The History of - Göteborgs universitet

The History of
THE UNIVERSITY OF GOTHENBURG

Reg.nr: 3750M
FRONT COVER
The University building in the early 1900s.
BACK COVER
In the early 1930s, there were 300 students enrolled at Gothenburg
University College (Göteborgs högskola). Two hundred
of them were members of the student union, here gathered in
front of the University Main Building in Vasaparken. The union’s
inspector Hilding Kjellman, honorary member Johan Vising and
the leader of the academic choir Hjalmar Lindroth are shown in
the front row.
BELOW
The Assembly Hall in the University Main Building, early 1900s.
Reg.nr: S-000256
Production: Information Office 2012
Print: Billes
Photo: Göran Olofsson and Johan Wingborg
Historic photos: photographers unknown.
Editor: Carina Elmäng
The information in this text is from the University’s
booklet Trädet och kronan
(2004) and the book Göteborgs universitets historia
I & II by Bo Lindberg and Ingemar Nilsson, among
several other sources.

All we have to offer is a window
that is always open to the rest of the world.
This window lets in a draft that
seems to benefit the bacteria of
freedom and rebellion.
Hjalmar Frisk (1900–84), Vice Chancellor of Gothenburg University 1951–1966,
In a speech in connection with the student parliament in Gothenburg 1958
The whole context: ‘Students at Uppsala and Lund will find that their Gothenburg
counterparts disappear in the streetscape. Our friends from Stockholm will, in vain, seek
for princesses by blood. All we have to offer is a window that is always open to the rest
of the world. This window lets in a draft that seems to benefit the bacteria of freedom
and rebellion.’

Crown Prince Gustav, later Gustav V, inaugurating the new building of Gothenburg University College in Vasaparken 18 September 1907.

Table of Contents
The History of the University of Gothenburg ...................................................... 6
A University Emerges ................................................................................................................................ 8
Faculties Evolve .................................................................................................................................................11
‘The Pedagogue’ ............................................................................................................................................13
From Medicine to Public Health............................................................................................16
Artistic Education ........................................................................................................................................19
Social Sciences .................................................................................................................................................22
School of Business, Economics and Law ..................................................................24
Natural Sciences ............................................................................................................................................26
The University Library ...........................................................................................................................28
The Inauguration in 1954 ..................................................................................................................29
The Open University in the Middle of the City ...............................................30

1848 Gothenburg Craft Association started a school on Östra Hamngatan,
which later developed into the School of Design and Crafts (HDK).
1861 an idea to establish a science library in Gothenburg was acted upon.
The History of
the University of Gothenburg
The University of Gothenburg is one of the most
popular universities in Sweden, with the highest
number of applicants per place for many programmes.
Besides the attractive downtown location, students
find the great breadth combined with the highly
successful focus on in-depth and cutting-edge research
and education appealing.
6 The History of the University of Gothenburg

1864 the idea of a free academy in Gothenburg was presented for the first
time, in an article in the newspaper Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfartstidning.
1865 a drawing school with a capacity of 170 students per year
was established.
The first building of Gothenburg University College. Built in 1867 and located at the corner of Södra vägen and Parkgatan, it housed the school until 1907.
The building was demolished in the 1960s, yet it was considered to be too worn down for lectures to be held there already in the early 1900s.
The History of the University of Gothenburg
7

