opens 22 november 2025
landshövdingehus 150 years
Celebrate Gothenburg’s iconic houses with us and discover more about one of the city’s most famous house types.
A historical architectural heritage
The Museum of Gothenburg presents a new exhibition about the landshövdingehus or county governor’s house in english, which is a unique part of the city’s architectural heritage. The exhibition will open in November 2025 and marks the 150th anniversary of these iconic buildings.
The exhibition will provide an insight into the history and significance of the house type. Through photographs, films, models and objects, visitors will have the opportunity to explore how the houses have shaped Gothenburg’s cityscape and culture.
The landshövdingehus emerges
At the end of the 19th century, there was an acute housing shortage in Gothenburg. A proposal was made for a new type of house in order to quickly build more homes and circumvent the then-current fire code. The construction consisted of a ground floor in stone with two wooden floors above. At the urging of the county governor Albert Ehrensvärd, the building committee approved the house type in November 1875. The following year, the first block, Ananasen, was built in Annedal.
The block Ananasen 24-14, Snickaregatan 12-30 in 1972. Snickaregatan was added in 1876 but was removed due to changes in the city plan in connection with the demolition and reconstruction of Annedal. Since 1998, the approximate length of Snickaregatan corresponds to Snickaregången.. Photo: Staffan Westergren, Museum of Gothenburg archive.
From fall to rehabilitation
The landshövdingehouses were a unique innovation that provided thousands of Gothenburgers with better housing. They quickly dominated the city’s working-class neighborhoods and gained a rich variety in architecture and style. But in the 1960s, the houses were suddenly considered unfashionable, and many were demolished. The exhibition shows what was lost, but also the strong protests that ultimately turned public opinion around. Today, the houses are protected as cultural heritage and a central part of Gothenburg’s cityscape.
Learn about the houses’ eventful history and style development, from simple wooden houses to architectural styles such as neoclassicism, national romanticism and functionalism. Discover models, drawings and objects, along with historical and contemporary images of Gothenburg’s most iconic house type.
We want to draw attention to how the house type has influenced Gothenburg and the lives of many Gothenburgers, says Caroline Mårtensson, exhibition producer at the Museum of Gothenburg.
The exhibition opens on November 22, 2025.
Top image: Colored postcard with a view from Redbergsparken towards Bagaregården in the 1950s. Part of the Museum of Gothenburgs photo archive.