Trollhättan
Trollhättan
| Trollhättan | |
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 Trollhättan
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| Coordinates: 58°17′N 12°17′E / 58.283°N 12.283°ECoordinates: 58°17′N 12°17′E / 58.283°N 12.283°E | |
| Country | Sweden |
| Province | Västergötland |
| County | Västra Götaland County |
| Municipality | Trollhättan Municipality |
| Area | |
| - Total | 23.80 km2 (9.2 sq mi) |
| Population (2005-12-31) | |
| - Total | 44,498 |
| - Density | 1,869/km2 (4,840.7/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
Trollhättan (Swedish pronunciation: [trɔlhɛtan]) is a city and the seat of Trollhättan Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 44,498 inhabitants in 2005. It is located 75 km north of Sweden's second-largest city, Gothenburg.
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History
Trollhättan was founded by the river Göta älv, at the location of Trollhättan Falls. The site was first mentioned in literature from 1413. For centuries, Trollhättan was an obstacle for the boats travelling the river, up until a lock system was completed in the nineteenth century. It has since been updated several times and the present locks were finished in 1916.
In the late nineteenth century, hydropower was developed in Trollhättan. The Swedish energy corporation Vattenfall ("waterfall") took its name from the falls in Trollhättan. Today the city has two operational hydropower stations, Olidan and Håjum. The hydropower has helped the city in its industrial revolution.
Trollhättan was granted city rights (which today have no legal effect, but is purely historical) in 1916 at which time it had about 15,000 inhabitants, now grown to 54,000.
Name
The name Trollhättan is sometimes, inaccurately, translated to "Troll's bonnet". It derives from a folk belief that large trolls lived in the river Göta älv and that the islands in the river were the Trolls' hoods ("hättor").
However, a proper translation of the name suggests that the word 'troll' is not a reference to a mythological creature but rather an old Norse word that means 'to drag' (compare Eng. 'trolley'). The second part of the name is also an old Norse word, 'hætta', which means either 'danger' or 'hard', thus suggesting that the name Trollhättans means either "hard place to drag (one's boat)" or "dangerous place to drag (one's boat)".
Other former names of the site are Eiðar and Stora Edet; the latter lives on in the name of the south-bordering municipality of Lilla Edet.
Industries
Trollhättan houses a number of industries, foremost the main production sites for Saab Automobile and Volvo Aero. In the area, there is also a large number of suppliers to these two facilities. Historically Trollhättan housed the NOHAB industries that produced locomotives, and Stridsberg & Biörk who had specialized in saws for sawmills.
There is also a film production facility, known as Trollywood; movies shot there include Show Me Love (Fucking Åmål), Dancer in the Dark and Dogville. The movie studio Film i Väst centered here produces about half of the Swedish feature-length films.
Sports
The following sports clubs are located in Trollhättan:
- IFK Trollhättan
- Skoftebyns IF
- ^ a b c "Tätorternas landareal, folkmängd och invånare per km2 2000 och 2005" (in Swedish) (xls). Statistics Sweden. http://www.scb.se/statistik/MI/MI0810/2005A01B/T%c3%a4torternami0810tab1.xls. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
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Trollhättan is one of 133 places with the historical city status in Sweden. |
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