Understand
Borås was Sweden's major district for producing textiles and is still well-known for having many shops that sell high-quality textiles for low prices.
Get in
By plane
Landvetter Airport (GOT) located about 40 km from Borås has daily flights to most major European air hubs.
By train
Centralstationen is the train hub and local trains from Gothenburg runs about once a hour. Also the Kust-till-kust-trains from Gothenburg to Kalmar stops at Borås.
Get around
Buses are operated by Västtrafik and covers the whole city and it's suburbs. However, the city is small enough to walk around the centre.
Do
Drink
Although Borås might not be the best city in Sweden for drinking it has a few places worth visiting.
Sleep
Budget
Mid-range
Splurge
Get out
Borås buˈroːs is a city in the traditional province of Västergötland, western Sweden and the seat of Borås Municipality, Västra Götaland County. It has a population of 63,441 (2005).
Geography
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. Borås has railroad and motorway connections with Gothenburg, ca. 60 km west.
History
The city of Borås received its privileges in 1622 King Gustav II Adolf. 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.
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 town 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.
Outside the city you find an industrial park called Viared, where there are many companies specialising in logistics. Borås is also the home of Statens tekniska forskningsinstitut. Besides being the home of the official Swedish Kilogram-weight, and an atomic clock that sets the national time, they conduct tests and research to promote consumer safety.
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.
Other (but not that successful) teams are BHC, Borås Hockey Club M7 (Basketball-team that worked together with Magic Johnson for a short while) and Borås Rhinos which is an American football team.
Other sports that can be practiced in Borås are track-and-fields, archery, sport-shooting, swimming, golf, equestrian, bowling, and various martial arts. Borås Judoclub has tried to create a national center for judo. Members from the club that has participated in the olympics, include Per Kjellin and Lars Adolfsson (who competed twice).
Mariedal cup is held annually in October or November. It is alleged to be the worlds largest indoor cup in football for junior players and takes a whole weekend with over 100 teams participating. It started in 1978 in its current form.
Gallery
Image:Borås stadspark.jpg|City park
Image:Boras Radhus.jpg|City hall
Image:Borås Stad.jpeg|Panorama at winter
Image:Borås central-1.jpg|Central station
Image:Borås vattentorn.jpg|The old water tower
Culture
Every summer, a number of free outdoor concerts are held on the town square on Thursday evenings by some of the biggest artists in Sweden.
There is a lot of controversy in the city about a proposed 9 meter tall statue depicting Pinocchio by artist Jim Dine. The proposed statue would primarily be funded by private donations, and it was a requirement of the donors that it was a work by Dine.
Districts
Municipal subdistrict Göta
Municipal subdistrict Sjöbo
Municipal subdistrict Brämhult
Municipal subdistrict Norrby
Municipal subdistrict Centrum (city)
Notable natives
Schools
See also University College of Borås
High schools
