Gothenburgh or Göteborg as the Swedes call it is on the west coast of
Sweden facing Aalborg in Denmark, directly north of Copenhagen.
King Gustav II Adolf founded the city in 1621, but it was developed largely
by Dutch and German city planners and canal experts.
The Göteborg region is one of the most popular tourist areas in Scandinavia.
The Göteborg region is an old and exciting cultural area. There are ruins
that prove that people were living here as many as 8,000 years ago.
Göteborg was intended to act as Sweden´s gateway to the west. Its
position was strategic. The area around the mouth of the River Göta had
been an important trading centre since the 12th century. The city was built
in Dutch style, with streets and manmade canals in a well-designed system and
a large square, now called Gustaf Adolfs Torg, next to the Large Canal.
Surrounded by walls, bastions and a moat, Göteborg was one of the most
well defended fortresses in Northern Europe. Three of the fortresses that were
built outside the city: Skansen Kronan, Skansen Lejonet and the New Älvsborg
Fortress, still stand today.
The East India Company, which made Göteborg a flourishing city, was founded
here in 1731. The following year, the first East-Indiaman set sail for China
and returned with a valuable cargo of tea, silk and china.
The city changed dramatically during the 19th century. The fortresses were
demolished and made way for the Kungsparken Park and the Horticultural Society.
The city expanded, some of the canals were filled in, the harbours and quays
were extended. There are various famous buildings from this century such as
the Stock Exchange and the Central Railway Station.
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