Lödöse (), also known as Gamla Lödöse is a
locality situated in
Lilla Edet Municipality,
Västra Götaland County
Västra Götaland County ( sv, Västra Götalands län) is a county or '' län'' on the western coast of Sweden.
The county is the second most populous of Sweden's counties and it comprises 49 municipalities (''kommuner''). Its population of ...
,
Sweden. It is situated 40 kilometers northeast of Gothenburg and is considered the precursor to modern-day
Gothenburg.
Gamla Lödöse
Lödöse was a politically crucial centre of trade in Sweden during the
middle ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
.
By the year 1000, Lödöse was an important trading town, located between modern-day
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
and
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
and near the mouth of the
Göta river. It was the
Geats' only port on the west coast: hence, it had great strategic importance. Until 1473, Lödöse was Sweden's only port with an exit to the North Sea. Trapped as it was between
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
and
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establishe ...
, Lödöse was moved further down the river to Nya Lödöse, where the present day suburb Gamlestan in Gothenburg is today. In 1621, King
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustavus Adolphus (9 December N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December15946 November Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 16 November] 1632), also known in English as G ...
decided the location of present-day
Gothenburg with direct access to the North Sea and Atlantic.
[ ]
Modern Lödöse
Today, Lödöse is a small town with 1,300 inhabitants in
Lilla Edet Municipality, 40 kilometers northeast of Gothenburg up the
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 ...
. The medieval history of the town is displayed at the
Lödöse Museum
Lödöse (), also known as Gamla Lödöse is a locality situated in Lilla Edet Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It is situated 40 kilometers northeast of Gothenburg and is considered the precursor to modern-day Gothenburg.
Gamla ...
which opened in 1996. Lödöse had 1,266 inhabitants in 2010.
See also
*
History of Gothenburg
References
Other sources
*Järpe, Anna (1986) ''Nya Lödöse'' (Stockholm: Riksantikvarieämbetet och Statens historiska museer)
External links
Lödöse Museum website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lodose
Populated places in Västra Götaland County
Populated places in Lilla Edet Municipality
History of Gothenburg
Archaeological sites in Sweden
Geats
Viking Age populated places
Ports and harbours of Sweden