1890 the first course in Gothenburg for teachers of textile handicraft was held.
1891 the first professors met their students at the beginning of the autumn
semester. The Gothenburg city library (the predecessor of the university library) is
established, based on the museum library.
A University Emerges
The University of Gothenburg’s cultural heritage
includes thoughts about a free academy in Gothenburg,
first presented in May 1864 in an article published
in the newspaper Göteborgs Handels- och
Sjöfartstidning.
‘In brief, it can be described as follows: A free
academy is an institution for free studies of modern
subjects conducted for the purpose of education
and led by cultural figures who shall also perform
research. The studies shall be free in the sense that
they shall not be linked to any academic degrees.
Academic degrees are detrimental to higher studies.
They force students to study the subjects that a certain
degree mandates, and not those that he is interested
in (…) The hunger for knowledge is a strong enough
driving force for studies.’
The idea was presented by Sven Adolf Hedlund,
at the time a well-known cultural figure and one of
the 19th century liberals who ended up playing a very
important role for Gothenburg’s cultural and political
development. He was a publisher, editor-in-chief
for Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfartstidning, member
of parliament, member of the Gothenburg city
council, and the strongest supporter of the esta blishment
of Gothenburg University College. It was in
the late 1800s that Hedlund, together with the author
and journalist Viktor Rydberg, initiated the debate
about a university college in Gothenburg, the university
college that eventually became the University of
Gothenburg.
Gothenburg University College opened in a
large wooden building at the corner of Södra vägen
and Parkgatan in central Gothenburg. However, the
build ing soon became too small and was in poor condition.
A Gothenburg journalist wrote the following
about a public art lecture: ‘The lecture hall was filled
to capacity. It did not seem certain that the floor joists
would be able to carry the load.’
The industrialist Oscar Ekman learned about the
situation and felt that something had to be done. He
wanted the university college to be placed in a ‘for
her high purposes worthy building’. In 1902 an architectural
contest was announced. The two architects
Ernst Torulf and Erik Hahr won the assignment, and
in September 1907 the last touches were added to the
University building in Vasaparken. The full construction
cost of 630 000 SEK was paid for by Ekman alone.
The Crown Prince at the time, Gustav (later King
Gustav V), inaugurated the new building.
Important dates
Gothenburg University College (1891–1954) consisted
of a traditional faculty of arts (humanities, social
sciences and partly natural sciences), where the hu-
8 The History of the University of Gothenburg

1893 the first course in Gothenburg for teachers of home economics was held.
1901 the first professorship in political science at Gothenburg University
College is established.
Construction workers working on the foundation of the new building, around 1904.
The History of the University of Gothenburg
9

1902 an architectural contest for the construction of the current University
Main Building in Vasaparken was announced.
1904 the building on Kristinelundsgatan was erected. This building has been
home to what is today the School of Design and Crafts since the beginning.
Just having been awarded their doctoral degrees, a group of men pose in front
of the main building in Vasaparken in 1931.
manities dominated strongly. In 1891 there were seven
professors teaching 22 students.
The building in Vasaparken was completed in 1907.
The Medical College was established in 1949.
Gothenburg University College and the Medical
College merged in 1954, forming the University
of Gothenburg. Before the merger, Gothenburg
University College was a foundation financed by private,
municipal and state funds, whereas the Medical
College was state operated. The University was inaugurated
on Saturday 2 October 1954.
Several parts of today’s University started as
separate schools and colleges. In 1967 the Faculty of
Odontology was established.
In 1971 the School of Business, Economics and
Law became part of the University.
In connection with the 1977 higher education
reform, several previously independent teaching
institutions were incorporated into the University,
for example the colleges of public administration,
teacher training, journalism, music and performing
arts. As a result, the University of Gothenburg became
one of the both largest and broadest higher education
institutions in Sweden.
In 1998 the University College of Health Sciences
became part of the University.
The central vocational college had started in
Gothenburg in 1961 with programmes preparing for
example laboratory assistants. Regular health care
assistant programmes emerged in the early 1960s and
programmes for several other health and care professions
were started a few years later. Until then health
care workers had received their training directly at
the hospitals.
Health and caring sciences have belonged to the
Sahlgrenska Academy since 2001. The IT University
was started in the same year when Chalmers University
of Technology and the University of Gothenburg
joined forces to introduce new and advanced programmes
within IT.
The oldest part of the University of Gothenburg
is what used to be named Lärarhögskolan, which
was the college of education. The Board of Teacher
Education (LUN) was established in 2001 to link
education and research in the different teacher training
programmes.
In 1977 Lärarhögskolan became part of the University.
10 The History of the University of Gothenburg

