Göteborg changes name back to Gothenburg
Göteborg is officially changing its name to Gothenburg, the Gothenburg city council has decided. The city councillors have agreed that the city will be referred to as the City of Gothenburg in all international communications.
The decision signals the end of a concerted push to gain international recognition for the city’s Swedish name, since an official decision by the council in 2003 to refer to the City of Göteborg in the international context.
The council cites both historical and pronunciation issues as reasons for reverting to the Anglicized name. “It’s much more natural to say ‘City of Gothenburg’ when you are speaking English,” said Bill Werngren, who is responsible for questions concerning the city council’s graphic profile.
The city’s English name has its roots in the earliest stages of the city's history, with Gothenburg even being mentioned in the official documents founding the city in 1621, but it was officially discarded in the council’s 2003 decision.
But the council does not envisage any problems for locals adjusting to their new identity. “To call the city ‘Gothenburg’ is something that the city’s residents have been used to for a long time,” Werngren said.
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The decision signals the end of a concerted push to gain international recognition for the city’s Swedish name, since an official decision by the council in 2003 to refer to the City of Göteborg in the international context.
The council cites both historical and pronunciation issues as reasons for reverting to the Anglicized name. “It’s much more natural to say ‘City of Gothenburg’ when you are speaking English,” said Bill Werngren, who is responsible for questions concerning the city council’s graphic profile.
The city’s English name has its roots in the earliest stages of the city's history, with Gothenburg even being mentioned in the official documents founding the city in 1621, but it was officially discarded in the council’s 2003 decision.
But the council does not envisage any problems for locals adjusting to their new identity. “To call the city ‘Gothenburg’ is something that the city’s residents have been used to for a long time,” Werngren said.
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