Haga, Gothenburg
Encyclopedia
Haga is a city district in Gothenburg
, Sweden
, renowned for its picturesque wooden houses, 19th century-atmosphere and cafés. Originally a working class suburb of the city with a rather bad reputation, it was gradually transformed into a popular visiting place for tourists and Gothenburgers. A major renovation of the area was made in the 1980s, houses were either renovated or torn down and replaced by post-modernistic replicas.
Today, Haga has a population of about 4,000 people (4,093 at 2006), thats a small population, compared with 15,000 people a hundred years ago – an indication of the gentrification the district has gone through.
Haga is also a parish with the same borders as the city district. It is, areawise, the smallest parish in Sweden.
, from the city walls to the fortress of Skansen Crown
.
It was not until the 1840s that new industries were established in Göteborg, which led to an influx of workers into Haga, creating the first worker's district in the area. This led to a housing shortage during the 1870s and the establishment of additional worker's districts to accommodate the rapid growth of the city. In the 1920s, after extensive expansion of the district, the population of the area began a decline. Many public works in the area were closed and it became a primarily residential area.
A redevelopment plan drawn up in 1962 for Göteborg, which again included the demolition of buildings in the district. This led to the founding of the Haga Group, in 1970, which strove to preserve the original architecture of the area. Between 1973 and 1977, demolition work decreased due to the pressure of the locals. This also moved the authorities to help restore some of the buildings which were already in disrepair.
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, renowned for its picturesque wooden houses, 19th century-atmosphere and cafés. Originally a working class suburb of the city with a rather bad reputation, it was gradually transformed into a popular visiting place for tourists and Gothenburgers. A major renovation of the area was made in the 1980s, houses were either renovated or torn down and replaced by post-modernistic replicas.
Today, Haga has a population of about 4,000 people (4,093 at 2006), thats a small population, compared with 15,000 people a hundred years ago – an indication of the gentrification the district has gone through.
Haga is also a parish with the same borders as the city district. It is, areawise, the smallest parish in Sweden.
History
The district was first established in the mid-17th century by Queen Kristina, making it Göteborg's first suburb. Originally, it was decreed that, since the district was outside the city walls, the area could be demolished in the event that the land was needed by the crown or in case of a threatening siege. In the 1690s, this rule was applied and 34 houses of the district were demolished in order to build a covered causeway, caponierCaponier
A caponier is a type of fortification structure. The word originates from the French word "caponnière" - which strictly means capon-cote i.e. chickenhouse.The fire coming from the feature A caponier is a type of fortification structure. The word originates from the French word "caponnière" -...
, from the city walls to the fortress of Skansen Crown
Skansen Crown
Skansen Kronan is a redoubt in the district of Haga of Gothenburg, Sweden.Skansen Kronan was built in the later half of the 17th century according to the plans of Erik Dahlberg. Skansen Kronan was introduced in 1698 and was fitted with 23 guns. The roof was not completed until 1700. Skansen has...
.
It was not until the 1840s that new industries were established in Göteborg, which led to an influx of workers into Haga, creating the first worker's district in the area. This led to a housing shortage during the 1870s and the establishment of additional worker's districts to accommodate the rapid growth of the city. In the 1920s, after extensive expansion of the district, the population of the area began a decline. Many public works in the area were closed and it became a primarily residential area.
A redevelopment plan drawn up in 1962 for Göteborg, which again included the demolition of buildings in the district. This led to the founding of the Haga Group, in 1970, which strove to preserve the original architecture of the area. Between 1973 and 1977, demolition work decreased due to the pressure of the locals. This also moved the authorities to help restore some of the buildings which were already in disrepair.