1905 the union between Norway and Sweden was dissolved.
1907 the university building in Vasaparken opened its doors in September
and the world-leading bearing manufacturer SKF was founded in February.
Faculties Evolve
When Gothenburg got its university college in 1891,
it was a small traditional faculty of arts with seven
professors and a focus on teacher education. Until
the 1950s, all departments were housed in the main
building in Vasaparken.
Four of the original teachers were language professors
in the Nordic, Germanic, Romanic and classic
languages. In 1918 there were ten language professors.
Nordic languages was a strong subject, and was
mandatory for students studying to teach Swedish.
The living languages had plenty of students, and an
increasing number of women. From 1910 to 1920, women
stood for about 30 percent of all examinations in
the modern languages. Around 1940, the proportion
was 50 percent for English and Romanic languages.
History is one of the very old subjects within the
humanities and had somewhat of a revival around
the turn of the century. At that time there was a connection
between the academic history at a scientific
level and the type of history that was taught in school
to strengthen the patriotic consciousness.
When the University of Gothenburg was formed
in 1954, there were two faculties: a traditional faculty
of arts and a faculty of medicine.
The faculty of arts had 20 professors and the faculty
of medicine had 21. The faculty of arts encompassed
the humanities as well as the social and natural
sciences.
A separate faculty for the natural sciences was
formed in 1961, and in 1964 all Swedish universities
established faculties for the social sciences.
The remaining faculty for the humanities, the
Faculty of Arts, got its present name in 1961 and may
therefore seem rather young. However, content-wise
it is the oldest faculty at the University, and studies in
the humanities clearly dominated well into the 1950s.
The departments of the Faculty of Arts were scattered in the area of the Näckrosdammen
pond until the new Humanisten campus was built in 1984–1985. The campus
includes the so-called Språkskrapan building, built in 1966.
The History of the University of Gothenburg
11

1914 World War I started.
1916 a programme in music was started following a private initiative. One
of the leaders of the programme was the composer and conductor Wilhelm
Stenhammar. The programme was the embryo of the current Academy of Music
and Drama.
The first generation of teachers at Gothenburg University College, on the first day of teaching on 18 September 1891. From left, sitting: Ernst Carlsson,
Hjalmar Edgren, Axel Kock and Karl Warburg. From left, standing: Johannes Paulson, Rudolf Kjellén, Johan Vising, Vitalis Nordström and Lars Wåhlin.
12 The History of the University of Gothenburg

1918 World War I ends.
1921 Swedish women gained the right to vote and be elected from age 23.
‘The Pedagogue’
Facilities for teacher education were built in Mölndal
in the 1970s. The building, popularly called Pedagogen,
or the Pedagogue, was criticised for being located
too far away and being difficult to get to by public
transport. There were several alternative locations for
a replacement, and in the end the desire for a true
city university with all facilities placed in the heart of
Gothenburg made a location by the Grönsakstorget
town square most appropriate.
In 2006 the Faculty of Education moved from
Mölndal to central Gothenburg. The new ‘Pedagogue’
consists of three buildings, of which one is brand
new and located between two renovated and extended
buildings that are deeply rooted in the history
of Gothenburg.
The building called Sociala huset, which has a
new extension with a curved and glass-covered façade,
was inaugurated in 1855 and started out as the third
Sahlgrenska hospital. The building was originally
supposed to be oval in shape to fit the remains of
the Carolus Dux bastion from the 1600s, on which
it was built. Yet the builders ran out of money half
way through the project and had to settle for a horseshoe-shaped
building. The name of the architect was
Victor von Gegerfelt, city architect in Gothenburg
from 1872 to 1896 who is also behind buildings such
as the well-known Feskekyrkan (lit. the fish church)
in Gothenburg.
The construction of the Gamla Latin school
building, designed by the city architect at the time
Hans Jacob Strömberg, was completed in 1862. The
school was the predecessor of Hvitfeldtska gymnasiet.
The construction was made possible thanks to a
contribution from Margareta Hvitfeldt, who started
a foundation in the 1600s in memory of her son. The
foundation is still around and aims to ‘contribute to
the education of disadvantaged youth from the Bohuslän
province’. Today the renovated building holds
parts of the Department of Food and Nutrition, and
Sport Science. The department dates back to the late
1800s, as a provider of teacher education in the area of
home economics. The first course in Gothenburg for
textile craft teachers was given in 1890 and for home
economics teachers in 1893.
A new building between the old ones ties the area
together and forms a campus in central Gothenburg.
This has made the University more visible and has
brought new life to the area. The School of Sport
Science became part of the Department of Food and
Nutrition, and Sport Science in July 2010. In March
2011 the new Centre for Sport Science opened on
Skånegatan. The new building is primarily a centre
for applied education and research relating to sport,
health and nutrition. Katrinelunds Elitidrottsgymnasium
and Västsvenska Idrottsförbundet are also involved
in the centre. The Centre for Sport Science is a
meeting place for researchers, educators and students.
The History of the University of Gothenburg
13

