Discovering Gothenburg and a case of poor maths

Gothenburg is a compact city and you can get around on foot, but if you have a city pass you can make the most of it by travelling by public transport. Or you can hire a bike and see the city from different perspective – why not make your life easier?

It seems that in Gothenburg people were not good at maths. There is quite a bit of evidence of this:

The house number 17½ in St. Nyg: when numbering the house along the street the owner of the building realised that there was an extra  doorway but one available address, so the solution was that the extra house would be numbered 17½.

The Osthyveln (“cheese slicer” bridge), which is so low you need to duck down if you do not want the bridge to hit your head.

The ship Vikings moored at Lilla Bommens Torg was bought from Denmark at the end at the 1800s, but since 1966, when the Älvsborg Bridge was built, the boat has been trapped in the harbour. The reason is that the Viking’s tallest mast is 10 meters higher than the bridge, so it is impossible for the ship to take to the seven seas without destroying its masts. Today the ship hosts a hotel, conference centre and restaurant.

A walk through Haga is worthwhile. It is an old neighbourhood dating back to late 1800s, developed by those people who could not afford to build a stone house within the fortified wall of the city. Many wooden houses from that time have been preserved until now. Today it is a fancy district with loads of café, antiques and design shops.

Take the ferry across Eriksberg, which sits on the north bank of the river. It is an area that originated in 1850 and has had a long history of shipbuilding. Today is a new residential area with lots of cafés, restaurants and theatres, and is well worth a stop for a coffee or ice cream on the piers by the river.

Alternatively on a sunny day do what the local people do: travel on the tram No 11 up to Saltholmen and from here catch the ferry boat across one of the islands of the southern archipelago of Gothenburg. As these islands are car free, you can chill out by cycling or strolling around, having a swim, or having a nice picnic while enjoying the scenery. Food wise, you can have a light snack at the Heaven 23 in Korsvagen; it seems that they have the best shrimp sandwiches in all of Gothenburg.