Gothenburg, Sweden
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[edit] Overview of Gothenburg, Sweden
Gothenburg lies on the west coast of Sweden and has a population of about half a million people, and close to 900 000 people in the urban area.
[edit] Architectural History of Gothenburg
There are very few houses left from the 17th century when the city was founded, since all but the military and royal houses were built of wood. One example is Skansen Crown.
Layers of architecture on Masthugget hill in Gothenburg; 19th century houses at the bottom, Brutalistic modernist houses in the middle and older Landshövdingehus at the top.The first major architecturally interesting period is the 18th century when the East India Company made Gothenburg an important trade city. Imposing stone houses with a Classical look were erected around the canals. One example from this period is the East India House, which today houses Gothenburg’s City Museum.
In the 19th century the wealthy bourgeoisie begun to move outside the city walls which had protected the city when the Union of Denmark and Norway was still a threat. The style now was an eclectic, academic, somewhat over decorated style which the middle-class favoured. The working class lived in the overcrowded city district Haga, in wooden houses.
In the 19th century the first important town plan after the founding of city was created, which led to the construction of the main street Kungsportsavenyn. The perhaps most significant type of houses of the city, Landshövdingehusen, were built in the end of the 19th century; three story-houses with the first floor in stone and the other two in wood.
A very important period in the architectural history of the city was the early 20th century, when the National Romantic style dominated. Among the many monumental building erected the Masthugget Church can be mentioned.
And in the beginning of the 1920s, when the city celebrated its 300th anniversary, the Götaplatsen square with its Neo-Classical look was built.
After this the predominant style in Gothenburg and rest of Sweden was Functionalism which especially dominated the suburbs like Västra Frölunda and Bergsjön. In the 1950s the big stadium Ullevi was erected when Sweden hosted the 1958 World Cup in football.
The modern architecture of the city is being formed by such architects as Gert Wingårdh who started as a Post-Modernist in the 1980s.
[edit] Design and Building Firms in Gothenburg, Sweden
| Architecture Firms | Address | Telephone number |
|---|---|---|
| Kjellgren Kaminsky Architecture AB, Gothenburg, Sweden | Ekmans gatan 3 | 0046317612001 |
| White AB, Gothenburg, Sweden | Magasinsgatan 10, Box 2502, SE-403 17 GÖTEBORG, SWEDEN | +46 31 60 86 00 |
| Wingårdh Arkitektkontor AB, Gothenburg, Sweden | Kungsgatan 10 A | +46 (0)31 743 70 00 |
- Wingårdhs AB, the firm of Gert Wingårdh (120 employees)
