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The West Link ( Swedish : Västlänken ) is an underground railway tunnel under construction in Gothenburg . The purpose of the project is to increase capacity and reduce travel times.

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56-654: Three new stations will be built – Gothenburg Grand Central , Haga and Korsvägen – the latter two being underground stations. Of the 1.02 million people (2018) who live in Greater Gothenburg (1.7 million in Västra Götaland County ), 450,000 people live outside the Gothenburg municipality. Approximately 175,000 people in the region commute to or from Gothenburg Municipality daily. The majority of these people use cars for transportation and

112-630: A ceiling height of 8 metres (26 ft). The new building will also have a park on its roof aimed at promoting biodiversity of plants, insects and birds. The building has a wide range of environmentally sustainable solutions, e.g. its facade will be covered in recycled tiles. The station is expected to quality for Breeam Outstanding . When the name was announced, it drew widespread criticism for being non-Swedish and allegedly pretentious. Gothenburg Gothenburg ( / ˈ ɡ ɒ θ ən b ɜːr ɡ / ; abbreviated Gbg ; Swedish : Göteborg [jœtɛˈbɔrj] )

168-496: A heavily fortified, primarily Dutch, trading colony. In addition to the generous privileges given to his Dutch allies during the ongoing Thirty Years' War , e.g. tax relaxation, he also attracted significant numbers of his German and Scottish allies to populate his only town on the western coast; this trading status was furthered by the founding of the Swedish East India Company . At a key strategic location at

224-477: A new promotional logo for Gothenburg spelled "Go:teborg". Since the name "Göteborg" contains the Swedish letter "ö" , they planned to make the name more "international" and "up to date" by turning the "ö" sideways. As of 2015 , the name was spelled "Go:teborg" on logos on various signs around the city. In March 2021, the city removed the "Go:teborg" branding from its English communications and switched back to using

280-551: A suburb outside Gothenburg, consists of Hjällbo, Eriksbo, Rannebergen, Hammarkullen, Gårdsten, and Lövgärdet. It is a Million Programme part of Gothenburg, like Rosengård in Malmö and Botkyrka in Stockholm. Angered had about 50,000 inhabitants in 2015. It lies north of Gothenburg and is isolated from the rest of the city. Bergsjön is another Million Programme suburb north of Gothenburg, it has 14,000 inhabitants. Biskopsgården

336-473: Is The Göteborg Opera. It was completed in 1994. The architect Jan Izikowitz was inspired by the landscape and described his vision as "Something that makes your mind float over the squiggling landscape like the wings of a seagull." Feskekörka , or Fiskhallen , is an indoor fishmarket by the Rosenlundskanalen in central Gothenburg. Feskekörkan was opened on 1   November 1874 and its name from

392-469: Is a public science centre that opened in 2001, the largest of its kind in Scandinavia. It is divided into six sections, each containing experimental workshops and a collection of reptiles, fish, and insects. Universeum occasionally host debates between Swedish secondary-school students and Nobel Prize laureates or other scholars. The most noted attraction is the amusement park Liseberg , located in

448-432: Is called Planksidan . Gothenburg Grand Central Gothenburg Grand Central is the new central railway station of Gothenburg , expected to open in 2026–2027. It is an extension to Gothenburg Central Station and Nils Ericson Terminal – all three will be located next to each other and interconnected. Gothenburg Grand Central is intended to primarily serve passengers of the upcoming Västlänken . Jernhusen

504-475: Is called Kungsportsavenyn (commonly known as Avenyn , "The Avenue"). It is about 1 km (0.6 mi) long and starts at Götaplatsen – which is the location of the Gothenburg Museum of Art , the city's theatre, and the city library, as well as the concert hall – and stretches all the way to Kungsportsplatsen in the old city centre of Gothenburg, crossing a canal and a small park. The Avenyn

560-569: Is located on the west coast, in southwestern Sweden, about halfway between the capital cities of Copenhagen (Denmark) and Oslo (Norway). The location at the mouth of the Göta älv, which feeds into the Kattegat , an arm of the North Sea, has helped the city grow in significance as a trading city . The archipelago of Gothenburg consists of rough, barren rocks and cliffs, which also is typical for

