Borås

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"Boras" redirects here. For the MLB agent, see Scott Boras.

Borås [buˈroːs] is a city in Västergötland in western Sweden, situated at 57°43′N 12°56′E. It has a population of about 100,000, and is the seat of Borås Municipality.

Granted city privileges from King Gustav II Adolf (in Europe known as The Lion from the North) in 1622, it soon became a center of textile industries.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Industry
4 Sports
5 Gallery
6 Culture
7 Districts
8 Notable natives
9 Schools
- 9.1 Gymnasium
10 See also

[edit] Geography

Krokshall square with Caroli church

Borås is located at the point of two crossing railroads, among them the railway between Gothenburg and Kalmar, and is often considered the Swedish city gaining the most from the nationwide railway system laid between 1870-1910.

[edit] History

The city of Borås received its privileges in 1622. The reason was to give local pedlars a legal place for vending their merchandise.

The city developed strongly from early on. After a century it had increased to over 2,000 inhabitants.

Borås has been ravaged by fires four times: in 1681, 1727, 1822 and 1827. The Caroli church is the oldest of Borås's buildings, and has withstood all fires.

Borås cirka 1700, in Suecia antiqua et hodierna.

[edit] Industry

Borås is the leading textile city of Sweden, starting as a location spot for textile mills. The city arms depicts two sheep-shearing scissors, a tribute to the vast number of smiths in the tow in early history. It currently holds the Swedish record in the number of established mail-order firms.

The company Swedac is based in Borås, and Ericsson also has a large manufacturing plant here. Mini-Link microwave radios are manufactured here.

[edit] Sports

The most successful sports team is the football team IF Elfsborg, Swedish champions in 2006. Elfsborg was founded in 1904 but received its current name in 1906. The teams home arena is since 2005 Borås Arena (formerly Ryavallen Stadium) in Borås, with a capacity of 15000. Elfsborg play in black and yellow. Another (but not that successful) team is BHC, Borås Hockey Club.