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GOTHENBURG |
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Although GOTHENBURG is Scandinavia's largest port, shipbuilding has
long since taken a back seat to ferry arrivals - those from Newcastle
alongside the dock-strewn river, and those from Denmark right in the
centre of the port and shipyards. Beyond the shipyards, Gothenburg is
the prettiest of Sweden's cities, with broad avenues split and ringed by
an elegant seventeenth-century, Dutch-designed canal system.
The City
King Gustav II Adolf, looking for western trade, founded Gothenburg in
the early seventeenth century as a response to the high tolls charged by
the Danes for using the narrow sound between the two countries. As a
Calvinist and businessman, Gustav much admired Dutch merchants, inviting
them to trade and live in Gothenburg, and it's their influence that
shaped the city, parts of which have an oddly Dutch feel. The area
defined by the central canal represents what's left of old Gothenburg,
centring on Gustav Adolfs Torg , a windswept square flanked by the
nineteenth-century Börshuset (Exchange Building), and the fine Rådhus ,
originally built in 1672. Around the corner, the Kronhuset , off
Kronhusgatan, built in 1643, is a typical seventeenth-century Dutch
construction, and looks like the backdrop to a Vermeer. The cobbled
courtyard outside is flanked by the mid-eighteenth-century
Kronhusbodarna (Mon-Fri 11am-4pm, Sat 11am-2pm), now togged up as period
craft shops selling sweets and souvenirs.
The Stadsmuseum , Norra Hamngatan 12 (daily 10am-5pm; 40kr, ticket valid
for a year), housed in the eighteenth-century headquarters of the East
India Company, has been restored and now incorporates a rich collection
of archeological, cultural and industrial exhibits. Close by, the
Maritima Centrum (daily: March-May & Sept-Nov 10am-4pm; June & Aug
10am-6pm; July 10am-9pm; 50kr) allows you to clamber aboard a destroyer
and submarine moored at the quayside. It is worth coming down here just
to look at the shipyards beyond, like a rusting Meccano set put into
sharp perspective by the striking Opera House (daily noon-6pm; guided
tours July Tues & Wed noon-3pm; tel 031/10 82 03; tickets from 50kr), a
graceful and imaginative ship-like structure.
Crossing the canal from Kungsportsplatsen and running all the way up to
Götaplatsen, Kungsportsavenyn is Gothenburg's showiest thoroughfare.
Known simply as Avenyn , this wide strip was once flanked by private
houses fronted by gardens and is now lined with overpriced, posey yet
popular pavement restaurants and brasseries. About halfway down, the
excellent Röhsska Museum of Arts and Crafts at Vasagatan 37-39 (May-Aug
Mon-Fri noon-4pm, Sat & Sun noon-5pm; Sept-April Tues noon-9pm, Wed-Fri
noon-4pm, Sat & Sun noon-5pm; 40kr), celebrates Swedish design through
the ages, among other things. At the top end, Götaplatsen is the modern
cultural centre of Gothenburg, home to a concert hall, theatre and Art
Museum (May-Aug Mon-Fri 11am-4pm, Sat & Sun 11am-5pm; Sept-April Tues-Fri
11am-4pm, Wed till 9pm, Sat & Sun 11am-5pm; 40kr), whose enormous
collections include a good selection of Impressionist paintings, Pop Art
and - most impressively - superb Swedish work in the Furstenburg
galleries on the sixth floor. Just a few minutes' walk to the west from
Avenyn, the old working-class district of Haga is now a picturesque area
of gentrified chic with plenty of daytime cafés and boutiques, while
Linnégatan , a few steps further, is a more charismatic and cosmopolitan
version of Avenyn with the most diverse places to eat, drink and stroll.
Just five minutes' walk southeast of Götaplatsen, on the edge of the
centre, is Liseberg , a surprisingly aesthetic amusement park (late
April to June & late Aug daily 3-11pm; July to mid-Aug daily noon-11pm;
Sept Sat 1-11pm, Sun noon-8pm; 45kr) with some high-profile rides and
acres of gardens, restaurants and fast food. In the opposite direction,
great views of the harbour and surrounding area can be had from the
excursion boats that run from Lilla Bommen to the Nya Elfsborg Fortress
(early May to mid-Aug daily 9.30am-3pm; 70kr, including guided tour of
fortress), a seventeenth-century island defence guarding the harbour
entrance, whose surviving buildings have been turned into a museum and
café.
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