Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
meant that profits slid, and the company lost its monopoly. The headquarters,
however, remain an imposing reminder of the power and prestige the company - and
Gothenburg - once had.
Elsewhere in the museum, other main exhibits focus on Gothenburg's Viking past
and include the impressive remains of the
Äskekärr
longboat, a trading vessel dating
from around 900 which was found 30km up the Göta River from present-day
Gothenburg. There's also a breathtaking collection of medieval triptychs from churches
across western Sweden, as well as a thorough account of the founding of Gothenburg
in 1621 and its development through the centuries.
South of Stora Hamnkanalen: the quayside
Crossing Stora Hamnkanalen from the Stadsmuseum, you'll come to
Lilla Torget
. In
itself, the square is nothing to get excited about, but, having nodded at the statue of
Jonas Alströmer - the man who introduced the potato to Sweden in the eighteenth
century - continue a couple of minutes' walk west to the quayside,
Stenpiren
(Stone
Pier). It was from here that hundreds of emigrants said their last goodbyes before
sailing off to a “New Sweden” in the United States, in 1638. The granite
Delaware
Monument
marking Swedish emigration was carted off to America from
Gothenburg in the early part of the nineteenth century, and it wasn't until 1938
that celebrated sculptor Carl Milles cast a replacement in bronze, which stands here
looking out to sea.
3
Domkyrkan
Kungsgatan 37 • Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat & Sun 10am-4pm
A few blocks south of the canal, and left of Västra Hamngatan, is the Neoclassical
cathedral,
Domkyrkan
, built in 1815 - the two previous cathedrals were destroyed by
fires in 1721 and 1802. Four giant sandstone columns stand at the portico, and inside,
the altarpiece is a picture of gilded opulence. The plain white walls concentrate the eye
on the unusual post-Resurrection cross - devoid of a Jesus, and with his gilded grave
clothes strewn around, it summons images of an adolescent's bedroom floor. Another
quirky feature is the twin glassed-in verandas that run down either side of the
cathedral; looking like glamorous trams with net curtains, they were actually designed
for the bishop's private conversations.
Brunnsparken
Continuing east past the cathedral and north towards Stora Hamnkanalen, the leafy
square known as
Brunnsparken
soon comes into view, with Gustav Adolfs torg just
across the canal. The sedate house facing the square is now a snazzy restaurant and
nightclub called
Palace
(see p.124), but in 1752 the building was home to Pontus and
Gothilda Fürstenberg, the city's leading arts patrons. They opened up the top floor as
an art gallery and later donated their entire collection - the biggest batch of Nordic
paintings in the country - to the city's
Konstmuseum
. As a tribute to the Fürstenbergs,
the museum made over the top floor into an exact replica of the original gallery.
Along Rosenlundskanalen
Following the zigzagging
Rosenlundskanalen
that marks the southern perimeter
of old Gothenburg - a moat during the days when the city was fortified - makes
for a fine twenty-minute stroll, past pretty waterside views and a number of
interesting diversions.