1923 the Liseberg amusement park opened in connection with
the Gothenburg Tercentennial Jubilee Exposition.
1926 Volvo was established as a subsidiary to SKF.
The campus of the Faculty of Education in June 2006, shortly before the inauguration. Left, Gamla Latin from 1862, now home to parts of the
Department of Food and Nutrition, and Sport Science. Middle, a brand new building. Right, Sociala huset, from 1855, with its modern glass-covered
extension.
14 The History of the University of Gothenburg

1927 the first Volvo rolled out of the plant on 14 April.
1928 Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin.
Prince Daniel inaugurated the Centre for Sport Science on 17 March 2011. Students
at the Department of Food and Nutrition, and Sport Science do some of their work
at the Centre for Sport Science on Skånegatan. A national graduate school in sport
science is also linked to the Centre.
New and old meet in the new facilities of the Faculty of Education.
The teacher education programme is the oldest part of the
University. In 2006 the research and teaching moved to renovated
facilities in the city centre. The photo shows the gable of
Sociala huset, combined with a large glass-covered addition.
The History of the University of Gothenburg
15

1939 World War II began.
1941 the actress Maria Schildknecht started a school that preceded the Academy
of Music and Drama. People started using penicillin in the same year.
From Medicine to Public Health
The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg
was established in 2001, but its history dates
back to the 18th century.
The first medical college in Gothenburg was
founded in 1949.
Five years later it merged with Gothenburg University
College, forming the University of Gothenburg.
In 1967 the University of Gothenburg gained a
faculty of odontology. A new large building, ‘Kopparborgen’
(lit. the copper fort), was erected on – or was
rather partly built into – the Medicinareberget hill.
In 1983 the Faculty risked being closed down as
the need for dentists had dwindled. Researchers, students
and staff responded with a successful campaign
that included demonstrations and letters to members
of Parliament.
In 1998 the University College of Health Sciences
had joined the University of Gothenburg, and the
faculty of health sciences was established in 2001.
Intensive preparations in the 1990s led to the formation
of the Salgrenska Academy as a University
unit for health sciences.
It made good sense to name this new part of the
University after the merchant Niclas Sahlgren, who
bequeathed money to the construction in the 1700s.
In 2001 the Sahlgrenska Academy was inaugurated
by its own Nobel Prize winner in medicine
Arvid Carlsson. This marked the beginning of a new
era for the education and research within the health
sciences in Gothenburg. The academy is founded on
the idea of working to prevent and cure illness in
present and future generations while focusing on the
individual. Concretely this meant that the faculties
of odontology and health sciences joined forces. The
cooperation between the University and the healthcare
sector has been and is extensive. A majority of
the students at the Academy conduct parts of their
studies at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital, and
many staff members work both in the healthcare
field, often as doctors, and as researchers/teachers at
the Sahlgrenska Academy.
On the left side of the road from Linnéplatsen
to the Sahlgrenska Hospital is Gothenburg’s former
children’s hospital, today the headquarters for education
and research within the health sciences.
Sahlgrenska Hospital and the Medicinareberget
hill are divided by a busy road, yet the organisations
were connected with a glass skywalk in 2004. The
University has facilities inside the hospital, but also
at Östra Hospital and Mölndal Hospital.
Doctor, dentists, pharmacists, different types of
16 The History of the University of Gothenburg

1945 World War II ended.
1949 the Medical College was formed.
The close cooperation between the University of Gothenburg and the Sahlgrenska University Hospital is symbolised by the glass skywalks
connecting the Medicinareberget hill and the hospital.
The History of the University of Gothenburg
17

1954 Gothenburg University College and the Medical College merged and
formed the University of Gothenburg, as the third university in Sweden after
Uppsala (1477) and Lund (1666).
1960s regular healthcare assistant programmes were added and several
programmes for other health and care occupations were started towards the
end of the decade.
nurses, midwives, dieticians, occupational therapists,
speech therapists, audiologists, physiotherapists and
others receive their training at the Sahlgrenska Academy.
The Academy is characterised by a focus on patient-centred
research, and has received attention for
its large, world-unique population studies that started
decades ago and where a large number of links
between illness, health and age have been identified
over the years.
When the Academy’s Nobel Prize winner in medicine, professor
emeritus Arvid Carlsson, inaugurated the Sahlgrenska Academy
at a ceremony in 2001, it marked the beginning of a new
era for education and research within the health sciences in
Gothenburg. The Academy enabled the areas of medicine,
odontology and health sciences to join forces.
18 The History of the University of Gothenburg

