GOTA

This article appears in Volume V12, Page 270 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: GOA-GRA

GOTA , a river of Sweden, draining the great Lake Vener. The name, however, is more familiar in its application to the canal which affords communication between Gothenburg and Stockholm. The river flows out of the southern extremity of the lake almost due south to the Cattegat, which it enters by two arms enclosing the island of Hisingen, the eastern forming the harbour and bearing the heavy sea-traffic of the port of
Gothenburg. The Gota river is 50 M. in length, and is navigable for large vessels, a

series

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

of locks surmounting the famous falls of Trollhattan (q.v.). Passing the abrupt wooded Halleberg and Hunneberg (royal

shooting

SHOOTING

preserves) Lake Vener is reached at Venersborg. Several important ports lie on the north,

east

EAST
EAST, ALFRED (1849- )

and south shores (see VENER). From Sjotorp, midway on the eastern shore, the western Gota canal leads S.E. to Karlsborg. Its course necessitates over twenty locks to raise it from the Vener level (144 ft.) to its extreme height of 300 ft., and lower it over the subsequent fall through the small lakes Viken and Gotten to Lake Vetter (q.v.; 289 ft.), which the route crosses to

Motala

MOTALA

. The eastern canal continues eastward from this point, and a descent is followed through five locks to Lake Boren, after which the canal, carried still at a considerable

elevation

ELEVATION

, overlooks a rich and beautiful plain. The picturesque Lake Roxen with its ruined castle of Stjernarp is next traversed. At Norsholm a branch canal connects Lake Glan to the north, giving access to the important manufacturing centre of Norrkoping. Passing Lake AsplAngen, the canal follows a cut through steep rocks, and then resumes an elevated course to the old town of Soderkoping, after which the Baltic is reached at Mem. Vessels plying to Stockholm run N.E. among the coastal island-fringe (skargdrd), and then follow the Sodertelge canal into Lake Mahar. The whole distance from Gothenburg to Stockholm is about 36o m., and the voyage takes about 2 z days. The length of artificial

work

WORK

on the Gota canal proper is 54 m., and there are 58 locks. The scenery is not such as will

bear

adverse weather conditions; that of the western canal is without any

interest

INTEREST

save in the remarkable engineering

work

WORK

. The idea of a canal

dates

DATES

from 1516, but the construction was organized by Baron von Platted and engineered by Thomas Telford in 1810-1832. The falls of Trollhattan had already been locked successfully in 1800.

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