Hisingen - History

History

The rock wall paintings and remains of ancient settlements prove that Hisingen was inhabited by the year 9000 BC.

It was on Hisingen that the first town with the name Gothenburg existed. It was founded by king Charles IX in 1603 on the northern bank of the Göta River, at Färjenäs. It was inhabited mostly by Dutch merchants, enticed to settle there by favorable economic conditions. However, the town was completely destroyed by the Danish in 1611 during the Kalmar War.

Until 1658, when the island was ceded from Denmark-Norway by the Treaty of Roskilde, it was divided into a Swedish and a Norwegian part. The division continued in the official name of the provincial districts of Swedish and Norwegian Hisingen or "Svenska Hisingens härad" and "Norska Hisingens härad", until 1681 when they were renamed as the Eastern and Western districts.

The island was mostly farmland until the 19th century, when industrialization began and companies like Arendalsvarvet, Eriksberg, Götaverken and Lindholmen started operating there. For most of the 20th century, until the shipyard crisis in the 1970s, the island was the focus for Swedish shipbuilding.

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. 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.

See also: History of Gothenburg, History of Westrogothia, History of Bahusia