1963 The Tjärnö Marine Biological Laboratory was founded by the University
of Gothenburg.
1963 the University of Gothenburg hired its first female professor,
Stina Stenhagen, in medical chemistry.
Artistic Education
The Faculty of Fine, Applied and Performing Arts was
established in 2000 as the first of its kind in northern
Europe. As a result, the five creative and artistic subject
areas gained the same status as other areas and
thus became able to design their own research and
third-cycle studies. The first doctoral students were
enrolled in the same year.
Four of the artistic university colleges had become
part of the University in 1977 and the one for
photography and film was added in 1982.
The School of Music can be traced back to 1916,
when a private initiative sparked a programme in
music led by the composer and conductor Wilhelm
Stenhammar, among others. The purpose was to fill
the demand for orchestra musicians in Gothenburg.
Gothenburg Music Conservatory was established in
1954. It was funded by municipal grants and tuition
fees and was a school for church musicians and music
teachers. In 1971 the School of Music was nationalised.
The Academy of Music and Drama
The history of the current Academy of Music and
Drama is rooted in Maria Schildknecht’s Drama Academy,
started in 1941. Maria Schildknecht was one of
the main actresses at the Gothenburg City Theatre
for many years. In 1947 the Academy merged with
the Gothenburg City Theatre and formed the Drama
School of the Gothenburg City Theatre, offering a
three-year programme. In 1964 it became independent
and was named the National Theatre Academy
in Gothenburg, and was therefore no longer linked to
the City Theatre. A three-year opera programme was
also started. In 1977 the Academy became a department
at the University of Gothenburg. The musical
theatre programme, currently three years in length,
started in 1992.
The list of alumni from the Academy of Music and
Drama includes the national celebrities Sven Wollter,
Kent Andersson, Göran Stangertz, Suzanne Reuter,
Samuel Fröler, Viveka Seldahl, Robert Gustavsson,
Regina Lund, Julia Dufvenius and Sara Sommerfeld.
Valand School of Fine Arts
In 1865 a drawing school enrolling 170 students per
year opened in Gothenburg. In 1886 the school moved
from the Museum of Gothenburg to the company
AB Valand’s facilities on Vasagatan and changed
its name to Valand School of Fine Arts.
Artists who have served as directors of the School
include Carl Larsson, Carl Wilhelmsson and Bruno
Liljefors. Several of the famous so-called Gothenburg
Colourists were linked to the School, and for example
Ernst Billgren, Helene Billgren and Lars Lerin have
been enrolled more recently.
In 1996 the School moved to its current location,
at the corner of Vasagatan and Kungsportsavenyen,
The History of the University of Gothenburg
19

1964 the social sciences formed their own faculty.
1964 the Handicrafts Association’s school Slöjdföreningens skola is renamed
Konstindustriskolan i Göteborg.
Carl Larsson and his
assistants painting
murals reflecting the
history of women in
the Nya elementar
secondary school for
girls, today Victoriaskolan.
Saint Birgitta,
Fredrika Bremer and
Ellen Key are depicted
next to Bronze and
Viking age women.
This was Larsson’s first
public assignment.
It was completed in
1890.
Photo: Gothenburg City
Museum
20 The History of the University of Gothenburg

1965 Professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark put titan screws in a patient
for the first time.
1967 the Faculty of Odontology was formed.
in a building designed by Gothenburg architect
Victor von Gegerfelt in 1876.
The School of Design and Crafts became part of the
University of Gothenburg in 1977.
School of Design and Crafts
The School of Design and Crafts (HDK) is one of the
oldest parts of the University as it can be traced back
to 1848 when the Gothenburg Crafts Association
started a school on Östra Hamngatan 32. In the first
year the students learned linear drawing, freehand
drawing, arithmetic, handwriting, Swedish, history
and geography. In 1904 the school moved to the current
facilities on Kristinelundsgatan, and has over the
years offered training in several branches of applied
art – design, handicraft and art industry.
In 1964 the school was renamed Konstindustriskolan
i Göteborg (the art industry school in Gothenburg).
In 1977 the school became a University of Gothenburg
department. Today HDK includes Stenebyskolan
in Dals Långed, which offers training in art
smithery, furniture design and textile work.
The History of the University of Gothenburg
21

