Gävle has not always been called Gävle. The earliest documents from the early 1400s refer to the town as Gäfle or Gaeffla. Gävle was first mentioned as the town name in 1413 but its first known charter dates back to 1446. Today, almost 100,000 people reside in Gävle. Today’s visitors may not see so many traces of the Middle Ages, rather from the town’s heyday in the late 1800’s. Back then shipping and shipbuilding made Gävle one of the nation’s most prominent cities. The town hall, municipal theater, the unique fire station and the great stone palaces bear witness to a city with a strong self-confidence and a lot of capital.

At the beginning of the last century some of Sweden’s largest brands emerged in the town. Gevalia, which will always be “the coffee for unexpected visits” and Läkerol – the pastille that makes people talk”. Just west of Gävle, Mackmyra Swedish Whisky is manufactured from local Swedish ingredients. The whiskey has already obtained the highest international standard and has supporters in several countries throughout the world. In only ten years, they have managed to create unique products and an attraction that has now grown further with the Mackmyra Whisky village.

Located just to the south is the classic Furuviksparken, a zoo with a large center for chimpanzees and orangutans. There is also an amusement park and water park here. The animals of the world have suffered greatly from the impacts of fossil fuel emissions and the park is Scandinavia’s first and only primate research center.

In Gävle, the Swedish Railway Museum can also be found with one of the world’s finest collections of trains and carriages. The Gävle Concert Hall is also a beautiful venue for diverse musical experiences – from Mongolian throat singing to the Gävle Symphony Orchestra, as well as rock bands. Art also has a special place in Gävle, both at the County Museum with one of Sweden’s finest collections of Swedish art from the 1600’s onwards, as well as on the streets, squares, parks and on facades through a large number of donated sculptures.

In present day Gävle, new and old trade routes meet with strong industrial traditions and growth industries. We combine our experience with regional and national innovation. Gävle has an industry-oriented focus on renewable energy and logistics, GIS technology, hospitality/trade, as well as energy/climate. This is done in collaboration with industry segments and clusters.

Some large and important employers in Gävle today are Korsnäs (paper), Gevalia (coffee) and Syntronic (electronics). The University College has about 45 training programs and about 800 courses in humanities, social sciences, health sciences, education, sociology, science and technology and have approximately 15,000 students. As an old shipping town, Gävle has turned its face once again to the open sea, as the new residential area called Gävle Strand grows.

Gäve Symphony Orchestra and Gävle Concert Hall
The Gävle Symphony Orchestra celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2012 and is one of Sweden’s seven professional symphonic orchestras. The home of the orchestra is the Gävle Concert Hall, which was designed by architect Bo Karlberg and is beautifully situated by the Gävle River’s rapids. Many concerts have been held at the hall since its inauguration in 1998.

Green areas and parks
Gävle offers a lot of green areas and parks. In the middle of Gävle city is “Boulognerskogen”, one of the largest city parks in Sweden. The park is valued by many of Gävle’s residents and guests and used for long walks, exercising and picnics. During the summertime there is a café open for coffee/tea, bakeries and ice cream. You can also play miniature golf or go for a swim in the Gävle River. The park was established in the middle of the 18th century.

Mackmyra Swedish whisky
Mackmyra Whisky village is located just at the outskirts of Gävle. Here the Swedish Single Malt Whisky is produced from Swedish commodities and you will find the gravity distillery, the forest warehouse for maturation, and the visitor’s center with its restaurant. Here you can closely feel and smell how the Malt Whisky is emerging from barley to the oak casks.

Gävle Prison Museum
The Gävle prison museum is a museum in two prisons at the Gävle Castle on the south side of the river. Here you will meet detainees and inmates of an old castle prison from the 18th century. Strong exhibitions dealing with the time when Sweden still had shame stocks, shame piles and public executions, which later were exchanged to imprisonment and isolation in prison cells.

The Swedish Railroad Museum
The Swedish railroad museum offers one of the finest collections of historical railroad equipment. The unique collection of railroad engines, cars and other object connected to the more than 150 years of the railroad history, is included in the stationary exhibition and is always shown in the museum. Here are steam engines from the 1850’s when two proud engineers started their service along the line. Also there are uniforms, prisoner car, electrical engines, dinnerware from railroad restaurants, models and much more.

Gävle’s old town
Gävle’s old town has been left in another century. The neighborhood survived both the city fire of 1869 and the urban redevelopment frenzy during the 1950’s. The neighbourhood has a special atmosphere where you can take a nice stroll on the cobbles, peek over fences at the gardens behind or pay a visit to the Joe Hillgården, which was the labour activist Joe Hills childhood home and is now a well-visited museum.

Furuvik
Furuvik Zoo is a conceptual park just outside Gävle with a wide range of experiences to offer everyone. A little over sixty different species live here including a large center for chimpanzees and orangutans. The park is known for its magnificent display of flowers and greenery and every spring 14,000 plants are planted in the soil to be at their fullest bloom when you come to visit. The location of the park is right on the waterfront with a beautiful view from the cliffs at Furuskär.

Högbo Bruk
Högbo Bruk (Högbo Estate) is located 30 minutes outside of Gävle city in Sandviken and offers a unique combination of nature, activities and cultural history. The mansions, the red barracks, the blacksmith’s cottages, the mill, the stable and the estate park give the character of Högbo and reminds about the days gone by. A walk around the estate area will show you many buildings from the palmy days of the estate. Make a visit at the handy craftsmen who keep their activities going on all the year.

The Gävle Christmas goat
Gävle’s biggest celebrity creates headlines around the world every year. The 13 meter high straw goat is built in Slottstorget on the First of Advent and is inaugurated with grand fireworks. People from around 130 countries follow the Gävle Christmas Goat via webcam on visitgavle.se. The goat has been a tradition since 1966. Through the years the goat has met various fates, from surviving intact to being crashed and burned down. Since the Gävle Christmas goat can only be seen in its full glory for a few weeks a year, and artists and companies present their interpretations of the goat in a goat parade through Gävles’ streets and squares. The goats’s shape was created by the famous designer Gunnar Cyrén, who has also designed a miniature goat in silver that become a popular souvenir.

Most hotels in Gävle are centrally located and within easy walking distance from the Central Station as well as the University College. Below is a partial overview:

Scandic CH | Standard **** | City Center

Scandic Gävle Väst | Standard *** | City Center

Elite Grand Hotel | Standard **** | City Center

Clarion Hotel Winn | Standard **** | City Center

Best Western Hotel City | Standard *** | City Center

Scandic Väst,| Standard *** | 3 km from City Center

Engeltofta Sea Lodge | Standard *** | 7 km from City Center

Hotel Aveny | Standard ** | City Center

Hotel Aldersholmen | Standard ** | City Center

Hotel Boulogne |  Standard ** | City Center

Best Western Hotel City Bed & Breakfast | Standard Bed & Breakfast | City Center

Järnvägshotellet | Standard Bed & Breakfast | City Center

Bed & Breakfast Slottstorget | Standard Bed & Breakfast | City Center

STF Youth Hostels | Standard Bed & Breakfast | City Center

Gävle Bed & Breakfast | Standard Bed & Breakfast | City Center

The local organizers are planning on participants to concentrate at the Scandic Gävle Väst, but everyone is welcome to look for alternatives in the area, whether at hotels, bed and breakfast, private cottages or rooms for rent. Find more using your preferred booking website.