Alingsås

Alingsås grew after Danish troops burned Nya Lödöse, leaving its inhabitants without homes. Gustavus Adolphus granted the new town a royal charter in 1619. Jonas Alströmer, born here in 1685, established a large textile manufactory at Alingsås and promoted cultivation of the potato in Sweden. His enterprise became the country's largest of its kind, but financial difficulties, fires and political setbacks led to its closure in 1779. Nearby, Gräfsnäs Castle on Lake Anten was built around 1550 and rebuilt after fires in 1634 and 1734.