Prisma Västra Götaland

Prisma Västra Götaland tells the stories of the people, places and industries which laid the foundations of our modern society. There is also a map of industrial heritage sites and tips on events in the region for those who wish to experience history through all their senses.

Prisma Västra Götaland was launched in May 2016. Click here to go directly to Prisma Västra Götaland.

Everyone can be involved and tell their stories

We need to help each other in collecting and giving shape to 150 years of life histories, industrial history and the development of society. Everyone – staff from museums and associations, municipal staff and private persons – are welcome to share their stories, films, pictures and tips on places to visit. Together, at Prisma Västra Götaland, we are compiling fascinating information that will be available to everybody. It is a long-term project and Prisma VG will continue to grow for a long time in the future.

If you have an idea or interesting materials you want to make available to others, please contact us and we will help you to get started! The editorial office at Prisma Västra Götaland will also arrange workshops for groups and associations. Follow the latest news and subscribe to our newsletter through the development blog.

Our history says more about us than we can imagine: who we are, why things are the way they are, why we think what we think and do what we do. Our history is the key to understanding our present, but also to creating our future. We must not lose it. For if we don't know where we come from, how can we know where we are going to?

Time to take care of the industrial heritage 

The aim of Prisma Västra Götaland is to broaden knowledge of the region's industrial society and the understanding of how today's society evolved.

Industrialisation took place from the mid-nineteenth century and brought about dramatic social changes. The local heritage movement and many museums were created as a reaction to these changes. They wanted to protect and preserve the agricultural heritage. In doing this, they highlighted the changes that were taking place in society.

Almost everything we now take for granted in modern society is a result of industrialisation. West Sweden became, and remains, one of the country's most important industrial regions. Many people believe that we are now leaving industrial society behind us and approaching something new. Maybe it is time for us to gather pictures and stories that describe these changes. The cultural heritage of industrial society can possibly help us to gain a perspective on our own times and help us to understand where we are heading.

There are many of us who believe this.

The network Prisma Västra Götaland

Prisma Västra Götaland is a network of many different players who decided to put the history of the industrial society into the limelight. The network includes Borås museums, the Gothenburg City Museum, Local Heritage Väst, Innovatum in Trollhättan, Country Archives/National Archives, Väst Maritime, NAV and Västarvet.

Part of a European collaboration programme

The collaboration was created using development funding from the Culture Committee in Västra Götaland between 2014 and 2016. Prisma Västra Götaland is also part of the European Development Project CHRISTA. Click here to read more about the CHRISTA project.