| About Västerås
The city on Lake Mälaren
Västerås is one of Sweden´s oldest cities,
dating its city charter to the end of
the 1200s.
Today´s city is a modern industrial
and commercial centre with technology
as the basis for growth. For more
than a century Asea has been the dominant
employer, just as ABB contiunes to
be, and more than any other, Asea/ABB
has been the company that has made
Västerås an international city.
Västerås has been an established
market site since the time of the
Vikings and was then called (Västra)
Aros (river delta), eventually combined
to the current name. Geographically
the location was a natural, what with
so many waterways emptying via
Svartån river into Lake Mälaren.
There are more trade paths today.
E18 between Stockholm and Oslo
passes right through the city. The port
is still important as Sweden´s largest
lake harbour and in the air there are
daily connections world-wide using the
former military field outside the city
for civilian purposes.
The rail route has also been improved
over the last years and when the new
Mälarbanan between Stockholm and
Västerås was fully ready in 2001, travel
time was reduced to less than one hour.
Taken together the city´s new strategic
position today is at least as good as it
was in the Viking era.
The glass and concrete skyscraper
housing a hotel and shopping centre in
25 storeys changed the Västerås skyline
in 1990.
It´s a far cry from the 18th century
city remnants standing not far away by
the cobble stone streets of Kyrkbacken.
Between them lie many full years of
development.
History buffs shouldn´t miss the guided city walks that
start at the Tourist Bureau on Stora Gatan during the summer.
Nor should they leave Västerås without visiting the
Cathedral, central to the city for 800 years and given three stars
in the Michelin Guide.
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