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GOTHENBURG - SWEDEN
Gothenburg (Swedish: Göteborg) 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 it is the second largest city in Sweden after Stockholm and the seat of residence for the county.
History
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.
In English, German and Dutch - 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. Without
displacing these traditional forms, the use of the Swedish form Göteborg has
in recent years spread to other languages.
Politics
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.
Askim
Backa
Bergsjön
Biskopsgården
Centre
Frölunda
Gunnared
Härlanda
Högsbo
Kortedala
Kärra-Rödbo
Linnéstaden
Lundby
Lärjedalen
Majorna
Styrsö
Torslanda
Tuve-Säve
Tynnered
Älvsborg
Örgryte
Geography
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.
Economy
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.
Universities
Chalmers University of Technology
Chalmers Lindholmen University College
Gothenburg University
Gothenburg School of Economics and Commercial Law
Sites of interest
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. Gothenburg Botanic Garden is considered to be one of
the outstanding botanical gardens in Europe. The amusement park Liseberg, is
the largest one in Scandinavia, and among the most popular attractions in
Sweden.
Notable natives
William Chalmers, manager of the Swedish East India Company and founder of
Chalmers University of Technology. Gothenburg is also the hometown of
Ingemar Johansson, world heavyweight champion of boxing, who beat Floyd
Patterson in 1959. Also jazz star pianists Bengt Hallberg and Jan Johansson
were born and raised here. Also, the pop group Ace of Base are from here.
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