Mölndal is a part of the Gothenburg urban area on the west-coast of Sweden, which constitues the administrative centre of Mölndal Municipality. About 37,000 of the municipality's 50,000 inhabitants live here.
Geography
Mölndal is located on the western main line railway between Gothenburg and Malmö and the European highways E6/E20 run through the area from north to south. Mölndal is served by the Gothenburg tramway system.
History
The name of the city derives from two words; Möln, which is a short form for Möllor, an old word for mills, and the word dal, which is the Swedish word for valley. Mölndal is the "Valley of mills". The narrow but high and long waterfalls in Kvarnbyn gave the necessary power to all the watermills that together with the windmills on the hills gave birth to the early industrialisation of Mölndal.
Industry
Old industrial area, today a popular tourist attraction
Mölndal is mostly know for its high concentration of different companies within the life science-sector. AstraZeneca has one of its global research centres here, currently about 3,100 employees and still growing. Several other companies within pharmaceuticals, biomedicine and biotechnology to mention some research areas, are also located here. The short distance to Göteborg University and Chalmers University of Technology, and their technology parks, has supported a development of other sectors such as microwave technology and information technology. The location of two national research institutes here, IFP SICOMP AB and IVF Industrial Research and development Corporation, further enhance the position within industrial oriented research.
|
