Goteborg

Goteborg, traditionally known as Gothenburg throughout Northern Europe, is the second-largest city in Sweden. The city proper has a population exceeding half a million residents, while the larger metropolitan area houses over 900 000 people.

Goteborg was founded by Swedish king Gustaf II Adolf in 1621 as a Swedish gateway to the west. It is strategically located where the Göta Älv (Gothia River) empties into the Atlantic, and is close to the Norwegian border as well as to the old border towards Denmark. Today, it continues to be the largest sea port of the Nordic countries.

King Gustaf II Adolf hired Dutch city planners to draw up the blueprints for Göteborg and this is still clearly visible in the city layout of today. Just like Amsterdam, Göteborg features several canals and the oldest part of the city is encircled by a moat.

Points of interest includes the Göteborg Botanical Garden, the Slottskogen Park with its zoo, observatorium and Natural History Museum, and the amusement park Liseberg. Goteborg Botanical Garden is considered one of the major botanical gardens in Europe and has been awarded three stars by Guide Rouge. Liseberg is Scandinavia's largest amusement park by number of rides and receives over 3 million visitors per annum.