Götaplatsen is a public square in

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

, Sweden, at the southern end of

Avenyn Avenyn ( en, The Avenue; formally Kungsportsavenyen, (en. "Kingsgate Avenue")) is the main boulevard of Gothenburg, Sweden. Designed in the mid 19th century as the first middle-class residential district outside the bastions of the fortified heart ...

, the city's main boulevard. The square was inaugurated when Gothenburg held a major international

industrial exhibition A trade fair, also known as trade show, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and cu ...

, 1923, celebrating the city's 300th anniversary. Götaplatsen is Gothenburg's cultural hub, enclosed by the

Gothenburg Concert Hall Gothenburg Concert Hall is a concert hall located in Gothenburg, Sweden, which was built in 1935. The architect for the facility was Nils Einar Ericsson, a major advocate of Functionalism. However, the Concert Hall has a Neo-Classical exterior ...

(where the

Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (GSO; sv, Göteborgs Symfoniker) is a Swedish symphony orchestra based in Gothenburg. The GSO is resident at the Gothenburg Concert Hall at Götaplatsen. The orchestra received the title of the National Orche ...

resides), the

Gothenburg Museum of Art Gothenburg Museum of Art ( sv, Göteborgs konstmuseum) is located at Götaplatsen in Gothenburg, Sweden. It claims to be the third largest art museum in Sweden by size of its collection. Collections The museum holds the world's finest collect ...

, the

Gothenburg City Theatre Gothenburg City Theatre ( sv, Göteborgs stadsteater) opened in 1934 at Götaplatsen square in Gothenburg, Sweden. The theatre was designed by Swedish architect Carl Bergsten who gave the exterior a Neo-Classical look with a touch of Streamline M ...

and the City Library. At the centre of the square presides the

Poseidon Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ch ...

statue by

Carl Milles Carl Milles (; 23 June 1875 – 19 September 1955) was a Swedish sculptor. He was married to artist Olga Milles (née Granner) and brother to Ruth Milles and half-brother to the architect Evert Milles. Carl Milles sculpted the Gustaf Vasa statu ...

—the statue has become one of the symbols of the city. On the city's annual culture festival different Swedish musical artists usually perform free at the square, bands like

Hardcore Superstar Hardcore Superstar is a Swedish heavy metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. The band was formed in 1997 and have released eleven studio albums. History The first ten years (1997–2007) 1997–2004 Hardcore Superstar was formed in Gothenburg, ...

Mustasch Mustasch is a rock band from Sweden. They were formed in the fall of 1998 by Ralf Gyllenhammar, Hannes Hansson, Mats Hansson and Stam Johansson in Gothenburg. Band history Mustasch was formed in Gothenburg in 1998, and recorded demos at "The ...

and Teddybears have all performed at this occasion.

History

Götaplatsen got its name in 1914, but until 1923 the area was strictly rural. Götaplatsen was designed by the

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Sigfrid Ericson Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...

and

Arvid Bjerke Arvid, Arved, Arnvid or Arvydas is a male given name, most common in Scandinavia but also in Iran and Lithuania. In Scandinavia it is derived from Old Norse and means "forest of eagles" or 'eagle wood'. Arvid is a royal male name that is composed ...

and construction began in 1921. The

was completed just in time before Gothenburg’s 300th anniversary in 1923, the Gothenburg Exhibition. Much of the southern part of Götaplatsen is terraced in stone with wide stairs leading up to the Gothenburg Museum of Art's seven high arches. Until the 1980s, the museum of art´s entrance was positioned at the top of the archway. Today however, the entrance has been moved a number of levels further down, closer to the street level, where the Hasselblad Centre is also located. Across the gallery, which is located as a side-house to the Gothenburg Museum of Art at Götaplatsen’s southeastern corner, stood a triumphal arch which was the entrance to the exhibition area during the Gothenburg Exhibition. This triumphal arch was demolished in 1928. The statue was inaugurated on 24 September 1931. The

was opened on 29 September 1934. The following year, in 1935, the

was built on the other side of Götaplatsen. In 1967, the

Gothenburg Public Library Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has a p ...

was opened. This is next door to Lorensbergsteatern, below the

across Berzeliigatan.

References

External links

1923 establishments in Sweden Art gallery districts Cultural infrastructure completed in 1923 Fountains in Sweden Monuments and memorials in Sweden Squares in Gothenburg Listed buildings in Gothenburg History of Gothenburg Avenyn Swedish culture World's fair sites in Sweden Sculptures of Poseidon {{Gothenburg-stub