Gothenburg History Facts and Timeline

(Gothenburg, Vastergotland, Vastra Gotaland County, Sweden)

Gothenburg is Sweden's second city and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the whole of Scandinavia.

Though very contemporary by the standards of other Nordic settlements (the history of Gothenburg only begins in 1621), the city is a fantastic mix of university learning, maritime trade and modern industry. Its economy relies on a combination of tourism, local industry and sea-based commerce.

Gamla Alvsborgs

The city's oldest standing structure is also the starting point in the history of Gothenburg. The Gamla Älvsborgs Fortress kept guard over the Gota Alv River and its surrounding villages, and is located about 3 km / 2 miles downstream from today's modern centre of Gothenburg.


Though some parts of the fortress date to the medieval era, its heyday came in the 17th-century territorial wars between Denmark and Sweden. The Danes held the fort for roughly seven years before surrendering it to the Swedes in 1619. Two years later, Gothenburg was officially founded by King Gustav II Adolf.

The Dutch Influence

Since the Swedes were still very worried about a return of the Danish armies, they hired experienced Dutch architects to design much of their new city. Well-travelled visitors can see evidence of the architectural history of Gothenburg in other Dutch-designed cities like Amsterdam and Jakarta. The Dutch experts built the canal system in the heart of Gothenburg, in order to protect this young city from Danish invaders.

The Dutch actually held most of the political power in Gothenburg, due to their importance to the city's survival. It wasn't until the middle of the 17th century that the Swedes finally gained political power in the city.

During the period of Dutch administration, Gothenburg felt more like the Netherlands than Sweden. The city followed Dutch laws and almost passed legislation making Dutch the official language. These Dutch emigrants lived in today's Haga area, although only around one-fifth of the original wooden buildings are still standing following a series of fires.

Swedish East India Company

The city's golden era came in the 18th century, thanks to the influence of global merchant firms like the Swedish East India Company that was established in the year of 1731. This company alone generated vast amounts of wealth for Gothenburg and Sweden, and the profits from their trade with Asia helped build many of the magnificent buildings still standing in the city centre.

The harbour has always played a huge role in the history of Gothenburg. Besides its commercial side, the harbour also served as the nation's main departure point for emigrants heading to the Americas.

Local Industry

Once the Swedish colonial adventure had played out in Asia, Gothenburg turned its economic attention inward on itself. While fishing had been a mainstay local industry since the 18th century, during the 19th century the city tried its hand at shipbuilding. This became a major component in the city's economy, until the shipbuilding industry collapsed in the 1980s.

Also during this era, the city worked with Volvo and its car-manufacturing industry. The very first automobile ever produced by Volvo came out of Gothenburg in 1927, and today this is one of Sweden's flagship companies.

Even though Ford owns Volvo nowadays, nearly a quarter of the city's residents still work for Volvo in some capacity. Because of Volvo and several other prominent industrial firms, Gothenburg is Sweden's leading commercial city. Next to its picturesque historic harbour is a massive modern port, into which the majority of Sweden's oil is imported.