| Official Name: | Lödöse |
| Pushpin Map: | Sweden Västra Götaland#Sweden |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Sweden |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | Lilla Edet Municipality |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Västra Götaland County |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Västergötland |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 1.28 |
| Population As Of: | 31 December 2010 |
| Population Total: | 1,266 |
| Population Density Km2: | 991 |
| Timezone: | CET |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Timezone Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
| Coordinates: | 58.0333°N 12.1583°W |
Lödöse (pronounced as /sv/),[2] also known as Gamla Lödöse is a locality situated in Lilla Edet Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It is situated 40 kilometers northeast of Gothenburg and is considered the precursor to modern-day Gothenburg. [3]
Lödöse was a politically crucial centre of trade in Sweden during the middle ages.By the year 1000, Lödöse was an important trading town, located between modern-day Oslo and Copenhagen and near the mouth of the Göta river. It was the Geats' only port on the west coast: hence, it had great strategic importance. Until 1473, Lödöse was Sweden's only port with an exit to the North Sea. Trapped as it was between Norway and Denmark, Lödöse was moved further down the river to Nya Lödöse, where the present day suburb Gamlestan in Gothenburg is today. In 1621, King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden decided the location of present-day Gothenburg with direct access to the North Sea and Atlantic.[4]
Today, Lödöse is a small town with 1,300 inhabitants in Lilla Edet Municipality, 40 kilometers northeast of Gothenburg up the Göta älv. The medieval history of the town is displayed at the Lödöse Museum which opened in 1996. Lödöse had 1,266 inhabitants in 2010.