616-442: Is one of few Swedish cities to still have an official and widely used exonym . The city council of 1641 consisted of four Swedish, three Dutch, three German, and two Scottish members. In Dutch , Scots , English, and German, all languages with a long history in this trade and maritime-oriented city, the name Gothenburg is or was (in the case of German) used for the city. Variations of the official German/English name Gothenburg in

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672-466: 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 tenfold in the century, from 13,000 (1800) to 130,000 (1900). In the 20th century, major companies that developed included SKF (1907) and Volvo (1927). Gothenburg

728-456: Is the biggest multicultural suburb on the island of Hisingen , which is a part of Gothenburg but separated from the city by the river. Gothenburg has an oceanic climate ( Cfb according to the Köppen climate classification ). Despite its northerly latitude, temperatures are quite mild throughout the year and warmer than places at a similar latitude such as Stockholm ; this is mainly because of

784-612: Is the gubernatorial seat of Västra Götaland County in Sweden . It is the second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm , and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries . It is situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, with a population of approximately 600,000 in the city proper and about 1.1 million inhabitants in the metropolitan area . King Gustavus Adolphus founded Gothenburg by royal charter in 1621 as

840-686: Is the sole owner of the building and finances the full construction cost of 870 million SEK. The upcoming station was designed by Norwegian Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter and will be built by PEAB . Gothenburg Grand Central started construction on 10 July 2024 and is expected to open in two phases – late 2026, together with Västlänken , and early 2027. The new station will be 15,000 square metres (160,000 sq ft) in area, with 1,400 square metres (15,000 sq ft) reserved for convenience shops and restaurants. Another 8,000 square metres (86,000 sq ft) will be offices designed for roughly 700 employees. Public passenger areas will have

896-594: The Göteborgs Konsthall , Gothenburg Museum of Art , and several museums of sea and navigation history, natural history, the sciences, and East India. Aeroseum , close to the Göteborg City Airport, is an aircraft museum in a former military underground air force base. The Volvo museum has exhibits of the history of Volvo and the development from 1927 until today. Products shown include cars, trucks, marine engines, and buses. Universeum

952-653: The National Romantic style, was rich in architectural achievements. Masthugg Church is a noted example of the style of this period. In the early 1920s, on the city's 300th anniversary, the Götaplatsen square with its Neoclassical look was built. After this, the predominant style in Gothenburg and rest of Sweden was Functionalism which especially dominated the suburbs such as Västra Frölunda and Bergsjön . The Swedish functionalist architect Uno Åhrén served as city planner from 1932 through 1943. In

1008-532: The Nordic Classicism law court. The main canal of Gothenburg also flanks the square. The Gothenburg Central Station is in the centre of the city, next to Nordstan and Drottningtorget. The building has been renovated and expanded numerous times since the grand opening in October 1858. In 2003, a major reconstruction was finished which brought the 19th-century building into the 21st century expanding

1064-440: The Swedish East India Company was founded, and the city flourished due to its foreign trade with highly profitable commercial expeditions to China. The harbour developed into Sweden's main harbour for trade towards the west, and when Swedish emigration to the United States increased, Gothenburg became Sweden's main point of departure for these travellers. The impact of Gothenburg as a main port of embarkation for Swedish emigrants

1120-697: The 17th century when the city was founded, since all but the military and royal houses were built of wood. Some structures which do survive from this early phase in the city's history are Kronhuset and the Torstenson Palace , and the fortresses Skansen Kronan and Skansen Lejonet . The first major architecturally interesting period is the 18th century when the East India Company made Gothenburg an important trade city. Imposing stone houses in Neo-Classical style were erected around

1176-399: The 1950s there were plans for a tunnel under the inner city for railbound vehicles, then for trams. The plans were abandoned because of the cost, due to the high water table and ground conditions, which were unsuitable for tunnelling. The city has to finance tramways, while the government finances railways. The planning process has taken a long time, being included in preliminary city plans in

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1232-416: The 1950s, the big stadium Ullevi was built when Sweden hosted the 1958 FIFA World Cup . The modern architecture of the city has been formed by such architects as Gert Wingårdh , who started as a Post-modernist in the 1980s. Gustaf Adolf Square is a town square located in central Gothenburg. Noted buildings on the square include Gothenburg City Hall (formerly the stock exchange, opened in 1849) and

