Hisingen
Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Kattegat |
Coordinates | 57°46′N 11°53′E / 57.767°N 11.883°E |
Area | 198.84 km2 (76.77 sq mi)[1] |
Administration | |
Sweden | |
County | Västra Götaland County |
Municipality | Gothenburg Municipality |
Demographics | |
Population | 130,000 |
Pop. density | 628.14/km2 (1626.88/sq mi) |
Hisingen (Swedish pronunciation:
The population of the island is around 130,000, making it the most populous island in Sweden, ahead of Södermalm and Gotland.
For a brief, post-war period Hisingen was home to the largest shipbuilding centre in the world, but all three yards closed in 1979. Hisingen is home to both the
Etymology
The etymology of the name Hisingen is disputed. Hísing makes its first appearance in 13th century Icelandic sources; Hisingen is dated back to 1399.
The basic meaning of the prefix His- is "to split, cut off" and can be found in the placenames Hisøy and Hisön. Hence, the name can be interpreted as "the island cut off from the mainland".[4][5][6][7]
History
The Tumlehed rock painting and remains of ancient settlements prove that Hisingen was inhabited by the year 9000 BC.[8]
During the
It was on Hisingen that the first town with the name Gothenburg existed. It was founded by king Charles IX in 1607 on the southern shore of Hisingen, at Färjenäs. It was inhabited mostly by Dutch merchants, enticed to settle there by favourable economic conditions. However, the town was completely destroyed by the Danes in 1611, during the Kalmar War.[11]
Under the 1658 Treaty of Roskilde, the Norwegian province of Bohuslän was ceded to Sweden, thereby uniting Hisingen under Swedish control, although the old border was preserved in the division between the districts of Västra Hisings härad (the formerly Norwegian area) and Östra Hisings härad .[12][13]
The island was mostly farmland until the 19th century, when
The Volvo car manufacturer has its roots on Hisingen; it was there that their first factory was located and the first car, the Volvo ÖV 4, was produced in 1927.[14] Today, the company still has its main office and production facilities on the island. The Volvo Museum is also located nearby.
Over the last 20 years, the northern bank of Göta älv has undergone major expansion. Residential areas, university buildings and high tech industry have largely replaced the shipyards.
Geography
The island has a diverse landscape with coasts, farms and forests. The biggest forest area is Hisingsparken, which is also the largest park in Gothenburg. Rya skog, a smaller forest and a nature reserve, is located in the south of Hisingen.
Ramberget, an 87 m hill, is a well-known landmark. It is part of Keiller's Park, which was established in 1908 and covers an area of over 31 hectares. From the top of the hill, which can be reached by car, there is a wide view of the whole city.
Administration
All of the island belongs to Gothenburg Municipality. It is divided up into three boroughs:[15]
- Norra Hisingen (Northern Hisingen)
- Västra Hisingen (Western Hisingen)
- Lundby
Transport
The island is linked to the mainland by several bridges, including the
Ranking in the list of Sweden's largest islands
In 2014 Statistics Sweden declared it to instead be the fifth largest island, under a definition which adds artificial canals to the possible bodies of water surrounding an island. It has been noted that under this definition, all of Götaland would be the country's largest island, rendering Hisingen instead the sixth largest.[16]
See also
References
- ^ "Statistisk årsbok 2011" (PDF) (in Swedish). Statistics Sweden. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 January 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
- ^ Jöran Sahlgren; Gösta Bergman (1979). Svenska ortnamn med uttalsuppgifter (in Swedish). p. 11.
- ^ "Islands in Sweden 2013" (PDF). MI50 - Coast and Shores. 2013 – via Statistics Sweden.
- ^ Göteborg, ed. Jan Jonasson, "Ortnamn", fil dr Hugo Karlsson, STF-landskapsserie, Esselte, Nacka 1978 ISSN 0347-6081 s.303
- ISBN 91-86832-09-3s.82-83
- ^ Bohusläns forntid, Carl-Axel Moberg, Göteborg 1963 s.13
- ^ Mal og Minne, Oddvar Nes, Oslo 1974 s.53
- ISBN 978-91-85488-97-1.
- ^ Hisingen in Historiskt-geografiskt och statistiskt lexikon öfver Sverige, volume 3 (Stockholm, 1862), p-342
- ^ [1] in Geografiskt-statistiskt handlexikon öfver Sverige, volume 1 (Stockholm 1882-3), p.708
- ^ Scander, Ralph (1975). Karl IX:s Göteborg på Hisingen: en holländsk koloni med svenskt medborgarskap. Göteborg förr och nu, 0348-2189 ; 10. Gothenburg: Göteborgs hembygdsförb.
- ^ Hisingen in Historiskt-geografiskt och statistiskt lexikon öfver Sverige, volume 3 (Stockholm, 1862), p-342
- ^ [2] in Geografiskt-statistiskt handlexikon öfver Sverige, volume 1 (Stockholm 1882-3), p.708
- ^ "The Volvo history". Volvo Group Global. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
- ^ "Stadsdelsnämnder".
- ^ Gistedt, Karin (15 December 2014). "Orust inte längre trea i landet". Bohusläningen (in Swedish). Uddevalla. Retrieved 26 September 2015.