Trollhättan () is the
23rd-largest city in
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 countries, Nordic c ...
, the seat of
Trollhättan Municipality,
Västra Götaland County
Västra Götaland County ( sv, Västra Götalands län) is a county or '' län'' on the western coast of Sweden.
The county is the second most populous of Sweden's counties and it comprises 49 municipalities (''kommuner''). Its population of 1 ...
. It is situated by
Göta älv, near the lake
Vänern
Vänern ( , also , ) is the largest lake in Sweden, the largest lake in the European Union and the third-largest lake of all Europe after Ladoga and Onega in Russia. It is located in the provinces of Västergötland, Dalsland, and Värmlan ...
, and has a population of approximately 50,000 in the
city proper. It is located 75 km (46 mi) north of Sweden's second-largest city,
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 ...
.
History
Trollhättan was granted
city rights
Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...
(which today have no legal effect) in 1916 at
which time it had about 15,000 inhabitants, now grown to 59,058.
Trollhättan was founded on the river
Göta älv, at the
Trollhättan Falls
Trollhättan Falls is a waterfall in the Göta river (Göta älv) in Sweden.
The falls starts at Malgö Bridge in central Trollhättan, and has a total height of 32 metres, making up a large part of the 44 metre total fall of the river from Vä ...
. The site was first mentioned in literature from 1413.
Trollhättan had a strategic significance on the road between Västergötland and Norway. It was also of a commercial and political significance for shipping to and from
Vänern
Vänern ( , also , ) is the largest lake in Sweden, the largest lake in the European Union and the third-largest lake of all Europe after Ladoga and Onega in Russia. It is located in the provinces of Västergötland, Dalsland, and Värmlan ...
.
Utilization of the river falls was the first important business activity in the area. From the Middle Ages milling and sawing operations have been conducted where the city center is now located. For centuries, Trollhättan Falls was an obstacle for boats travelling the river, until a
lock system was completed in the 19th century. In 1795 the English writer
Mary Wollstonecraft
Mary Wollstonecraft (, ; 27 April 1759 – 10 September 1797) was a British writer, philosopher, and advocate of women's rights. Until the late 20th century, Wollstonecraft's life, which encompassed several unconventional personal relationsh ...
visited Trollhattan on her trip through Sweden, Norway and Denmark. She described in one of her letters her observations of the canal under construction, and the falls. It has since been updated several times, and the present locks were finished in 1916. In the late 19th century,
hydropower
Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of ...
was developed in Trollhättan. The Swedish energy corporation
Vattenfall
Vattenfall is a Swedish multinational power company owned by the Swedish State. Beyond Sweden, the company generates power in Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
The company's name is Swedish for "waterfall", an ...
took its name from the falls in Trollhättan. Today the city has two operational hydropower stations,
Olidan and
Hojum.
Name
The name ''Trollhättan'' itself was originally used only for the falls area. The name ''Trollhättan'' is translated as "
troll
A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human ...
's
bonnet". The latter part "''hätta''" could also mean mountain top. The water that splashed from a large rock at the bottom of the waterfall (before the hydro dam was built) was imagined to look like a troll's hat.
Other former names of the site are ''Eiðar'' and ''Stora Edet''; the latter lives on in the name of the south-bordering municipality of
Lilla Edet.
Sticker on Saab car window
Industry
The manufacturing company
Nydqvist & Holm AB
NOHAB (Nydqvist & Holm AB) was a manufacturing company based in the city of Trollhättan, Sweden.
History
The company was founded by Antenor Nydqvist, Johan Magnus Lidström and Carl Olof Holm in 1847 as ''Trollhättans Mekaniska Verkstad'' a ...
(now NOHAB) was based in the city of Trollhättan dating from 1847. Further industries quickly followed. Dating from the 19th century, Trollhättan formerly housed the headquarters and main production plant of
Saab Automobile
Saab Automobile AB () is a defunct car manufacturer that was founded in Sweden in 1945 when its parent company, Saab AB, began a project to design a small automobile. The first production model, the Saab 92, was launched in 1949. In 1968 the p ...
and now houses the headquarters and a production plant of
National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). It also has a number of industrial facilities, headed by
GKN Aerospace (previously known as
Volvo Aero) and its contractual suppliers. As with parallel locations elsewhere in Europe, much of its production has moved from
heavy industry to
professional services
Professional services are occupations in the service sector requiring special training in the arts or sciences. Some professional services, such as architects, accountants, engineers, doctors, and lawyers require the practitioner to hold prof ...
and the creation of
intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...
.