1971 the School of Business, Economics and Law becomes part
of the University.
1977 a new higher education reform enables the incorporation of a large
number of independent educational institutions into the University, for example
the university colleges for public administration, teacher education, journalism,
music and performing arts.
Social Sciences
The social sciences did not form their own faculty
until 1964. At that point the different subjects were
scattered across the city and were often housed in office
facilities or even apartment buildings, yet there
was a widespread interest in joint coordination.
In 1990 a large share of the Faculty of Social Sciences
moved into new buildings along Sprängkullsgatan.
The parts of the Faculty that moved into the new
facilities included the Department of Social Work
and the School of Public Administration.
They both date back to 1944, when the first group
of students met at Gothenburg’s institute for social
studies, the second of its kind in Sweden.
On 1 June 1963 all institutes of social studies
were nationalised and renamed socialhögskolor, or
schools of social studies. In 1977 the school of social
studies in Gothenburg became part of the University
and hence could offer third-cycle studies.
In 1979 the University of Gothenburg appointed
Sweden’s first professor in social work, Harald Swedner.
In 1983 the school was split into two departments,
the Department of Social Work and the School of
Public Administration.
The first professorship in public administration
at the University of Gothenburg was established already
in 1901.
The research at the School has long had a particular
focus on studies of voters and elections. Interview surveys
have been conducted regularly since the 1950s.
The SOM Institute serves as a centre for the survey
and seminar work carried out jointly by the Department
of Journalism, Media and Communication, the
School of Public Administration and the Centre for
Public Sector Research (CEFOS) at the University of
Gothenburg. The work is centred around the national
survey that covers 9 000 individuals aged 16-85.
The survey addresses issues such as politics, society,
media habits, public service, the environment, risks,
new media technology and leisure.
Completed in 2007, Campus Linné is the University’s
newest area. It consists of two old, renovated
buildings deeply rooted in the history of Gothenburg,
as well as a new building. Gothenburg’s old
teachers’ college building offers mainly lecture halls,
group activity rooms and a cafeteria. Many people in
Gothenburg were born in the city’s old maternity
ward, built in 1924. Today the building is home to the
Department of Global Studies.
The brand new building is occupied by the
Depart ment of Journalism, Media and Communication
(JMG), formed in 1990. The University started
offering programmes in media and communication
studies in the same year.
The red brick building located closer to Linnéplatsen
is called Psykologen, or ‘the Psychologist’, and
is home to the University’s research and education in
the field of psychology.
22 The History of the University of Gothenburg

1983 The Faculty of Odontology risked being closed down as the need for
dentists dwindled. Researchers, students and staff respond with demonstrations
and letters to members of Parliament.
1986 the SOM Institute was established, although interview surveys have
been conducted regularly since the 1950s.
Campus Linné with the old teachers’ college, today consisting of lecture halls, group activity rooms and a cafeteria for social science students.
The History of the University of Gothenburg
23

1989 Konstindustriskolan is renamed Högskolan för design
och konsthantverk (School of Design and Crafts).
1990 a large portion of the Faculty of Social Sciences moves to new facilities
along Sprängkullsgatan.
School of Business, Economics and Law
A Government commission in the 1890s found that
the university colleges in Stockholm and Gothenburg
should establish professorships for the teaching
of business studies. In 1901 the Gothenburg
University College received a large donation from a
wholesale merchant named August Röhss, and the
funds were used to establish three professorships –
one in economics and sociology, one in geography,
commercial geography and ethnography, and one
in political science with statistics. Following a number
of additional donations, the School of Business,
Economics and Law could be inaugurated in 1923.
In the 1920s, Gothenburg was Sweden’s commercial
hub and largest port city, with a flourishing
shipbuilding industry. The city’s industrial and trade
companies and shipbrokers had expressed a need for
internationally oriented higher education for trade
and law since the 1880s.
The School of Business, Economics and Law
was inaugurated on 1 October 1923 by Rector Otto
Nordenskjöld. The School relied on large donations,
and was developed with German counterparts in
mind. The initial nine students studied economics,
economic geography, law and commercial techniques,
as well as German, English, French and Russian.
The School became part of the University of
Gothenburg in 1971.
24 The History of the University of Gothenburg

