Wednesday 3 June 2009

What to see: Gustavi Cathedral, Gothenburg






The Gustavi Cathedral in Gothenburg is named for King Gustaf II Adolf, who founded the city in 1621 and also built the first church at the spot. The first church was dedicated in 1633, the year after the King had fallen at Lützen. It burnt down in 1721 and its successor went up in flames during the great city fire of 1802.
The present Gustavi Cathedral was dedicated in 1815, but the interiors and the tower were not completed until 1827. This empire style church was designed by town architect Carl Wilhelm Carlberg (1746-1814), who really got to put his mark on Gothenburg because of the three fires in 1802, 1814 and 1813 which combined destroyed approximately half of the city’s buildings.
The Cathedral is built of yellow brick from Flensburg, while the portico is made of Scottish sandstone. In 1978-1980 the exterior was restored to its original condition and the same was done with the interiors in 1983-1985.

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