Avenyn ( en, The Avenue; formally Kungsportsavenyen, (en. "Kingsgate Avenue")) is the main

boulevard A boulevard is a type of broad avenue planted with rows of trees, or in parts of North America, any urban highway. Boulevards were originally circumferential roads following the line of former city walls. In American usage, boulevards may ...

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. Designed in the mid 19th century as the first middle-class residential district outside the bastions of the fortified heart of the city, the design of Avenyn was inspired by established formal European streets like the

Champs-Élysées The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc de Triomphe is l ...

in Paris and the

Ringstraße The Vienna Ring Road (german: Ringstraße, lit. ''ring road'') is a 5.3 km (3.3 mi) circular grand boulevard that serves as a ring road around the historic Innere Stadt (Inner Town) district of Vienna, Austria. The road is located on sites where ...

in Vienna. The layout is as a result of an international

town planning Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...

competition. With a total length of about 1000 meters, it stretches from Vallgraven ("The

Moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

") at the edge of the oldest part of Gothenburg, and ends at the

Götaplatsen Götaplatsen is a public square in Gothenburg, Sweden, at the southern end of Avenyn, the city's main boulevard. The square was inaugurated when Gothenburg held a major international industrial exhibition, 1923, celebrating the city's 300th ann ...

square, where 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 ...

and other prime cultural institutions are located. At Vallgraven, it connects to the narrower street ''Östra Hamngatan'' (formerly a canal), and the Avenue takes its it full name after ''Kungsporten'', the "King's Gate", which was located at the point in the fortifications where Östra Hamngatan ends (see

Kungsportsplatsen Kungsportsplatsen is a square in the city centre of 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 ...

). The gate and the rest of the fortifications were demolished in the 19th century and replaced by a park. Initially a residential street for the wealthy businessmen of the city, Avenyn passes the '' Stora teatern'', the

Neo-Renaissance Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range ...

theatre and opera building from 1859, and today has a major concentration of pubs, clubs and restaurants.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kungsportsavenyn 1860s establishments in Sweden Avenues (landscape) Shopping districts and streets in Sweden Streets in Gothenburg Urban planning in Sweden Tourist attractions in Gothenburg Avenyn