In 2021 Gothenburg is 400 years old!

Gothenburg is celebrating its 400-year anniversary in 2021. Although, due to the pandemic, some events have been postponed – the party is NOT cancelled! There will still be a historic celebration of the city’s official birthday during the weekend 4-6 June 2021. Then there will be an even larger anniversary program in 2023, when the city hopes to welcome visitors from all over the world to honour our wonderful city and its people.

What’s on in 2021?

On Gothenburg’s official anniversary, June 4th, the famous parade (a tradition in the city) will take place marking a formal and historic celebration.

The harbour and the sea will become the spotlight on Saturday 5th, as a response to the numerous ideas for celebrating Gothenburg’s history as a harbour city.

On Sunday 6th, the anniversary coincides with Sweden’s National Day, so we’ll be commemorating both notable events by enjoying traditional music and food with family and friends in parks, gardens and beaches.

The anniversary song “Vi vill leva, vi vill dö i Göteborg” (we want to live, we want to die in Gothenburg) by Katarina Hemlin will be played from the German Christinae Church’s bell tower every day throughout 2021.

Another daily activity to remember for the most curious minds comes from P4 Gothenburg's Tommy Johansson. Every day, Tommy will tell a little story about the city’s history.

Later in the year, for the sporty folks, a unique marathon will be arranged on September 19th. Göteborgsvarvet Marathon 2021 runs parts of its regular course but also on new roads through Gothenburg. This is in addition to the traditional half-marathon (the word’s biggest) which will take place at the same time.

We will regularly update our event page to keep you updated on activities in 2021.

A lot of planning and preparation

In 2009 the City of Gothenburg decided to mark the 400th anniversary as the key element for the city’s development. Since then, a total of 1680 ideas and initiatives have been gathered from public consultations to shape the anniversary plan.

Gothenburg’s vision for this anniversary was to be internationally recognised as a model metropolis for its social, ecological and economic sustainability. And, not only that, but also a city where the residents have a sense of participation and belonging.

The initiatives were grouped into 3 themes and recognised as a platform for maintaining a consistent vision in the build up to 2021:

• Closer to the water – not just the sea, canals and river, but even to the rain!

• Building bridges – to shorten mental and physical distances between the residents of Gothenburg.

• Open spaces – where people can meet and grow creatively.

Creating a legacy

The 300th anniversary, in 1923 (another delayed celebration!), saw the inauguration of the Liseberg amusement park, Götaplatsen cultural centre and Gothenburg Botanical Garden. In other words, there was a strong legacy.

And the aim is to match that with the 400th year celebration. So throughout the project, organisers have maintained that “The journey to 2021 is just as important as the anniversary year itself”. And this mindset has seen valuable additions and improvements made across the city in recent years:

By the water

• The swimming jetty/pool at Skeppsbron bridge is a meeting place for people from all parts of the city and all ages with no entrance fee.

• A public pool and a sauna in Frihamnen - the facilities will include the swimming area and the sauna, as well as a free sailing school, summer camp, roller derby rink and urban growing plots.

• At 259-meters long, the Bathing pier in Askim is the longest bathing pier in Sweden, with 2 large, connecting sun decks with a total of 800 sqm in space.

• We see our fair share of rain on the Swedish west coast! And The rain playground makes the most of it. From puddles for jumping in to a “Rainfall“ climbing frame, this original playground will cause anyone that enjoys nature and its nuances to marvel.

Building bridges

The bridge Hisingsbron is being built over Göta Älv and the plan is to inaugurate it in the spring of 2021. As well as being a new landmark in the city, when it’s completed, the bridge will better connect the city and contribute its development. You can read more about Gothenburg’s large building projects here.

Open spaces

Creative Zone on Ringön – the goal is to enable Ringön to develop into a mix of small industry and creative businesses. The Ö-Festen festival has drawn attention to the area and created a sense of community in the last few years.

ARTSCAPE – This street art festival in 2016 provided the city with large-scale works of art across the city. Most of the works have a permanent building permit and can be visited – check out our Gothenburg street art article.

The beginning of Gothenburg: A quick history lesson

In 1619, King Gustavus Adolphus pointed to where the new city of Gothenburg would lie. And since he had chosen an area of marshland, the talented and experienced Dutch were brought in to help build the city. Nowadays, you can still see the Dutch influence in the city’s popular canals and the irregular but charming street system.

Founded during the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), with battles being fought across Europe, it was important that Gothenburg was a heavily fortified town.

Not least because the city was also an important strategic location for Sweden. This west coast was eagerly contested by the Swedes, Danes and Norwegians. And it wasn’t until around 1654, that Gothenburg officially became part of Sweden.

You can still see a remaining section of the Carolus Rex fortified wall at Esperantoplatsen. Visit our History of Gothenburg page and get to know even more, with a self-guided walking tour.

Banner image: Per Pixel Petersson/Göteborg & Co

@thisisgburg

This Is Gothenburg [2021]

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