Schneider, C.

Hollandse historie in 17e-eeuws Gotenburg.

Historisch-geografisch Tijdschrift 25 (2007) 68 - 75.

Het uitgebreide netwerk van handelscontacten van het 17e-eeuwse Holland heeft niet alleen in Nederland en in de koloniën sporen achtergelaten. Ook overal in Europa waren Hollanders actief, als handelaren, industriëlen en technici. In dit artikel bekijken we de invloed van Hollandse stadsplanners op de West-Zweedse stad Gotenburg.

Dutch history in Gothenburg in the 17th century

At the beginning of the 17th century the Swedish king Gustav II Adolf asked Dutch traders, merchants and town architects to design a new city at the mouth of the river Gota Alv in western Sweden. The idea was to build a city that would be the most important trading city of Sweden as well as a fortification to secure an important route of entrance into Sweden against the neighbouring countries Denmark and Norway. With their knowledge of city planning and their resources to make large investments, the Dutch were able to design this city in 1621: Gothenburg. In exchange for the design and investments the Dutch were promised a good harbour, a meeting place for international trade and also exemption of taxes and duties in Sweden. By building Gothenburg, Sweden also increased its power on the Swedish west coast against rival Denmark. This helped to keep the Sont open for Dutch trading in the Baltic Sea, which was the most important trading area for grain to Europe at the time.

Gothenburg was designed according to the view of Simon Stevin, an important 17th century city planner. This meant that Gothenburg was designed with an optimal use of water, canals playing an import role in the defence but also in the trade of the city. The city's design was based on an orthogonal plan and was reinforced on three sides with defensive works, a so-called closed layout. Thus, Gothenburg became known as a new 'Dutch settlement', an epithet emphasised by the ten Dutch members of the first city council. At the end of the 17th century, Holland lost her influence in world trade as a result of various wars with other countries and the increasing influence of English trade.