Lödöse (), also known as Gamla Lödöse is a
locality situated in
Lilla Edet Municipality,
Västra Götaland County,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. It is situated 40 kilometers northeast of Gothenburg and is considered the precursor to modern-day
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 ...
.
Gamla Lödöse
Lödöse was a politically crucial centre of trade in Sweden during the
middle ages.
By the year 1000, Lödöse was an important trading town, located between modern-day
Oslo and
Copenhagen and near the mouth of the
Göta river
Göta is a Swedish given name, which is the female equivalent of Göte. It may refer to:
*Göta Ljungberg (1893–1955), Swedish singer
*Göta Pettersson (1926–1993), Swedish gymnast
Other uses
*Göta, Sweden
*Göta älv, a river in Sweden
*G ...
. It was the
Geats' only port on the west coast: hence, it had great strategic importance. Until 1473, Lödöse was Sweden's only port with an exit to the North Sea. Trapped as it was between
Norway and
Denmark, Lödöse was moved further down the river to Nya Lödöse, where the present day suburb Gamlestan in Gothenburg is today. In 1621, King
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustavus Adolphus (9 December Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">N.S_19_December.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/now ...
decided the location of present-day
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 ...
with direct access to the North Sea and Atlantic.
[ ]
Modern Lödöse
Today, Lödöse is a small town with 1,300 inhabitants in
Lilla Edet Municipality, 40 kilometers northeast of Gothenburg up the
Göta älv. The medieval history of the town is displayed at the
Lödöse Museum
Lödöse (), also known as Gamla Lödöse is a locality situated in Lilla Edet Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It is situated 40 kilometers northeast of Gothenburg and is considered the precursor to modern-day Gothenburg.
Gamla ...
which opened in 1996. Lödöse had 1,266 inhabitants in 2010.
See also
*
History of Gothenburg
The history of Gothenburg ( sv, Göteborg) begins with the foundation of the city in 1621, although by that time people had already been living in the area for thousands of years, since the Neolithic Period
The Neolithic period, or New Stone ...
References
Other sources
*Järpe, Anna (1986) ''Nya Lödöse'' (Stockholm: Riksantikvarieämbetet och Statens historiska museer)
External links
Lödöse Museum website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lodose
Populated places in Västra Götaland County
Populated places in Lilla Edet Municipality
History of Gothenburg
Archaeological sites in Sweden
Geats
Viking Age populated places
Ports and harbours of Sweden