Gothenburg: Sweden’s second city has some serious green credentials

I have always loved fairground rides but Loke, which sends me sky­wards, high over leafy Gothenburg, is a first. Not because it’s the fastest or the highest but because, as this pendu­lum-like ride propels thrill-seekers through the air, its powerful deceleration generates electricity, which is fed into Sweden’s national grid. And it’s not the Liseberg theme park’s only nod to sustain­ability. Six of its restaurants are MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certified.

Often overshadowed by Stockholm, the capital, Gothenburg – ranked the world’s most sustainable city by the Global Destination Sustainability Index in 2016, 2017 and 2018 – has an independent streak and a passion for innovation and adapta­bility. That is perhaps because of its past, the city having twice been burned to the ground, first in 1611, courtesy of the Danes, and then in the 1700s, when a series of fires – most of which started on the riverbanks, where wealthy traders had built timber mansions – prompted the government to decree that only stone houses could be built inside the moat encircling the city centre. Not that you’d know.

Haga Nygata, a pedestrianised street in the Haga neighbourhood, is lined with buildings constructed in the traditional landshövdingehus style, with a stone lower floor and wooden upper floors, which allowed builders to bypass the restrictions. Highlights of this neighbour­hood include Café Husaren, famous for its enormous cinnamon buns and 19th century glass ceiling, and Café Kringlan, with its painted crockery, floral wallpaper and home-made cakes, piled high on a wooden cart propped outside.

There are plenty of reasons to head further afield, one being the Gothenburg Botanical Garden, just outside the city centre. The 16,000 species of plants here include Sweden’s largest collection of orchids and a rare Easter Island tree, now extinct in its homeland. I discover two pigs snuffling around an area being cleared of roots; there’s not a bottle of weed killer in sight – the animals have been employed for their munching abilities. They’ve been on-site for less than a day and have already chomped through a tangle of undergrowth.

The gardens hold other surprises. After noticing hinges on an information board about bees, I open it to find a hive, installed to highlight the importance of pollination. A Japanese glade recently hosted a hanami picnic, held beneath cherry blossoms in full bloom. And in the nearby rockery, carpeted with alpine plants, rare species abound. A staff member explains that the botanical garden is regularly sent plants from areas in which they’re struggling. The Gothenburg gardeners cultivate the seeds and send back batches of healthy, thriving specimens in the hope of boosting their chances of survival.