Trollhättan was granted city rights in 1916 at which time it had about 15,000 inhabitants, now grown to 59,058. Trollhättan was founded on the riverGöta älv, at the Trollhättan Falls. The site was first mentioned in literature from 1413. Trollhättan had a strategic significance on the road between Västergötland and Norway. It was also of a commercial and political significance for shipping to and from Vänern. Utilization of the power of the river was the first important business activities in the area. From the Middle Ages milling and sawing operations have been conducted where the city center is now located. For centuries, Trollhättan Falls was an obstacle for boats travelling the river, until a lock system was completed in the 19th century. It has since been updated several times, and the present locks were finished in 1916. In the late 19th century, hydropower was developed in Trollhättan. The Swedish energy corporationVattenfall took its name from the falls in Trollhättan. Today the city has two operational hydropower stations, Olidan and Hojum.
Name
The name Trollhättan itself was originally used only for the fall area. The name Trollhättan is translated as "troll's bonnet". The latter part "hätta" could also mean mountain top. The water that splashed from a large rock at the bottom of the waterfall was imagined to look like a troll's hat. Other former names of the site are Eiðar and Stora Edet; the latter lives on in the name of the south-bordering municipality of Lilla Edet.
During the 17th century, work on a system of locks began and the first lock was completed around 1607 at Lilla Edet. During the 18th century several unsuccessful attempts were made to complete the locks. In 1718 a contract was signed by the government and Christopher Polhem for construction of a canal between Kattegatt and Lake Vänern and from Vättern to the Baltic sea. Trollhätte Canal first begun construction in 1718. In 1800, Baltzar von Platen completed the locks. Larger locks were later built under Nils Ericson. The further construction of the Göta Canal enabled larger boats to pass through Trollhätte Canal.
Trollhättan Church
Trollhättan Church belongs to the Trollhättan congregation in the Diocese of Skara. Between years 1860-1862, the New Trollhätte Canal Company built Trollhättan church. It was inauguration in 1862 and was handed over to the congregation as a gift. The church is erected in a neo-Gothic style after drawings by architect Adolf W. Edelsvärd. It consists of a longhouse with a north-south orientation. To the south is the tower with main entrance and to the north there is a polygonal cairn. It is located on a cliff in the Göta River in the middle of the canal system. At the expense of the canal company, a sacristy was built in the north-west in 1896-1897 with a rise to the pulpit, and the same year came glass paintings designed by Folke Zettervall. The window paintings in the choir, which was installed in 1962, are done by artist Ralph Bergholtz. The church was restored in 1983–84 with Jerk Alton as architect.
Sports
Trollhättan hosted Division B of the 2017 Bandy World Championship. The following sports clubs are located in Trollhättan:
