Liseberg - History

History

In 1753 the landowner Johan Anders Lamberg named his property "Lisa´s Mountain" (in Swedish: Lisas berg) after his wife Elisabeth Söderberg or Lisa as she was called (the area eventually became Liseberg).

In 1908, Gothenburg City bought the property including the on-site buildings for 225,000 Swedish crowns.

In 1923, Gothenburg celebrated its 300-year anniversary with the, which included a Leisure Park and the Congress Park; the area was opened on May 8 and included fun slides and the 980 ft long wooden Kanneworffska Funicular, designed by the Danish amusement builder Waldemar Lebech (originally there were 5 trains with 3 cars each that accommodated 10 people in each car, the ride lasted 2 and half minute; the ride was demolished in 1987 after having served over 41 million visitors). The fun park was originally intended as a temporary attraction for the Exhibition, but it became such a success with over 800,000 visitors in just over a month, that it was kept open. With an area of 1,500,000 m² the park had cost 2.6 million kronors to build.

On 24 November 1924, the Gothenburg City Council decided to purchase the Liseberg amusement park for 1 million kronors. In 1925, the amusement park was taken over by the municipal company Liseberg AB. The park's first director and one of its initiators was the legendary "carpenter from Skåne" Herman Lindholm, who managed it 1923–42.

On 13 August 1935, the functional-inspired Liseberg Bath was inaugurated, created by engineer KI Schön Anderson. The pool was 15 meters wide and 36 meters long and sported underwater Lights and artificial waves. The Pool was able to receive 800 people at a time, entrance fee with a cabin was 50 cents. The Swedish Olympic hopeful champion from 1920, Arvid Wallman, inaugurated the facilities. The pool was closed in 1956 and the building was demolished in 1962 for the forthcoming 40th anniversary in 1963.

Rotundan was one of the largest dancehalls when it opened on January 10, 1940. Its architect was Axel Jonson, and the construction lasted for one year at a cost of approximately 500,000 SEK. The dance floor held 1,200 persons and on the second floor a bar with the name Uggleklubben was opened. In 1956, the facility was renovated and its name changed to the Rondo. The architect Gunnar Aspe was behind the work, which cost 1 million dollars.

In 1947, Liseberg AB opened hotel facilities; Hotell Liseberg Heden. Right from the start one of the objectives of Liseberg was that it would be an opportunity for Gothenburg dwellers to experience recreation and enjoy the beautiful scenery, and in 1959 it opened the Princess Birgitta, a flower exhibition. During the opening ceremony, 15,000 roses were strewn over the park by helicopter. In 1977, Honor Place was founded, a collection of many of the world's largest celebrity hand impressions. At the time, there were 50 imprints; today, there are more than can fit the area, so an annual selection is made as to who should get the honor to appear.

In 1991, the Liseberg Guest AB was formed to oversee the running of Gothenburg campsites and harbor. In the 1990s the park was expanded by 35 000 square meters and a host of new attractions was inaugurated.