Sister City since 2015
Trollhättan became our 10th sister city in May 2015, however, there had been a collaboration between Tempe and Trollhättan since we first met in 2008. We have enjoyed and have had successful exchanges of student delegates since 2010, as well as professional delegate exchanges and the first International Chef to cook at Hackett House kicking off Oktoberfest week was Peter Erikson, Professional Chef and Vice Mayor of Trollhättan, in October 2014.
Tell me more about Trollhättan…
- The name “Trollhättan” comes from folkloristic tales. It is said it was once believed that large trolls lived in the river Göta älv and that the islands in the river were the Trolls’ hoods (“hättor”).
- Trollhättan is a city of falls and locks. The locks in Trollhättan are one of Sweden’s seven wonders. Hundreds of thousands of tourists visit the area each year to see how boats make their way through the locks and to view and ‘feel’ the power of 300,000 liters of water per second being released into the river. Trollhättan is one of 133 places with ‘historical city’ status in Sweden.
- Trollhättan is far from grey and barren; it is Sweden’s greenest ‘industry town.’ It is a modern city with a long industrial tradition; the cradle of the modern Swedish engineering industry. Trollhättan houses a number of industries, previously the main production plant for Saab Automobile which is now the headquarters and a production plant of National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). It has a well-known film production facility, called Trollywood; some of the movies filmed in Trollhättan include Show Me Love, Dancer in the Dark and Dogville, starring Nicole Kidman. The movie studio, Film i Väst, produces about half of all Swedish feature-length films.
- In one of several similarities to Tempe, Trollhättan is home to University West, a university located in the city center and home to 15,000 students. It offers 26 undergraduate programs, 16 advanced level programs and doctoral degree programs. It is a modern university which offers education collaborating with work-life in an attractive and up to date study environment and is home to many international students from all over the world.
Where is Trollhättan?
Trollhättan is about 76 km north of Gothenburg, the second largest city in Sweden and is situated along the Göta River. It is home to approximately 59,000 inhabitants.
