Lidköping (pop. 35,000), a port town at the mouth of the Lidaå, in the Kinnevik, an inlet on the southern shore of Lake Vänern, has a number of small industrial undertakings, the best known of which is the Rörstrand porcelain factory, established here in 1935. Lidköping received its municipal charter in 1446, when the town lay on the east bank
of the Lidaå. Then in 1670, when Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie was granted the right to build a town in the county of Läckö he laid it out on the west bank, reaching right down to the river, and the street pattern of the new quarter he built largely survives in the present town. A hunting lodge was built in the Stora Torg, and this later became the Town Hall, a prominent landmark of the town; destroyed by fire in 1960, it was rebuilt on the basis of the original plans. In the market square is a statue of Gabriel de la Gardie. Gamla Staden, the "Old Town" round the Limtorg, has preserved its old-world character, with the original buildings.
Print this page
Add to Favorites
