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  • Tips for visiting Trollhattan, birthplace of most Saabs

    Trollhättan is the historic home of Saab car manufacture. It's a city in western Sweden of approximately 45,000 people located northeast of Gothenburg (Göteborg). This travel guide of the area will hopefully help future travellers as they retrace of birth of their Saab.

    This is the second of a multi-part series on Saab's European Delivery Program. It appears on the 6th anniversary of when I picked up my European delivery Saab. Today is the 6th anniversary of the day when the ship carrying my car reached the open ocean on its way to the United States. The day to day quest appears here: http://saabworld.net/blogs/dave-t/6-...chapter-1-206/

    Trollhättan is roughly 100 km (65 mi.) north of Gothenburg connected by the E45 highway. The E45 runs north-south along the eastern part of the city and there is good signage to the Saab car museum and Saab factory. If one if travelling from Landvetter Airport, which is east of Gothenburg, take highway 40 towards Gothenburg and connect with E45. The connection is fairly straightforward but may be a bit tricky if one is not careful. Highway 40 merges with E6 for a short way (about 3 km , 2 mi.) before the E45 junction/exit.

    Any trip to Trollhättan would not be complete without a visit to the Saab Car Museum.

    Saab Bilmuseum (Saab Car Museum)

    A major attraction of the city is the Saab Bilmuseum (Saab Car Museum). It is not too far from the center of the city, located at Åkerssjövägen 10. When travelling on E45, the main north-south highway in the southeast part of the city, there are large, clearly marked blue signs to the SAAB Bilmuseum. The museum is next to the Innovatum Science Center, which also has directional signs in the city. Both places are in the south part of the city, not too far from the river. The museum is open every day from 11 am to 4 pm, with extended summer hours of 9 am to 5 pm. It underwent a major rennovation in 2005. There is an admission charge of 60 SEK. There is information about the museum hours and telephone number at http://www.saabsverige.com/se/sv/sta...aab-museum/01/

    The museum has many historic Saabs. These include the Saab EV-1 concept car and secret Saab 99 prototype badged as a Daihatsu.



    Saab car factory

    The main Saab car factory is also in Trollhättan located in the north edge of the city, immediately south of the Trollhättan Vänersborg Flygplats (Trollhattan Vanersborg Airport). http://www.fyrstadsflyget.se/ Tours are available but have to be booked in advance. Tours in English are available.

    Cameras are not allowed but there are lockers available in the reception area for storage. Past the reception, a tram picks up passengers and takes them past the outside of the paint shop. Visitors are shown the stamping machine where rolls of steel are stamped into body parts, such as doors and the side of the car. Because of the time it takes to change the stamping dies, approximately two days worth of parts of stamped before the dies are changed.

    The tram then travels along the assembly line but, due to the layout, skips part of the assembly line and comes back to some skipped areas later. The doors are painted with the rest of the cars but are removed to allow assembly and re-installed later. During parts of the production process, the cars are rotated sideways to allow easier access to the bottom of the car. The 9-5 and 9-3 are made on the same production line. The convertible (cabriolet) was previously assembled in Graz, Austria but Magna Steyr, but is now produced in Trollhättan.

    Factory tours should be booked in advance through the Saab Bilmuseum (Saab Car Museum). The telephone number is +46 (0)520 84344 (in Sweden 0520 84344, from the U.S. 011 + 44 + 520 84344), fax number is +46 (0)520 320 51. E-mail address is: saab.carmuseum@se.saab.com On the grounds of the Saab factory, southeast of the main gate, is the Saab fitness center.



    The largest Saab dealer in Sweden, ANA Trollhättan, is located on E45, on the east side (right, when travelling from Gothenburg)

    ANA Trollhättan car dealer

    ANA Trollhättan, the largest Saab car dealer in Sweden, is located on the E45 highway. There is a botique inside the dealership. At one time, they offered discounts to European delivery customers and one might inquire if this is still the case. They are open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the week and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Besides car sales, the dealer also does special modifications, such as building Saab police cars.



    Ronnums Herrgård, hotel often used by European Delivery customers
    There are several hotels in Trollhättan. Naturally, one’s budget and taste vary. The Ronnums Herrgård (Ronnum Manor) hotel in Vargön, closer to the Saab factory than the center of Trollhättan looks like a country estate and has been used for European delivery customers in the past. It is somewhat more expensive. During the summer, it is open daily but one should check if one’s plans include a Sunday outside of the summer season. The hotel’s website is http://www.profilrestauranger.se/ronnum/hotellet/

    The hotel property has a long history dating back to the 1300’s, when it was owned by Duke Erik, son of Magnus III of Sweden. The main building was built in the mid 1700’s but there is a modern addition from 1951. In 2003, Nicole Kidman stayed at this hotel for an extended period while filming “Dogville”. She stayed in a house on the grounds of the hotel. (see photo here http://saabworld.net/content/saab-eu...long-fans-400/ )



    Other places in Trollhättan

    There are four major studios in Trollhättan, which produce about half of the films made in Sweden. One of the studios in located next to the Saab car museum. The city has been referred to as “Trollywood” ever since the film industry began in the city in a big way starting in the mid-1990’s.

    There are a set of locks near the center of Trollhättan. Periodically, they are open releasing a flood of water, which is watched by tourists and the locals.

