Alingsås

Alingsås is a city with about 27,000 inhabitants in the Västergötland province in Sweden. It is known for its many cafés and as the birthplace of Jonas Alströmer, the man who brought the potato to Sweden.

Understand
Alingsås is first mentioned in written sources during the 14th century. The name is derived from the personal name "Ale" and the word "ås", meaning "ridge". Alingsås was granted city rights in 1619, stayed a small city with less than 150 inhabitants until the early 1720s, when Jonas Alströmer established a manufactory in the city. He also popularized potatoes in Sweden, growing them in Nolhaga castle. The crop is therefore associated with Alingsås, which hosts a potato festival every year. It also became a centre for the early Swedish textile industry. Despite two major city fires during the 18th century, Alingsås grew to 1,000 inhabitants by the year 1800. The city was hit hard by a crisis in the Swedish textile industry during the 1960s and 70s.

By train
Västtrafik runs commuter trains to Alingsås from Gothenburg. The train takes about 40 minutes and runs up to twice an hour. The ticket costs around 75-80 kr one way. SJ can take you to Alingsås from the rest of Sweden. The fastest train from Stockholm is the X 2000 which takes 2 hours and 40 minutes (stops in Katrineholm and Skövde).

By bus

 * Swebus Express makes a stop in Alingsås (Götaplan) with the bus line Gothenburg-Mariestad-Örebro-Stockholm up to four times a day.
 * Public transport buses take you to Alingsås from (among others) Borås, Trollhättan and Herrljunga.

By car
The European route E20 passes through Alingsås on its way to Stockholm from Gothenburg.

Get around
If you don't like walking, you can always use public transport. The main bus hub is Alingsåsterminalen.

Eat
Visit one of Alingsås' cafés. A sign to keep a lookout for is "Gratis påtår" which means that a free refill of coffee is included.

Go next

 * Gothenburg - The largest city in western Sweden