1288-407: The 19th century, the first comprehensive town plan after the founding of city was created, which led to the construction of the main street, Kungsportsavenyen . Perhaps the most significant type of houses of the city, Landshövdingehusen , were built in the end of the 19th century – three-storey houses with the first floor in stone and the other two in wood. The early 20th century, characterized by

1344-551: The Göteborg Basketball Festival, Europe's largest youth basketball tournament, alongside some of the largest annual events in Scandinavia. The Gothenburg Film Festival , held in January since 1979, is the leading Scandinavian film festival and attracts over 155,000 visitors each year. In summer, a wide variety of music festivals are held in the city, including the popular Way Out West Festival . The city

1400-581: The Haga section is currently stalled due to slow progress and the contract is being re-let. There have been by the operator of the Paddan tour boats to the proposal to shut the canal for three years in order to facilitate the work. Trafikverket (the Swedish Department of Transportation) are hosting a public art project from 2018 through 2026 to make the building fences less of a negative intrusion in

1456-464: The Norwegian province of Bohus County or Bohuslän in the north, which left Gothenburg less exposed. Gothenburg grew into a significant port and trade centre on the west coast, because it was the only city on the west coast that, along with Marstrand , was granted the rights to trade with merchants from other countries. In the 18th century, fishing was the most important industry. However, in 1731,

1512-637: The Stockholm and Malmö regions (over 40 bn SEK each during 1990–2010). Rail investment in the greater Gothenburg area has not kept up with these other urban areas. The largest improvement according to the proposed plan would be for commuters from places along the railways from Kungsbacka / Borås and who work or study near Haga station, where a large part of the University of Gothenburg is located. 15 minutes could be saved per journey. Time would be also saved on other journeys, for example around 5 minutes from Alingsås to Sahlgrenska or Chalmers . Travellers from

1568-531: The alternative plan. Construction could start earlier since the Västra Götaland Regional Council is willing to invest money in the project. Banverket investigated three routes for Västlänken, including new stations along the routes in the city centre. The route alternatives were named after the proposed new stations: Haga–Korsvägen, Haga–Chalmers, and Korsvägen. In addition to these underground alternatives, an expansion of

1624-577: The building's resemblance to a Gothic church. The Gothenburg city hall is in the Beaux-Arts architectural style. The Gothenburg Synagogue at Stora Nygatan, near Drottningtorget, was built in 1855 according to the designs of the German architect August Krüger. The Gunnebo House is a country house located to the south of Gothenburg, in Mölndal. It was built in a neoclassical architecture towards

1680-556: The canals. One example from this period is the East India House, which today houses the Göteborg City Museum . In the 19th century, the wealthy bourgeoisie began to move outside the city walls which had protected the city. The style now was an eclectic, academic, somewhat overdecorated style which the middle-class favoured. The working class lived in the overcrowded city district Haga in wooden houses. In

1736-478: The capacity for trains, travellers, and shopping. Not far from the central station is the Skanskaskrapan , or more commonly known as "The Lipstick". It is 86 m (282 ft) high with 22 floors and coloured in red-white stripes. The skyscraper was designed by Ralph Erskine and built by Skanska in the late 1980s as the headquarters for the company. By the shore of the Göta Älv at Lilla Bommen

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1792-488: The central part of the city. It is the largest amusement park in Scandinavia by number of rides, and was chosen as one of the top ten amusement parks in the world (2005) by Forbes . It is the most popular attraction in Sweden by number of visitors per year (more than 3 million). There are a number of independent theatre ensembles in the city, besides institutions such as Gothenburg City Theatre , Backa Theatre (youth theatre), and Folkteatern . The main boulevard

1848-460: The city as they had the skills needed to drain and build in the marshy areas chosen for the city. The town was designed like Dutch cities such as Amsterdam , Batavia ( Jakarta ) and New Amsterdam ( Manhattan ). The planning of the streets and canals of Gothenburg closely resembled that of Jakarta, which was built by the Dutch around the same time. The Dutchmen initially won political power, and it

1904-602: The city's 1621 charter existed or exist in many languages. The French form of the city name is Gothembourg , but in French texts, the Swedish name Göteborg is more frequent. In 2003, the city decided to promote the name Göteborg in international contexts, a decision which was reversed six years later. However, the traditional forms ("Gothenburg" in English, or Gotemburgo in Spanish and Portuguese) are sometimes replaced with

