A major archaeological investigation has shed new light on the southern outskirts of Nya Lödöse, the 16th-century predecessor of modern-day Gothenburg.
The study, led by Arkeologerna at the Swedish History Museums, explored the area around today’s Olskroken district, revealing extensive remains of fortifications, buildings, and cultivation plots dating from the city’s foundation in the late 1400s to its abandonment in 1624.
The findings show that Nya Lödöse’s southern edge was fortified around 1530 with a defensive earth rampart and moat, marking the city’s boundary. At this point, a southern gate was constructed where the main north-south thoroughfare crossed the wall.
Excavations uncovered traces of palisades, timber foundations, and a stone-paved gateway, as well as a nearby structure believed to have served as a tollhouse.
Archaeologists also identified several adjacent buildings and clear evidence of organised agricultural plots inside the city wall, a clear contrast to the denser, more urban northern half of Nya Lödöse.
The city was temporarily abandoned in 1547 when its population was relocated to the newly founded Älvsborg town, but was re-established two decades later. During this period, the rampart and gate were repaired, and housing and workshops returned.
Excavated materials suggest mixed land use, with dwellings, craft activity such as smithing, and continued cultivation within subdivided plots.
By the early 17th century, following Sweden’s reacquisition of the area after the Second Älvsborg Ransom (1619), the southern entrance underwent a major transformation before its residents were moved once again — this time to the newly established Gothenburg in 1624.
Thereafter, the area reverted to farmland and pasture, and the ramparts and moat gradually disappeared under centuries of later use.
The excavation also yielded hundreds of artefacts, including ceramics, glass, tools, coins, and devotional items, providing a glimpse into the daily lives and trade networks of the city’s inhabitants.
Header Image Credit : Arkeologerna
Sources : Arkeologerna
