The Älvsborg Bridge ( sv, Älvsborgsbron) is a

suspension bridge A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridges, which lack vertical ...

over

Göta älv The Göta älv (; "River of (the) Geats") is a river that drains lake Vänern into the Kattegat, at the city of Gothenburg, on the western coast of Sweden. It was formed at the end of the last glaciation, as an outflow channel from the Baltic ...

in Gothenburg, Sweden, connecting the island of

Hisingen Hisingen () is the fifth-largest island of Sweden (after Gotland, Öland, Södertörn and Orust), with an area of . It is a river island, formed by the split of the Göta Älv at Bohus, and is defined to the east and south by the main arm of th ...

with the mainland. It was designed by Sven Olof Asplund, and inaugurated on 8 November 1966 by Swedish communication minister

Olof Palme Sven Olof Joachim Palme (; ; 30 January 1927 – 28 February 1986) was a Swedish politician and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1969 to 1976 and 1982 to 1986. Palme led the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1969 until ...

. The total length of the bridge is 933 metres and the distance between the pylons ("main span") is 417 metres, while the clearance below the deck is 45 metres. Said pylons are 107 metres tall, making the bridge one of Gothenburg's most prominent landmarks. It takes its name from the mediaeval

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

Old Älvsborg Älvsborg (literally "river stronghold" in Swedish), now generally known as Old Älvsborg ( sv, Gamla Älvsborg) or Älvsborg Castle ( sv, Älvsborgs Slott) to distinguish it from the later New Älvsborg and Älvsborg Fortress, was a medieval ...

, the ruins of which are located just a couple of hundred metres along the riverbank from the southern pylon. The bridge was painted green for the

1995 World Championships in Athletics The 5th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Ullevi Stadium, Gothenburg, Sweden on 5–13 August 1995. This edition featured 1804 athletes from 191 na ...

, which Gothenburg hosted. Work started in 1993 and used about 36,000 litres of paint. The bridge acted as the finish line for the 2005–06

Volvo Ocean Race The Ocean Race is a yacht race around the world, held every three or four years since 1973. Originally named the Whitbread Round the World Race after its initiating sponsor, British brewing company Whitbread, in 2001 it became the Volvo Ocean Rac ...

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Alvsborg Bridge Buildings and structures in Gothenburg Suspension bridges in Sweden Hisingen Bridges completed in 1967 Transport in Gothenburg