Gothenburg: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

For other uses, see Gothenburg (disambiguation).

Gothenburg (Swedish: Göteborg [jøːtə'bɔrj]) is a city and a municipality on the western coast of Sweden, in the County of Västra Götaland. With 478,055 inhabitants in the city and 816,931 in the metropolitan area is the second largest city in Sweden after Stockholm and the seat of residence for the county.

Göteborgs stad

City	Gothenburg
County	Västra Götaland County
Province	Westrogothia
Area  - Total	Ranked 183rd 451 km²
Population  - Total (2003)  - Density	Ranked 2nd 478,055 1060.0/km²

Geography and Location

Aerial map

History

Main article: History of Gothenburg

In the early 17th century Sweden controlled only one point on the western coastline. An attempt in 1607 to found a city by the name of Gothenburg on the nearby island of Hisingen had failed due to the Kalmar War, but the second attempt in 1621, by King Gustavus Adolphus, was successful. Following the successive wars, by 1658 all the Danish eastern provinces were ceded to Sweden, by the Treaty of Roskilde.

Starting June 15, 2001 there were heavy protests against the European Union summit. Demonstrators arrested during and after the summit were given heavy sentences. This was the topic of the documentary film Terrorister.

Main article: Politics of Gothenburg

The municipality is subdivided into 21 boroughs, which carry responsibility for primary school, social, leisure and cultural services within their respective areas. A point of some controversy is the fact that the borough councils do not reflect the local majority, but follow the majority at City Hall for the entire municipality. 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.

Main article: Geography of Gothenburg

Situated on the western coast by Kattegat, an arm of the North Sea, at the outlet of the river Göta älv and Göta kanal. The Gothenburg Metropolitan Area (Stor-Göteborg) extends to the municipalities of Ale, Härryda, Kungälv, Lerum, Mölndal, Partille, Stenungsund, Tjörn, Öckerö in Västra Götaland County and Kungsbacka in Halland County.

Main article: Economy of Gothenburg

By its naturally advantageous location, Gothenburg houses the largest and most important harbor installation in Scandinavia. Trade and shipping have always been important businesses and already in the 18th century it was the home to the Swedish East India Company. Industry developed into an important business, and examples include SKF, Volvo and Ericsson.

Main article: Universities in Sweden

• Chalmers University of Technology
• Chalmers Lindholmen University College
• Gothenburg University
• Gothenburg School of Economics and Commercial Law

Main article: Heraldry of Gothenburg

Gothenburg has a wide selection of cultural establishments, including theatres and museums. A new opera house was inaugurated in the 1990s. Museums include art, design and handicrafts, sea history, natural history, science, East India, etc. and a new museum on world culture to be inaugurated in 2004. It is also the site of Scandinavia's largest amusement park, Liseberg.

Held Events:

• 1992 European Championships in Football
• 1993 World Championships in Handball
• 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
• 1999 European Championships in Athletics (20-22 year olds)
• 2002 European Championships in Handball
• 2002 World Championships in Ice Hockey
• 2002 Volvo Ocean Race
• 2003 World Championships in Skating (allround)
• 2004 O-Ringen - A 5-days orienteering competition

Planned Events:

• 2004 World Championships in Skating (short track)
• 2004 UEFA Cup Final
• 2006 European Championships in Athletics

Arenas: Scandinavium, Ullevi

• William Chalmers

Gothenburg is also noted for being the centre of the melodic death metal movement, a typically Swedish musical style, being home to such internationally known bands as At The Gates and In Flames. It is also the hip-hop capital of Sweden.