History

Trollhättan was granted a city charter in 1916, but as early as 7000 years ago, the first hunters and fishermen settled on the banks of the Göta River. These hunter-gatherers soon became farmers, cultivating the fertile land between the river and the flat-topped hills of Halle- and Hunneberg.

The name "Trollhättan" comes from the folkloristic tales. People once believed that big trolls were living in the river and that the islands in the river where the trolls' hoods (=hättor).

Technology was born from nature, our exquisite Göta River. The wild and untamed river has challenged and inspired the people of Trollhättan for centuries. We began to exploit the power of the water to saw timber in the Middle Ages. A few hundred years later, we overcame the problems posed by the 32 metres high waterfall by building canals and locks, thus making the river a vital means of transport.

It was the building of the canal in the 18th and 19th centuries that gave Trollhättan its first major thrust towards the future. Hundreds of labourers moved in to build the canal and its locks, and houses sprang up on the islands and on the banks of the river, as the community grew. Boats in sail and steam thronged into the locks, trade blossomed and Trollhättan blossomed with it.

As Trollhättan's reputation for innovation grew, the first modern industries flocked to the town. In 1847, the NOHAB company was formed, a company which went on to build locomotivies for railways all around the world. Good communications and, in due time, cheap electricity direct from the power stations by the falls attracted new companies with fresh ideas.

Today Trollhättan is home to many high-tech companies that compete on the global market. Volvo Aero helps send mankind into outer space with rocket engine tecknology.