Backa, Gothenburg
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Backa also known as Hisings Backa is a suburb in
Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...
, and was one of Gothenburg’s 20 districts. On January 1, 2011 Backa merged with two other districts of
Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...
, Kärra-Rödbo and Tuve-Säve, to form the district of Norra Hisingen. This change was part of a larger reorganisation, reducing the number of districts in Gothenburg from 20 to 10.


Geography and demographics

Backa is predominantly a residential area, featuring mostly high and low rise apartment buildings, many built during the
Million Programme The Million Programme () was a large public housing program implemented in Sweden between 1965 and 1974 by the governing Swedish Social Democratic Party to ensure the availability of affordable, high-quality housing to all Swedish citizens. Th ...
. These are made up of a mix between rented apartments and privately owned condominiums. Backa also features several villa areas. Backa had a population of 23,570 at the 2008 census. The demographics are slowly changing, and an ageing population has led the local government to focus increasingly on accommodation for the elderly.http://www.goteborg.se/wps/wcm/connect/6ab5ff80451ff70cbf86ff356b34a721/Backa%2Bbeskrivning%2Bav%2Bstadsdelen%5B1%5D.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CONVERT_TO=URL&CACHEID=6ab5ff80451ff70cbf86ff356b34a721 , (20) Backa Beskrivning av stadsdelen Mars 2008 , goteborg.se , Swedish , Retrieved 27/1-11 There were approximately 160 associations in Backa, ranging from sports clubs, such as the football club Hisingsbacka FC and Backatorps IF, handball club Backa HK Sharks and floorball club IBF Backadalen Red Lions, to ones associated with cultural and religious questions.


History

The first time Backa is mentioned is in Röde bok, a record of the properties of the Bishop of Oslo in the 1390s. Backa belonged to
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
in the 13th century, and due to the many wars between Norway,
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
and
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
during that period, Backa was a strategically important area. The mouth of the
Göta Älv 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 Swede ...
river was a particularly strategic point.Lychou, Kerstin. Backa Socken – återblickar. Tre Böcker Förlag AB, 1998, p. 9 Backa became a part of Sweden in 1658. In 1938 the decision was made to incorporate Backa into Gothenburg. Due to opposition from the residents and from the local government, this process was not completed until 1948. Due to its fertile soil,”Göteborg Kulturhistoriskt värdefull bebyggelse, Del II. Ett program för bevarande”. Graphium Västra Aros, 2000, p.236 Backa remained a rural area up until the 1960s, but during the
Million Programme The Million Programme () was a large public housing program implemented in Sweden between 1965 and 1974 by the governing Swedish Social Democratic Party to ensure the availability of affordable, high-quality housing to all Swedish citizens. Th ...
, a project which involved the building of one million apartments between the years of 1965 and 1975, large residential areas were constructed in Backa, which led to a rapid increase in population. Between 1963 and 1965, Brunnsbo Torg, a town square with surrounding apartment buildings, was constructed in Southern Backa, and Northern Backa expanded between 1968 and 1971.


Landmarks


Backa Kyrka

Backa Kyrka is a church, constructed in 1864.Lychou, Kerstin. Backa Socken – återblickar. Tre Böcker Förlag AB, 1998, p. 64 It was not inaugurated until four years later, in 1868.Grenberger, Alicja. ”Gräv där du bor!: Historiska axplock från Hisings Backa”. 1992, p. 12 According to blue prints by the architect J F Åbom, the construction costs were estimated at 40,453 SEK. Many reparairs and changes have been made to the church since its construction, and the originally tall tower was replaced with the current, shorter, one in 1927; the current retable was installed in 1906; and the cross on top of the building is from 1955. For the 100th anniversary in 1964, the church received generous allowances, which were used to repaint the roof and the benches. Backa Kyrka stands in the spot of two earlier churches. The first was Medeltidskyrkan, which was constructed in 1692, and the second was 1700–tals kyrkan, an 18th-century church which was demolished to accommodate the construction of Backa Kyrka.


Selma Lagerlöfs Torg

Selma Lagerlöfs Torg is a town square, featuring shops, a library, a school, a kindergarten, a post office, and other services. There is also a cultural centre, Backa Kulturhus, where children can playact and dance.


Folkets Hus

Backa
Folkets Hus People's Houses () were originally leisure and cultural centres built with the intention of making art and cultural appreciation available to the working classes. The first establishment of this type appeared in Tomsk, Russian Empire in 1882. Soo ...
, which was previously known as Tingstads Folkets Hus, was inaugurated in 1924 after years of collecting funds. It was built as a meeting hall for the people of Backa and the outlying areas, where they could come together for dances, chess, and film screenings. In 1971, the building was sold to the
City of Gothenburg Gothenburg Municipality ( or ) is a municipality in Västra Götaland County in western Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Gothenburg. When the first Swedish local government acts were implemented in 1863 the City of Gothenburg, founde ...
, dissolving the association which had run the building's services and events. After some years, however, demands for a meeting hall increased, and the association was reinstated, with the building open to the public. In the early 1990s, the meeting hall became an important location for local youths, where they could engage in such activities as graffiti and break dancing.


Transport

Backa is connected to central Gothenburg through
Göta älvbron 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 Swede ...
,Grenberger, Alicja. ”Gräv där du bor!: Historiska axplock från Hisings Backa”. 1992, p. 45 a bridge with sections for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as for cars, busses and trams. By car one can also reach Backa by following motorway E6 , AutoKap Sweden AB , bytbil.com , Swedish , Retrieved 27/1-11 through the Tingstadtunneln tunnel.


References

{{Attached KML Boroughs of Gothenburg Municipality