    For most people, there is not much attraction to see the outside of a factory. However, for those who might want to drive by, there are many Saab suppliers in the area. Saab used to make their own seats but sold the operation in the 1990's to Lear, an American company who produces car seats. Lear has a factory in Trollhättan. To go there, take the E45 and exit at the Gärdhemsvägen junction going east (to the left if driving south from the Saab factory, to the right if driving north). At the 3rd roundabout, turn north for about 100 m (300 ft.) and turn right to Ljungvägen, then turn left after about 100 m. If you miss the turn, take the next left turn. Both of these two short streets are connected and past the Lear factory.

    Volvo Aero, which makes jet engines, has a factory immediately south of the Saab car factory.

    Nearby Vänersborg, adjacent to Trollhättan, has several smaller museums, including a doll museum, Vänersborgs Museum, Sweden’s first provincial museum located in a stately building and has an African ornithology section. See http://www.vanersborgsmuseum.se/Kult....aspx?id=40767

    The Vattentornet doesn’t seem to be in the guildebooks but is an interesting looking water tower near the museum.



    Other places in the region
    Exploring beyond Trollhättan, a book could be written about things to do but these are just a few of the many possibilities.

    Tanumshede is located north of Bohuslän, between Trollhättan and the border with Norway. There, rock carvings on exposed rocks from the Bronze Age are located. The United Nations has designed these carvings as a World Heritage site. United Nations UNESCO webpage on Tanum: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/557

    Just across the border in Norway is the little city of Halden. The Fredriksten Fortress is located high above the city. It was there that King Charles XII of Sweden was shot and killed in 1718 during a siege of the Norwegian fortress.

    A nice summary of the area's history with emphasis on fortresses can be found here http://www.sverigeturism.se/smorgasb...uslan/history/ Excerpts include "An expansive period started during the Norwegian king Håkon reign. The population went up and many buildings were built.He is said to have built the first fortress on Ragnhildsholmen in the Nordre Älv at Kongahälla....Towards the end of the century, King Håkon ganged up with noble Danish rebellions and the civil wars started again. King Håkon gave Kongahälla and the Ragnhildsholmen fortress to the Danes but when he thought the better of it, he could not get it back. In 1308 he built the Bohus fortress...In 1619 Göteborg was founded by the Swedes They had at last managed to get a foothold on the seashore. The battles intensified. Kongahälla was once again destroyed and moved closer to the Bohus Fortress. Bohuslän then became Swedish in the Roskilde peace treaty of 1658 but remained a poor province until the herring came back in the later part of the 18th century.

    The first fortress Ragnhildsholmen at Kongahälla are deserted ruins. This can be reached by walking along some soggy wooden planks about 200 meters from the road. These are really ruins with just a few stub foundations where the walls used to be. It was deserted when I visited. See Flickr photos here http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolfen1...n/photostream/ , a 29 page report in Swedish http://www.ruinportalen.se/ragnhildsholmen.pdf.

    South of these ruins are the town of Kungälv, about 20 km north of Gothenburg. There, the Bohus Fortress is located. The town is located on the E6 highway just as it branches from the E45 (which is the highway between Gothenburg and Trollhättan). The 14th centurty fortress was once abandoned and local residents were allowed to take stones to build their homes. This practice ended and the fortress eventually restored. It is easy to find as it towers over the small city.



    There are many things to see in Gothenburg. Arendal, a suburb immediately north of the city, is where some Volvos are made. Volvo has a car museum there. It was reasonably large but has been expanded within the past five years. If you take the bus, visit the website for directions because I found that most people, including the transit office, did not know how to get there (tram 5, 6 or 10 to Eketrägatan, Hisingen then take the 32 bus towards Volvo Torslanda via Arendal). It is open daily from June-August but closed on Mondays during the rest of the year. There is an admission charge. Link: http://www.volvogroup.com/group/glob...lvomuseum.aspx

    When planning a trip, consider going in the spring when airfares are cheaper. The weather is nice in early May. Most airlines fly to Landvetter Airport but Ryanair flies to Gothenburg City Airport, north of that city.

    Further reading
    Part 1 of the multi-part article about Saab's European Delivery Program: http://saabworld.net/content/saab-eu...long-fans-400/

    Map of Trollhättan: https://www.infovisaren.se/projekt/t...n.asp?prodnr=1, also see Google Maps (www.google.com, search Trollhattan, click on maps at the top)

    Map of Vänersborg, adjacent to Trollhättan: http://www1.vastsverige.com/upload/katra%20centrum%20vänersborg%202009.pdf

    Watching the progress of my Saab as it travels across the Atlantic: a day to day report exactly 6 years ago to the day. http://saabworld.net/blogs/dave-t/6-...chapter-1-206/

    Addendum: Saabs have been assembled in many places (Arlöv and Malmö, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Uruguay, United States, Japan, Mexico, Finland, etc.) but the majority of contemporary Saabs have been built in Trollhättan.
    This article was originally published in blog: Tips for visiting Trollhattan, birthplace of most Saabs started by Dave T
    Comments 3 Comments
    1. nordwulf's Avatar
      nordwulf -
      The factory tour, Ronnums Herrgard, Saab ANA and Saab museum was on my schedule when I visited Trollhattan 5 years ago. I didn't visit the actual town at all and definitely have to go back so time. I remember seeing Saabs everywhere and didn't feel special at all in my Saab 9-3.
    1. nordwulf's Avatar
      nordwulf -
      I am thinking of perhaps going to Trollhattan in a couple of weeks and see the Saab museum one more time before it may be gone forever.

      What's the best way to go to Trollhattan from NW Europe? 6 years ago, I took the Oresund bridge from Copenhagen to Malmo but I know there also are many ferries between Denmark/Germany and Sweden. Are there any shorter and/or better routes from Germany?
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