Gothenburg

Gothenburg (Swedish: {{Audio|sv-Göteborg.ogg|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 (known commonly as Gustaf II Adolf), was successful. Following the successive wars, by 1658 all the Danish eastern provinces were ceded to Sweden, by the Treaty of Roskilde.

Related Topics:
17th century - 1607 - Hisingen - Kalmar War - 1621 - Gustavus Adolphus - 1658 - Danish - Provinces - Treaty of Roskilde

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In Dutch, Scots and German - 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. These traditional forms are now widely replaced with the use of the Swedish form Göteborg.

Related Topics:
Dutch - Scots - German - Pronunciation - French

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