcken (football)
Qviding FIF (football)
Västra Frölunda IF (football)
Örgryte IS (football)
Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC (women's football)
Jitex BK (women's football)
Göteborg Berserkers (Australian rules football)
Spartacus Rugby Club (Rugby Union)
Redbergslids IK (Team handball)
IK Sävehof (Team handball)
Gothia Basket (Basketball)
Sites of interest
Gothenburg has a number of cultural establishments. 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 (External Link
) 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. With a total length of about one kilometer, 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 the citys biggest concentration of pubs, discoteques and restaurants.
The Göteborg Botanical Garden is considered to be one of the most important botanical gardens in Europe with three stars in the French Guide Rouge.
Next to the botanical garden is Gothenburg's largest park, Slottsskogen, where the Natural History Museum (Naturhistoriska Museet) is located. The park is also home to the city's oldest observatory.
The amusement park Liseberg located in the central part of the city, is the largest in Scandinavia by number of rides, and the most popular attraction in Sweden by number of visitors per year (>3 millions). Located near Liseberg is a science discovery centre named Universeum.
One of Gothenburg's most popular tourist attractions is the archipelago (Southern Gothenburg Archipelago), which can be reached by boat. Älvsborg Fortress, Vinga and Styrsö islands are popular places to visit.
Twin towns
Aarhus, Denmark
Bergen, Norway
Chicago, USA
Kraków, Poland
Lyon, France
Oslo, Norway
Rostock, Germany
Shanghai, China
St. Petersburg, Russia
Tallinn, Estonia
Turku, Finland
Port Elizabeth, Republic of South Africa
Image gallery
Images of buildings and places mentioned in the text
Image:Götaplatsen 01.JPG|Avenyn
Image:Goteborg domkyrkan.jpg|The cathedral
Image:Brunnskanal.JPG|The Canals
Image:Ostindiefararen-Götheborg-avsegling-oktober-2005.jpg|East Indiaman Götheborg
Image:Goteborgopera.JPG|Gothenburg Opera
Image:Konstmuseet Göteborg.JPG|Gothenburg Museum of Art
Image:Älvsborgsbron.jpg|Älvsborgsbron
Image:HagaNygata.jpg|Haga
Image:Kronhuset.jpg|Kronhuset
Image:Borsen.JPG|Gothenburg Stock Exchange Building at Gustaf Adolfs torg
Image:Skansen_Kronan_Gbg.jpg|Skansen Crown
Image:Älvsborgs fästning.jpg|Älvsborg Fortress
Image:Götheborgs-utkiken.jpg|Skanskaskrapan
Image:Stadsmuseet.jpg|City Museum of Gothenburg
Image:Stora Teatern i Göteborg, den 11 augusti 2006, bild 2.JPG|Stora Teatern
Further Information
Get more info on 'G Teborg'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://gothenburg.totallyexplained.com">Gothenburg Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
