East India Company House, Gothenburg, Sweden

The old East India Company House (now the City Museum) was once the hub of Sweden's trade with the Far East. Most seafaring nations in the 18th century had an East India company which held a monopoly on trade with the East. Scottish merchants were not part of the lucrative dealings of the English, so Scot Colin Campbell, in association with Niclas Sahlgren in Gothenburg, devised an idea for a Swedish East India Company, which would be Sweden's first international trading company.

The company started up in 1731, and the next year the first ship set off for the Far East. This made Gothenburg a European centre of trade in products from China and the East. The main goods were silk, tea, furniture, porcelain, precious stones and other distinctive luxury items. Trade with China saw the arrival of some new customs in Sweden. The Chinese cultural influence increased, and tea, rice, arrak punch and new root vegetables started appearing in Swedish homes.Middle and upper class families bought entire porcelain services with their monograms on.The last ship from East Asia arrived in Gothenburg in 1806, by which time the great East India era was already over.

The house of East India Company was built between 1750-1762. Today it hosts the city museum, archaeological museum and etnographic museum.

References:

Marianne Mehling et al. Knaurs Kulturführer in Farbe. Schweden. München 1987.
goteborg.com

User Reviews

Daniel Karlsson (12 months ago)
Interesting and impressive ship!

Anas Ashmar (2 years ago)
Nice to visit and hear from one of the sailors the history of this ship. How they spend several months onboard. How they eat and sleep. And the way they work when they sail abroad. We enjoyed our time there BUT the tour onboard the ship was 20 or 25 minutes max. We were not allowed to stay longer. We had to follow the guide all the time and were asked to leave the ship immediately after he finished the tour/explanation. We were not allowed to see Captain's room either.

Janne Pålsson (2 years ago)
Worth s visit if you like old ship's

Teodor Christensson (3 years ago)
Great place to relive the history of 1800. English information and translations are on point. Visit the ship as well it is worth it.

K Asbell (4 years ago)
Great replica of the original ship! Wonderful explanation of the history and purpose of the original ship. A lot of history crammed into a small space. The tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. She showed a genuine love and care for the ship having sailed on it previously.

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