Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

GOTA

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V12, Page 270 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

GOTA , a See also:

river of See also:Sweden, draining the See also:great See also:Lake See also:Vener. The name, however, is more See also:familiar in its application to the See also:canal which affords communication between See also:Gothenburg and See also:Stockholm. The river flows out of the See also:southern extremity of the lake almost due See also:south to the See also:Cattegat, which it enters by two arms enclosing the See also:island of Hisingen, the eastern forming the See also:harbour and bearing the heavy See also:sea-See also:traffic of the See also:port of Gothenburg. The Gota river is 50 M. in length, and is navigable for large vessels, a See also:series of locks surmounting the famous falls of See also:Trollhattan (q.v.). Passing the abrupt wooded Halleberg and Hunneberg (royal See also:shooting preserves) Lake Vener is reached at Venersborg. Several important ports See also:lie on the See also:north, See also:east and south shores (see VENER). From Sjotorp, midway on the eastern See also:shore, the western Gota canal leads S.E. to Karlsborg. Its course necessitates over twenty locks to raise it from the Vener level (144 ft.) to its extreme height of 300 ft., and See also:lower it over the subsequent fall through the small lakes Viken and Gotten to Lake See also:Vetter (q.v.; 289 ft.), which the route crosses to See also:Motala. The eastern canal continues eastward from this point, and a descent is followed through five locks to Lake Boren, after which the canal, carried still at a considerable See also:elevation, overlooks a See also:rich and beautiful See also:plain. The picturesque Lake Roxen with its ruined See also:castle of Stjernarp is next traversed. At Norsholm a See also:branch canal connects Lake Glan to the north, giving See also:access to the important manufacturing centre of See also:Norrkoping. Passing Lake AsplAngen, the canal follows a cut through steep rocks, and then resumes an elevated course to the old See also:town of Soderkoping, after which the Baltic is reached at Mem.

Vessels plying to Stockholm run N.E. among the coastal island-fringe (skargdrd), and then follow the See also:

Sodertelge canal into Lake See also:Mahar. The whole distance from Gothenburg to Stockholm is about 36o m., and the voyage takes about 2 z days. The length of artificial See also:work on the Gota canal proper is 54 m., and there are 58 locks. The scenery is not such as will See also:bear adverse See also:weather conditions; that of the western canal is without any See also:interest See also:save in the remarkable See also:engineering work. The See also:idea of a canal See also:dates from 1516, but the construction was organized by See also:Baron von Platted and engineered by See also:Thomas See also:Telford in 1810-1832. The falls of Trollhattan had already been locked successfully in 1800.

End of Article: GOTA

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
GOT, FRANCCOIS JULES EDMOND (1822-1901) 		[next]
GOTARZES

Site © 2006 - Net Industries