1960-555: The city. There are 8 kilometers of building fences during the construction period, 2,8 to 4 meters high. Trafikverket publicly asked artists to submit ideas and presentations of artworks that could be part of the project. The first 2 artworks were created in 2018. The big start was in 2019. There are or will be artworks in Centralen, Kanaltorget, Sankt Eriksgatan, Västa Sjöfarten, Packhusplatsen, Skeppsbron, Södra Hamngatan, Rosenlund, Haga, Pustervik, Linnéplatsen, och Korsvägen. The project

2016-652: The coast of Bohuslän. Due to the Gulf Stream , the city has a mild climate and moderately heavy precipitation. It is the second-largest city in Sweden after its capital Stockholm . The Gothenburg Metropolitan Area ( Stor-Göteborg ) has 1,080,980 inhabitants (2023) and extends to the municipalities of Ale , Alingsås , Göteborg, Härryda , Kungälv , Lerum , Lilla Edet , Mölndal , Partille , Stenungsund , Tjörn , Öckerö within Västra Götaland County , and Kungsbacka within Halland County . Angered ,

2072-518: The current rail network to the south, with a larger terminus station, was also investigated, named Förstärkningsalternativet (English: the reinforcement alternative ). On December 19, 2007, Banverket chose the Haga-Korsvägen alternative as it best fulfilled the goals for the expansion. A majority of other governmental bodies to which the proposed routes were referred for consideration also agreed on that opinion. The total construction cost for

2128-576: The end of the 18th century. Created in the early 1900s was the Vasa Church . It is located in Vasastan and is built of granite in a neo-Romanesque style. Karlatornet , a skyscraper set to be fully completed in 2025, stands as the tallest building in the Nordics, reaching a height of 246 meters. Another noted construction is Brudaremossen TV Tower , one of the few partially guyed towers in

2184-494: The island of Hisingen in the city. Other key companies in the area are AstraZeneca , Ericsson , and SKF . Gothenburg is served by Göteborg Landvetter Airport 25 km (16 mi) southeast of the city centre. The smaller Göteborg City Airport , 15 km (9.3 mi) from the city centre, was closed to regular airline traffic in 2015. The city hosts the Gothia Cup , the world's largest youth football tournament, and

2240-461: The logo with "Gothenburg". In the early modern period , the configuration of Sweden's borders made Gothenburg strategically critical as the only Swedish gateway to Skagerrak , the North Sea and Atlantic , situated on the west coast in a very narrow strip of Swedish territory between Danish Halland in the south and Norwegian Bohuslän in the north. After several failed attempts, Gothenburg

2296-538: The mid 90s under the project name "Centrumtunneln". A feasibility study was conducted in 2001–2002 by Banverket in cooperation with Västra Götalandsregionen, Västtrafik, Göteborgsregionen, and the city of Gothenburg. Similar rail tunnel projects have already been implemented in Malmö and in Stockholm . Västlänken is not part of the Trafikverket Future plan (swe: Framtidsplan) 2004–2015, nor

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2352-597: The moderating influence of the Gulf Stream . During the summer, daylight extends 18 hours and 5 minutes, but lasts 6 hours and 32 minutes in late December. The climate has become significantly milder in later decades, particularly in summer and winter; July temperatures used to be below Stockholm's 1961–1990 averages, but have since been warmer than that benchmark. Summers are warm and pleasant with average high temperatures of 20 to 22 °C (68 to 72 °F) and lows of 12 to 15 °C (54 to 59 °F), but temperatures of 25–30 °C (77–86 °F) occur on many days during

2408-603: The mouth of the Göta älv , where Scandinavia's largest drainage basin enters the sea, the Port of Gothenburg is now the largest port in the Nordic countries. The presence of the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology has led Gothenburg to become home to many students. Volvo was founded in Gothenburg in 1927, with both the original Volvo Group and the separate Volvo Car Corporation still headquartered on

2464-418: The project is estimated at SEK 36.5 billion. The cost of the project will be partially financed by road tolls levied on vehicles entering and leaving central Gothenburg, as well as on those simply passing by the city on the major thoroughfares. The official construction start ceremony took place on 30 May 2018. As of September 2023, the estimated completion date is now delayed to around 2030. Construction of

