Trollhättan was grantedcity rights (which today have no legal effect) in 1916 at which time it had about 15,000 inhabitants, now grown to 59,058.[3]Trollhättan was founded on the riverGöta älv, at theTrollhättan Falls. The site was first mentioned in literature from 1413.[citation needed] Trollhättan had a strategic significance on the road between Västergötland and Norway. It was also of a commercial and political significance for shipping to and fromVänern.[citation needed]
Utilization of the river falls was the first important business activity in the area. From the Middle Ages milling and sawing operations have been conducted where the city center is now located. For centuries, Trollhättan Falls was an obstacle for boats travelling the river, until alock system was completed in the 19th century. In 1795 the English writerMary Wollstonecraft visited Trollhattan on her trip through Sweden, Norway and Denmark. She described in one of her letters her observations of the canal under construction, and the falls.[4] It has since been updated several times, and the present locks were finished in 1916. In the late 19th century,hydropower was developed in Trollhättan. The Swedish energy corporationVattenfall took its name from the falls in Trollhättan. Today the city has two operational hydropower stations,Olidan andHojum.[5][6][7] Trollhättan is also home ofKing Oscars Bridge, for a long time one of Sweden's biggest tourist attractions, owing to its impressive views of the Trollhättan Falls.[8]
The nameTrollhättan itself was originally used only for the falls area. The nameTrollhättan is translated as "troll'sbonnet". The latter part "hätta" could also mean mountain top. The water that splashed from a large rock at the bottom of the waterfall (before the hydro dam was built) was imagined to look like a troll's hat.Other former names of the site areEiðar andStora Edet; the latter lives on in the name of the south-bordering municipality ofLilla Edet.[9]
The manufacturing companyNydqvist & Holm AB (now NOHAB) was based in the city of Trollhättan dating from 1847. Further industries quickly followed. Dating from the 19th century, Trollhättan formerly housed the headquarters and main production plant ofSaab Automobile and subsequently the headquarters and a production plant ofNational Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). It also has a number of industrial facilities, headed byGKN Aerospace (previously known asVolvo Aero) and its contractual suppliers. As with parallel locations elsewhere in Europe, much of its production has moved fromheavy industry toprofessional services and the creation ofintellectual property.[10][11]
During the 17th century, work on a system of locks began and the first lock was completed around 1607 atLilla Edet. During the 18th century several unsuccessful attempts were made to complete the locks. In 1718 a contract was signed by the government andChristopher Polhem (1661–1751) for construction of a canal betweenKattegatt and LakeVänern and from Vättern to theBaltic Sea. Trollhätte Canal first begun construction in 1718. In 1800,Baltzar von Platen (1766–1829) completed the locks. Larger locks were later built underNils Ericson (1802–1870). The further construction of theGöta Canal enabled larger boats to pass through Trollhätte Canal.[13][14][15][16]
Trollhättan Church (Trollhättans Kyrka) belongs to the Trollhättan congregation in theDiocese of Skara. Between 1860 and 1862, the New Trollhätte Canal Company (Nya Trollhätte Kanalbolag) built Trollhättan church. It was inauguration in 1862 and was handed over to the congregation as a gift. The church is erected in a neo-Gothic style after drawings by architectAdolf W. Edelsvärd (1824–1919). It consists of a longhouse with a north–south orientation. To the south is the tower with main entrance and to the north is a polygonalcairn. It is located on a cliff in the Göta River in the middle of the canal system.[17]
At the expense of the canal company, a sacristy was built in the north-west in 1896–1897 with a rise to the pulpit, and the same year came glass paintings designed by Folke Zettervall (1862–1955). The window paintings in the choir, which was installed in 1962, are done by artist Ralph Bergholtz (1908-1988). The church was restored in 1983–84 with Jerk Alton as architect.[18][19]
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