Breadcrumb

History of the University of Gothenburg

The history of the University of Gothenburg is not just one story, but rather a collection of many. However, it all began with a group of visionary residents of Gothenburg who dreamt of a free academy where the city’s young people could be educated and contribute to the building of a better society.

The idea about a free academy came from the citizens themselves during the late 19th century, when some some of the most influential figures of the time in Gothenburg used their commitment to advance the cause. In 1864, the idea was presented in the Gothenburg Trade and Shipping Gazette.

In 1891, Gothenburg University College was founded with the help of substantial private donations from Fredrik Lundgren, Eduard Magnus, Oscar Ekman, and the Carnegie family. Gothenburg University College gradually grew and eventually encompassed what we today call the philosophical faculties: humanities, social science, and partly science.

Photo: Okänd

In 1907, it became an independent university college with the same status as the two national universities of Uppsala and Lund. The University of Gothenburg was formally founded in 1954 through the amalgamation of this university college with the medical college, which had been established in 1949.

All we have to offer is a window that is always open to the rest of the world. This window lets in a draft that seems to benefit the bacteria of freedom and rebellion.

Hjalmar Frisk, Vice Chancellor of Gothenburg University 1951–1966, in a speech connection with the student parliament in Gothenburg 1958.

The main building, "Vasaparken" from 1907, with its square granite pillars and a monumental flight of steps flanked by two bronze lions, has been declared an historic landmark by the National Heritage Board. One of its functions today is to house public events under the auspices of the University.

During the 1950s and 60s, the University expanded rapidly, growing from 500 students in the late 1940s to approximately 21,000 in the late 1960s. Today, the University of Gothenburg has about 38,000 students, and 6,000 employees. There are 39 departments in all, many of which rent facilities in old stone buildings and other properties in the centre of town. Several new university buildings have increased our "centralisation", and most of the departments are now located in the city centre. This has made the University of Gothenburg a truly urban university.

Vice Chancellors

Vt 1891 Axel Kock
1891-93 Hjalmar Edgren
1893-99 Johannes Paulson
1899-09 Johan Vising
1909-14 Ludvig Stavenow
1914-31 Otto Sylwan
1931-36 Bernhard Karlgren
1936-46 Curt Weibull
1946-51 Axel Boethius
1951-66 Hjalmar Frisk
1966-72 Bo Eric Ingelmark
1972-82 Georg Lundgren
1982-86 Kjell Härnqvist
1986-92 Jan S. Nilsson
1992-97 Jan Ling
1997-03 Bo Samuelsson
2003-06 Gunnar Svedberg
2006-17 Pam Fredman
2017-23 Eva Wiberg
2023- Malin Broberg