Route 1. The City’s Historic Heart

The walk continues in amongst the blocks of houses, and stops off at Gothenburg's best preserved 17th century building, Kronhuset. This large, redbrick building was designed by Simon de Vallée, and was originally used to store military equipment. In the 18th century, the low rough-cast buildings were added. These now contain a cosy coffee shop and different types of craftsmen's workshops.

The Great Harbour Canal is one of Gothenburg's most impressive features. The canal was dug when the city was founded, and had a central quay where ships could berth. The Harbour Canal became a centre for trade and industry, and is lined by a number of splendid trading houses. This was where the East India Company built their large office building, which is now home to Gothenburg City Museum. The building was designed in the simple 18th century classicist style which is typical for the central parts of Gothenburg, and close by, Birgitta Sahlgren had her trading house built in the same style. On the opposite side of the canal are the two office buildings Skandiahuset and Wijkska huset, which both caused a lot of concern when they were built, because they were considered too tall. Today, most people seem more interested in the popular coffee shop and the fine fish restaurant on the ground floors of these two buildings. Right in the middle of all the trading houses and office buildings sits the large German Church, which dates back to the 17th century.

The Great Harbour Canal ends by Stora Bommen, an area which was freed up when a tunnel was built to lead away most of the traffic. This is where the Gothenburg of the future will be given a closer connection to the river. A number of passenger boats depart from here for the nearby islands, and along the pier you’ll find both warships and old merchant vessels. The old Customs House from the mid-1800s is also situated here, right by the water’s edge. The Swedish Customs moved out of the yellow brick building in the 1970s, and nowadays most of it is taken up by a government-run casino.

Lilla Bommen was the place where the Eastern Harbour Canal met the river, before it was covered to make room for more cars and trams. During the boom years of the 1980s, a number of office blocks were built in this area. The tallest, and most spectacular, is Skanskaskrapan, drawn by the headstrong architect Ralph Erskine for the Skanska Construction Company. Erskine grew up in England, but moved to Sweden, where he came to focus on projects with a strong social aspect. The idea behind Skanskaskrapan was to build a landmark of a scale consistent with that of Göta Älvbron and the large cranes in the harbour. Erskine's association-rich designs also fulfilled the vision of creating a building that could symbolise Gothenburg, and one which would enable Skanska to demonstrate their expertise in building in complicated locations. Nearby, the Gothenburg Opera House also offers a design rich in associations, albeit slightly less obvious. This building was designed by Lund & Valentin, who made the most of the closeness to water by turning the entire foyer towards the river and giving it a glass facade. The high auditorium is both intimate and grand.

Text: Per Nadén