1992 the musical theatre programme was established. 1998 the school of health sciences joined the University of Gothenburg.
The Economics Library, which
belongs to the Gothenburg
University Library, is situated behind
the rounded facade facing
Vasagatan. The newer part of the
School, including the library, was
completed in 1995.
In the 1920s, when the School
of Business, Economics and
Law was founded, Gothenburg
was Sweden’s commercial hub
and largest port city. The photo
shows part of the harbour in
1925.
Photo: Gothenburg City Museum
The History of the University of Gothenburg
25

2000 the University’s Professor Arvid Carlsson won the Nobel Prize in medicine.
The Faculty of Fine, Applied and Performing Arts was founded as the first
of its kind in Northern Europe.
2001 the faculty of health sciences was formed.
The IT University was founded in collaboration with Chalmers University of
Technology.
Natural Sciences
The natural sciences have been represented at the
University of Gothenburg from the very beginning,
and have had their own strong faculty since the 1960s.
Gothenburg’s location on the west coast has made
the city a natural centre for marine research and
education, with elements of chemistry, biology and
geosciences.
The University’s already strong marine profile
was further strengthened in 2008 when the Swedish
Government decided to place the office of the new
Swedish Institute for the Marine Environment there.
Two main field stations are available within a
short distance – at Tjärnö outside Strömstad and
at Kristineberg in Fiskebäckskil. On 1 Januari 2008,
Tjärnö and Kristineberg were merged under the new
name the Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Sciences,
although the names of Tjärnö and Kristineberg are
still used as well. Both field stations have access to
advanced research vessels.
Tjärnö Marine Zoological Station was founded
in 1963 by the University of Gothenburg. Stockholm
University joined the initiative in 1965 and co-managed
the station with the University of Gothenburg
until 2007.
Kristineberg Zoological Station was founded in
1877 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and
Sven Lovén was the name of its first director. The
Academy managed Kristineberg in close cooperation
with the University of Gothenburg for several decades,
but turned over the entire responsibility to the
University of Gothenburg in January of 2008.
The Faculty has long conducted successful research
in environmental science. The research spans
many subjects, but atmospheric science and climate
research are among the most important. Other successful
research projects are focusing on sustainable
development and climate effects.
The list of strong research areas also includes
functional genomics, which deals with how genetic
material affects cells and organs in the body, as well
as nanotechnology and aquaculture.
Cultural conservation is a subject area that is
unique to the University of Gothenburg. It is interdisciplinary
in nature, with links to the humanities,
social sciences, art and architecture. The University of
Gothenburg and the town of Mariestad have worked
together to offer education in landscape conservation,
garden design and building craft at Dacapo in
Mariestad since 2005.
The Faculty of Science also offers research and
education in for example geology, botany, zoology,
astronomy, mathematics and physics.
The University’s marine field station at Tjärnö
near the town of Strömstad.
26 The History of the University of Gothenburg

2005 the University Board decided to merge the faculties of health sciences,
odontology and medicine under a new name: the Sahlgrenska Academy.
2005 the University of Gothenburg started to offer education in landscape
conservation, garden design and building craft at Dacapo in the town of
Mariestad.
The History of the University of Gothenburg
27

2006 the teacher education programme moved from Mölndal to central
Gothenburg and Professor Pam Fredman was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the
University of Gothenburg as the first woman ever.
2007 completion of Campus Linné at Linnéplatsen.
The University Library
It was in 1861 that the idea of a scientific library in
Gothenburg came true. Sven Adolf Hedlund, wellknown
cultural figure in the 19th century, was behind
this initiative as well. The Gothenburg Museum established
in 1861 was also his brainchild. The museum
had a library that, with the help of donations, grew to
offer both reading areas and lending of books.
Hedlund had visited London and seen the British
Museum, which inspired him both as an industry
museum and with its library. Gothenburg University
College was founded in 1891, and so was the Gothenburg
City Library, which was based on the museum
library. The library was scientifically oriented and was
to serve the needs of the university college while also
being open to the public. However, this city library
must not be confused with the present-day Gothenburg
City Library, which has roots in the Dicksonska
folkbiblioteket (the Dickson public library).
In 1900 a large, beautiful jugend-style library building
was built on Haga Kyrkoplan, Vasagatan 2. It
housed the predecessor of the Gothenburg University
Library.
In 1954 the library moved to new and much larger
facilities at the Näckrosdammen pond area – the
current location of the Central Library. In 1961 the
library was nationalised and became part of the University
of Gothenburg, and was therefore renamed
the Gothenburg University Library.
Today the library building on Vasagatan 2 serves
as the University’s Undergraduate and Newspaper
Library. The building has been restored according to
the original drawings and re-opened in 1995.
The University Library has branches at several
faculties as well.
The first University library, in a jugend building at Haga Kyrkoplan.
The building was used for other purposes for several
decades but is today again a branch of the University Library.
28 The History of the University of Gothenburg

