Skansen Kronan and Kungsportsavenyn

Skansen Kronan is a redoubt in the district of Haga of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Skansen Kronan was built in the later half of the 17th century according to the plans of Erik Dahlberg. Skansen Kronan was introduced in 1698 and was fitted with 23 guns. The roof was not completed until 1700. Skansen has 4-5 metre thick walls made of granite, gneiss and diabase. Skansen Kronan was never attacked and the cannons on the inside have never been used.

The fortress and the twin counterpart, Skansen Lejonet, were built as part of the defenses against possible Danish attack on Gothenburg from the south, and thus had a similar purpose as the Älvsborg Fortress.

The fortress - originally built outside the city walls - is today situated in the city centre of Gothenburg on a hill in the city district of Haga. It was used as a military museum until 2004. Today Skansen Kronan is a private facility for conferences and private parties.

 Kungsportsavenyn viewed from the steps of the Gothenburg Museum of Art, with the Poseidon statue in the foreground

Kungsportsavenyn, commonly known as just Avenyn ("The Avenue", It is the major avenue in the city), is the main street of Gothenburg, Sweden, and a smaller counterpart of the Champs-Élysées. It was created in the 1860s and 1870s as a result of an international town planning competition. With a total length of about 1000 meters, it stretches from the old moat at the edge of the older part of Gothenburg, and ends at the Götaplatsen square, where the Gothenburg Museum of Art and several other cultural institutions are located.

At the moat, it connects to the smaller street Östra Hamngatan, and the Avenue takes its it full name after Kungsporten, the "King's Gate" which was located at the point in the fortifications where Östra Hamngatan ends (see Kungsportsplatsen). The gate and the rest of the fortifications were demolished in the 19th century and replaced by a park.

Avenyn passes the Stora teatern, the Neo-Renaissance theatre and opera building from 1859, and has a major concentration of pubs, discothèques and restaurants.

Posted in: SWEDEN