As of 2011 Trollhättan hosts a film production complex known as
Trollywood
Trollywood is the informal name for a film production facility in Trollhättan, Sweden. Movies shot there include '' Fucking Åmål'' (distributed in English-speaking countries as ''Show Me Love''), '' Dancer in the Dark'', '' Manderlay'' and '' ...
; movies shot there include ''
Show Me Love'' (''Fucking Åmål''), ''
Dancer in the Dark
''Dancer in the Dark'' is a 2000 musical drama film written and directed by Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier. It stars Icelandic musician Björk as a factory worker who suffers from a degenerative eye condition and is saving for an operation to p ...
'', ''
Melancholia
Melancholia or melancholy (from el, µέλαινα χολή ',Burton, Bk. I, p. 147 meaning black bile) is a concept found throughout ancient, medieval and premodern medicine in Europe that describes a condition characterized by markedly d ...
'', ''
Dogville'' and studio scenes for ''
Lilya 4-ever''. The movie studio
Film i Väst centered here produces about half of the Swedish feature-length films.
Trollhätte Canal
During the 17th century, work on a system of locks began and the first lock was completed around 1607 at
Lilla Edet. During the 18th century several unsuccessful attempts were made to complete the locks. In 1718 a contract was signed by the government and
Christopher Polhem (1661–1751) for construction of a canal between
Kattegatt
The Kattegat (; sv, Kattegatt ) is a sea area bounded by the Jutlandic peninsula in the west, the Danish Straits islands of Denmark and the Baltic Sea to the south and the provinces of Bohuslän, Västergötland, Halland and Skåne in Sweden i ...
and Lake
Vänern
Vänern ( , also , ) is the largest lake in Sweden, the largest lake in the European Union and the third-largest lake of all Europe after Ladoga and Onega in Russia. It is located in the provinces of Västergötland, Dalsland, and Värmlan ...
and from Vättern to the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
. Trollhätte Canal first begun construction in 1718. In 1800,
Baltzar von Platen (1766–1829) completed the locks. Larger locks were later built under
Nils Ericson (1802–1870). The further construction of the
Göta Canal
The Göta Canal ( sv, Göta kanal) is a Swedish canal constructed in the early 19th century.
The canal is long, of which were dug or blasted, with a width varying between and a maximum depth of about .Uno Svedin, Britt Hägerhäll Anians ...
enabled larger boats to pass through Trollhätte Canal.
Trollhättan Church
Trollhättan Church (''Trollhättans Kyrka'') belongs to the Trollhättan congregation in the
Diocese of Skara. Between 1860 and 1862, the New Trollhätte Canal Company (''Nya Trollhätte Kanalbolag'') built Trollhättan church. It was inauguration in 1862 and was handed over to the congregation as a gift. The church is erected in a neo-Gothic style after drawings by architect
Adolf W. Edelsvärd (1824–1919). It consists of a longhouse with a north–south orientation. To the south is the tower with main entrance and to the north there is a polygonal cairn. It is located on a cliff in the Göta River in the middle of the canal system.
At the expense of the canal company, a sacristy was built in the north-west in 1896–1897 with a rise to the pulpit, and the same year came glass paintings designed by Folke Zettervall (1862–1955). The window paintings in the choir, which was installed in 1962, are done by artist Ralph Bergholtz (1908-1988). The church was restored in 1983–84 with Jerk Alton as architect.
Sports
Trollhättan hosted Division B of the
2017 Bandy World Championship.
World Championship Bandy 2017
/ref>
The following sports clubs are located in Trollhättan:
* IFK Trollhättan
* FC Trollhättan
FC Trollhättan is a Swedish football club located in Trollhättan currently playing in Division 1.
Background
The club was founded in 2001, when the old rivals Trollhättans IF and Trollhättans FK decided to merge.
In their first leagu ...
* Skoftebyns IF
* Gripen Trollhättan BK
Gallery
Trollhättans Kyrka.jpg, Trollhättan Church
Trollhattefallen.jpg, Trollhättan Falls
Olidans kraftstation, Trollhättan.jpg, Olidan Hydropower Station
Neue Schleuse (1916), Trollhätte-Kanal.jpg, Trollhättan Canal
Trollhättan Water Tower.jpg, Trollhättan Water Tower
See also
* Olidan Hydroelectric Power Station
* Saab Car Museum
* University College West
References
External links
Trollhättan City Website in English
Visit Trollhättan Vänersborg
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trollhattan
Municipal seats of Västra Götaland County
Swedish municipal seats
Populated places in Västra Götaland County
Populated places in Trollhättan Municipality
*
Cities in Västra Götaland County
nn:Trollhättans kommun