Borås, Västergötland | Exploring Sweden

Borås is a town in the province of Västergötland in southwestern Sweden. It has historically been an industrial town, famous for its textile production. The actual production have mostly ceased, but the fashion industry is still present. This is mostly due to the many mail order businesses that have found their home here. The result is a town that have developed into a logistic center for the fashion industry. One of the most famous companies with a logistics center here is H&M. With around 75.500 inhabitants, this is the the 16th largest locality in Sweden

A Short History of Borås

King Gustav II Adolf granted Borås its city privileges in 1621. Local farmers had since the 16th century been acting as merchants and locally been selling their own crafts. Establishing a city here meant that their trade could be taxed and it also offered the possibility to strengthen the defense of Älvsborg Castle. Gothenburg was founded the same year, at a time when Sweden’s western coast was at the time just a tiny stretch of coast between Denmark and Norway.

Smaller manufacturing businesses were established here already in the 18th century. It did, however, take until the mid-19th century before the real industrialization of Borås began. This was the arrival of the textile industry. It started with cotton factories and was with around 15.000 inhabitants the 12th largest city in Sweden in the year 1900. The textile industry stayed strong until the 1970s. The decline of the industry became a crisis in cities such as Borås and they have since been forced to diversify their industries. In more recent years, e-commerce has become one of the strongest local industries. Several mail order companies were established in the 1940s and 50s, a business that with varied success has transformed to e-commerce in the last decades.

Things to Do and See

The industrial heritage is still visible when visiting Borås. The city center has that atmosphere of a medium-sized Swedish city. No buildings are very tall, there is just a compact center with hops and restaurants. Everything with the Viskan River close by. One of the more prominent and historical buildings is the Caroli Church from the 17th century.

Stadsparken

Stadsparken, the city park, lies right in the center of Borås. This is a green oasis right at the banks of the Viskan River. In addition to green space you will also find playgrounds and walking paths. This is also where you will find Stadsparksbadet, the indoor swimming center.

Ramnaparken

Ramnaparken is a park to the west of the city center. It lies along the shore of the lake Ramnasjön. This is where you can enjoy natural beauty as well as the open-air museum with historical buildings.

Textilmuseet

Textilmuseet, or the textile museum, was founded in 1972. The museum covers the industrial heritage of the textile industry as well as fashion, design, and innovation. The museum is run by the city of Borås and is housed in the former building of Svenskt konstsilke, one of the historical textile manufacturers.

IF Elfsborg and Borås Arena

IF Elfsborg has for many decades been a force within Swedish football (or soccer). The team was founded in 1904 and has so far succeded in becoming Swedish champions 6 times (1936, 1939, 1940, 1961, 2006, 2012). It plays in Allsvenskan, the top-tier league in Sweden. One of the most well-known players has been Anders Svensson, who played 11 seasons for Elfsborg in Allsvenskan. He also played a few seasons for Southampton in Premier League and has with his 147 international games played the most games for Sweden.

IF Elfsborg plays their home games at Borås Arena. The arena has a capacity of 14.500 spectators, making it the 9th largest arena in Sweden for football. The arena was inaugurated in 2005.

How to Get to Borås

Flights: The nearest airports are Göteborg Landvetter Airport (GOT) to the west and Jönköping Airport (JKG) to the east.
Car: Borås lies along Road 40 between Gothenburg and Jönköping, at the intersection with Road 27, Road 41, and Road 42.
Bus: Buses from Västtrafik connect Borås with the surrounding area.
Train: SJ and Västtågen have trains to and from Borås. Destinations include Borgslena, Gothenburg, Kalmar, Mölnlycke, and Veddinge.

The driving distance from 5 major Swedish cities, according to Google Maps: