Friday, October 26, 2007

King Gustavus Adolphus - the founder of Gothenburg


Gothenburg was founded in 1621 by King Gustavus Adolphus (Gustaf II Adolf). You can see a statue of King Gustavus Adolphus on the Gustavus Adolphus square. The statue represents the moment when King Gustavus Adolphus is supposed to have said "This is where the city shall be", and pointing with his hand.

From wikipedia you can also learn that:
The city was heavily influenced by the Dutch. Dutch city planners were contracted to build the city as they had the skills needed to build in the marshy areas around the city. The town was planned after Dutch cities to have canals like Amsterdam, and the blueprint for the canals of Gothenburg are actually the same as those used for Jakarta.

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