2520-413: The roads in the region are overloaded. Better rail communications to different parts of Greater Gothenburg and better connections to current public transport networks would improve the situation. There is a political wish to reduce car dependency and increase public transport usage. Significant sums of money have been – and are being – invested in rail infrastructure in the other Swedish urban areas such as

2576-481: The south to the Central Station would have a ten-minute longer journey than at present. The main reason to build the tunnel is to increase capacity. The Gothenburg Central Station has no capacity for more trains in rush hours, which obstructs the wish to increase train traffic and build a new railway to Borås , the second largest city in the province, which has dense bus traffic to Gothenburg. As early as

2632-674: The summer. Winters are cold and windy with temperatures of around −1 to 4 °C (30 to 39 °F), though it rarely drops below −20 °C (−4 °F). Precipitation is regular but generally moderate throughout the year. Snow mainly occurs from December to March, but is not unusual in November and April and can sometimes occur even in October and May. Gothenburg has several parks and nature reserves ranging in size from tens of square meters to hundreds of hectares. It also has many green areas that are not designated as parks or reserves. Selection of parks: Very few buildings are left from

2688-669: The use of the Swedish Göteborg , for example by The Göteborg Opera and the Göteborg Ballet. However, Göteborgs universitet , previously designated as the Göteborg University in English, changed its name to the University of Gothenburg in 2008. The Gothenburg municipality has also reverted to the use of the English name in international contexts. In 2009, Göteborg & Co , the municipal destination management organisation of Gothenburg launched

2744-582: The well-known Haga bulle – a large cinnamon roll similar to the kanelbulle . Five Gothenburg restaurants have a star in the 2008 Michelin Guide : 28+ Basement, Fond, Kock & Vin, Fiskekrogen, and Sjömagasinet. The city has a number of star chefs. In 2007, seven Swedish Chef of the Year awards of the previous twelve years had been won by people from Gothenburg. The Gustavus Adolphus pastry , eaten every 6   November in Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus Day ,

2800-581: The world. The sea, trade, and industrial history of the city are evident in the cultural life of Gothenburg. It is also a popular destination for tourists on the Swedish west coast. Many of the cultural institutions, as well as hospitals and the university, were created by donations from rich merchants and industrialists, for example the Röhsska Museum . On 29   December 2004, the Museum of World Culture opened near Korsvägen . Museums include

2856-693: Was carried out by 150 soldiers from the Bohus regiment. Along with the Dutch, the town was also heavily influenced by Scots who settled down in Gothenburg. Many became people of high-profile. William Chalmers , the son of a Scottish immigrant, donated his fortunes to set up what later became the Chalmers University of Technology . In 1841, the Scotsman Alexander Keiller founded the Götaverken shipbuilding company that

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2912-490: Was created in the 1860s and 1870s as a result of an international architecture contest, and is the product of a period of extensive town planning and remodelling. Avenyn has Gothenburg's highest concentration of pubs and clubs. Gothenburg's largest shopping centre (8th largest in Sweden), Nordstan , is located in central Gothenburg. Gothenburg's Haga district is known for its picturesque wooden houses and its cafés serving

2968-573: Was in business until 1989. His son James Keiller donated Keiller Park to the city in 1906. 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 the city against its enemies. In the Treaty of Roskilde (1658), Denmark–Norway ceded the Danish province of Halland, in the south, and

3024-456: Was named Göteborg in the city's charter in 1621 and simultaneously given the German and English name Gothenburg. The Swedish name was given after the Göta älv , called Göta River in English, and other cities ending in -borg . Both the Swedish and German/English names were in use before 1621 and had already been used for the previous city founded in 1604 that burned down in 1611. Gothenburg

3080-403: Was not until 1652, when the last Dutch politician in the city's council died, that Swedes acquired political power over Gothenburg. During the Dutch period, the town followed Dutch town laws and Dutch was proposed as the official language in the town. Robust city walls were built during the 17th century. In 1807, a decision was made to tear down most of the city's wall. The work started in 1810 and

3136-511: Was successfully founded in 1621 by King Gustavus Adolphus (Gustaf II Adolf). The site of the first church built in Gothenburg, subsequently destroyed by Danish invaders, is marked by a stone near the north end of the Älvsborg Bridge in the Färjenäs Park . The church was built in 1603 and destroyed in 1611. The city was heavily influenced by the Dutch, Germans, and Scots, and Dutch planners and engineers were contracted to construct

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