9
Protecting Älvsborg

The artillery at the fortress of Älvsborg has a central role in the protection of Gothenburg’s port and its traffic. The mounds are continuously reinforced to protect the fortress from enemy fire. The year of 1700 the fortress is equipped with 67 cannons, 10 haubits and five mortars. In 1760 those numbers increased to 128 cannons and 11 mortars. The harbor here on the island has always been right here, well protected in case of an attack. The area inside of the walls used to be much bigger. The wooden buildings are called “fredstak” and were put up in times of peace, and taken down in times of war. In 1868, the Royal Swedish Army Material Administration deemed most of the cannons unusable. Additionally, the chief of the Royal Fortification considered the entirety of Nya Älvsborgs hornverk to be a complete ruin, with rocks falling from the walls daily. Even if the bastion were in better condition, Nya Älvsborg would not last a day against the enemy ships and artillery of this time. As a whole, the fortress is considered insufficient. His Royal Majesty declares that “Nya Älvsborg in its present condition no longer will be considered part of the Kingdoms fortresses”. The royal decision proclaiming the discontinuation of the fortress was made on the 9th of april 1869. On the 22nd of April that year, the fortress is shut down for good.