2008 the Government decided to place the new Swedish Institute for the
Marine Environment at the University of Gothenburg. The University merged the
two marine field stations at Tjärnö and Kristineberg and founded the Sven Lovén
Centre for Marine Sciences.
2011 the Centre for Sports Science opened on Skånegatan.
The Inauguration
in 1954
The University of Gothenburg was inaugurated on
Saturday 2 October 1954. King Gustav VI Adolf and
the queen attended the ceremony and the king gave
a speech. The leading local newspaper Göteborgs-
Posten printed the entire speech the following day.
Sweden has not inaugurated a university for over 300
years, and Saturday 2 October 1954 is therefore an important
day for all higher education in Sweden – and for
Gothenburg in particular.
The national newspaper Svenska Dagbladet wrote,
freely translated:
Beads of frost beautified the greenery in the Slottsskogen
park and the sun shone its warmth on those strolling
along Kungsportsavenyen avenue. (…) Gumperts bookstore
on Södra Hamngatan had dedicated two windows
to manifest the grand occasion. One opened its arms to the
faculty of arts, full of scholarly literature in the leading
cultural languages. The window for medicine looked
equally impressive. People attempted, with great respect
and concentration, to pronounce difficult terms in Latin.
One woman of comfortable middle age said: – That’s
wonderful. Soon I’ll be able to go to the hospital and be
King Gustav VI Adolf inaugurated the University of Gothenburg on 2 October 1954.
cured by real doctors of medicine here in Gothenburg.
There were flags everywhere, and the Gothenburgers
said that never have Swedish flags flown as majestically
over their city as on this day (…) It was a celebration of
the blue and yellow cloth. What a joy it was!
The History of the University of Gothenburg
29

The Open University
in the Middle of the City
When Gothenburg needed a university college, rich
citizens donated large sums of money. The idea of an
open university was there from the very beginning.
To benefit society and educate the public was and still
remains an important objective for the University of
Gothenburg. Ever since the early days, the University
has offered public lectures, which for a long time was
unique among Swedish universities. Today there is
an extensive autumn programme, involvement in
the yearly International Science Festival in Gothenburg
and popular-scientific mini-lectures at the Bokia
bookstore on Kungsportsavenyen. Throughout the
year, the artistic programmes arrange performances
and exhibitions, and University of Gothenburg
researchers frequently appear as experts in radio, TV,
newspapers and magazines.
Openness to the surrounding society can be observed
in research projects and innovative development
programmes with businesses and industry, not
least the pharmaceutical industry.
International cooperation is of growing importance
for the University. Researchers, teachers and students
are engaged in 1,500 different projects across the
world. The cooperation with Asia, Latin America and
Africa has increased in particular. There is a centre for
research on globalisation and several programmes in
the field of global studies.
The University of Gothenburg is a city university,
and this is not a coincidence; rather, it is part
of a plan carefully crafted by the University and the
City of Gothenburg. Many other universities in the
world and in Sweden have separate campuses, with
their own student communities. In Gothenburg the
students are part of the city, in several small campus
areas all located in the heart of the city.
Today the University of Gothenburg has 355 780
square metres at its disposal, in Gothenburg alone.
Yet activities of the University can be observed across
the region, especially at the Tjärnö and Kristineberg
marine stations, at the Dacapo centre for conservation
in the town of Mariestad, and at the Steneby craft
school in the province of Dalsland. The University of
Gothenburg is also closely interlinked with all parts
of the Sahlgrenska University Hospital.
30 The History of the University of Gothenburg

The History of the University of Gothenburg
31