   #copyright

Gothenburg

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: European Geography

               Gothenburg (Göteborg)

   Coat of arms of Gothenburg
          Coat of arms

   Location of Gothenburg in northern Europe
   Location of Gothenburg in northern Europe
           Coordinates: 57°42′N 11°58′E
       Country      Sweden
        County      Västra Götaland County
       Province     Västergötland
       Charter      1621
        Mayor       Göran Johansson
         Area
        - City      450 km²  (174  sq mi)
        - Water     14,5 km² (5,6 sq mi)  3,2%
        - Urban     199 km² (77 sq mi)
        - Metro     3717 km² (1435 sq mi)
      Population
     - City (2006)  487,627
       - Density    1,083/km² (2,807/sq mi)
        - Urban     495,849
    - Urban Density   2,491/km² (6,439/sq mi)
        - Metro     884,401
    - Metro Density   238/km² (616/sq mi)
      Time zone     CET ( UTC+1)
    - Summer ( DST) CEST ( UTC+2)
             Website: www.goteborg.se

   Gothenburg ( Swedish: Göteborg ) /jœte'bɔrj/) is a city and
   municipality in the province Västergötland on the west-coast of Sweden.
   As of 2005, the population amounted to 487,000 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 halves: 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.

Name

   The city was named after the Geats (Swedish: Götar), an old tribe of
   southern Sweden, which today is famous from Beowulf in the
   English-speaking world. 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 sometimes replaced with
   the use of the Swedish form Göteborg, lit. Castle of Geats.

History

   Gothenburg's location around 1600. (Denmark yellow, Norway brown).
   Enlarge
   Gothenburg's location around 1600. (Denmark yellow, Norway brown).

   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 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.

   The architectural layout was designed by Dutch town planners contracted
   by the Swedish king; the blueprint for the canals of Gothenburg are
   actually the same as those used for Jakarta.

   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.
   Göteborg in around 1700 from Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna
   Enlarge
   Göteborg in around 1700 from Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna

   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
   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 spurred the development of new sectors such as
   increased merchandising and cultural and educational institutions.

Politics & Government

   Gothenburg Municipality in Västra Götaland County in Sweden
   Enlarge
   Gothenburg Municipality in Västra Götaland County in Sweden

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 -- Askim, Torslanda and Älvsborg -- held local referenda on
   forming their own municipalities, but their petitions were rejected by
   the Government of Sweden.

   Boroughs
     * Askim
     * Backa
     * Bergsjön
     * Biskopsgården
     * Centrum ("Centre")
     * Frölunda
     * Gunnared

                           * Härlanda
                           * Högsbo
                           * Kortedala
                           * Kärra-Rödbo
                           * Linnéstaden
                           * Lundby
                           * Lärjedalen

                                            * Majorna
                                            * Styrsö
                                            * Torslanda
                                            * Tuve-Säve
                                            * Tynnered
                                            * Älvsborg
                                            * Örgryte

Politics

   The legislative body of Gothenburg is the City Council with 81 members
   elected by proportional representation for a four-year term. It is led
   by the Lord Mayor (borgmästare), currently Jörgen Linder. The council
   appoints the The City Executive Board, headed by the mayor. Currently,
   the mayor of Gothenburg is Göran Johansson, from the Social Democratic
   Party. Deputy mayor and leader of opposition is Jan Hallberg.

Geography

   Gothenburg viewed from space
   Enlarge
   Gothenburg viewed from space

   Gothenburg is 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.

Transport

   Centralstationen, Gothenburg Central Station.
   Enlarge
   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).
   Enlarge
   Gothenburg's popular trams travel the wide streets (the one shown in
   the foreground is a vintage tram used mostly by tourists).

   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.

   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.

   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).

   With over 150 km the Gothenburg tram is the largest tram/light rail
   network in Northern Europe.

Demographics

   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. The Swedish
   Integration Board (Integrationsverket) have been critizising the city's
   lack of preventing segregation.

Economy

   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.

Education

   Gothenburg School of Economics and Commercial Law.
   Enlarge
   Gothenburg School of Economics and Commercial Law.

   There 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 Göteborg

   There 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, the art focused
   Schillerska Gymnasiet, and the Sigrid Rudebecks gymnasium, established
   in 1869.

Sister cities

   Göteborg has four twin towns and three sister cities.
     * Twin towns
          + Norway Bergen, Norway
          + Finland Turku, Finland
          + Denmark Århus, Denmark

     * Partner cities
          + People's Republic of China Shanghai, China
          + France Lyon, France
          + South Africa Port Elizabeth, South Africa

     * Sister cities
          + United States Chicago, United States (Since 1987)
          + Norway Oslo, Norway

   The 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.

Culture

   Poseidon by Carl Milles -- an often used symbol of Gothenburg.
   Enlarge
   Poseidon by Carl Milles -- an often used symbol of Gothenburg.

   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 Gothenburg 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 centre 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

   Layers of architecture on Masthugget hill in Gothenburg; 19th century
   houses at the bottom, Brutalistic modernist houses in the middle and
   older Landshövdingehus at the top.
   Enlarge
   Layers of architecture on Masthugget hill in Gothenburg; 19th century
   houses at the bottom, Brutalistic modernist houses in the middle and
   older Landshövdingehus at the top.

   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.

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 – 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.

   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 – for
   example at the main street Kungsportsavenyn.

Music

   In the world of heavy metal, Gothenburg is considered the capital city
   of a certain melodic death metal style known as Gothenburg metal.
   Gothenburg metal is unique and distinct because of its very melodic and
   sometimes progressive guitar riffs and solos, and the clean singing
   that is 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.

   The Gothenburg metal has influenced numerous metal scenes across Europe
   and the rest of the world, including metal scenes in Finland, United
   States, and Canada. Its significance is one that cannot be denied and
   deserves recognition.

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
   Enlarge
   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, IFK Göteborg, BK Häcken, Qviding FIF, Västra Frölunda IF,
       Örgryte IS (men's football)
     * Göteborg FC, Jitex BK (women's football)
     * Göteborg Berserkers (Australian rules football)
     * Göteborg Marvels (American football)

Sites of interest

   Relax in Slottskogen park
   Enlarge
   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
   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
   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 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 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 attractions is the archipelago
   ( Southern Gothenburg Archipelago), which can be reached by boat.
   Älvsborg Fortress, Vinga and Styrsö islands are popular places to
   visit. A local joke in Gothenburg is that Great Britain are some
   islands in their outer archipelago where they also play soccer. (In
   Swedish: "Ja, och så finns det England i vår yttre skärgård. Där kan
   dom också spela fotboll" ("Yes, and then there's Great Britain in our
   outer archipelago. There, they can play soccer too")

Image gallery

   Images of buildings and places mentioned in the text

   Avenyn

   The Canals

   East Indiaman Götheborg

   Gothenburg Opera

   Gothenburg Museum of Art

   Carl Milles' Poseidon

   Göteborg Botanical Garden

   Haga

   Liseberg

   Masthugget Church

   Museum of World Culture

   Skansen Crown

   Universeum

   Älvsborg Fortress

   Gothenburg inlet

   Gothia Towers

   Nordstan

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothenburg"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
