Motala is a town on Lake Vättern, which in the past was a significant industrial center. Today, it primarily functions as a holiday and tourist center, and industrial traditions are attractively presented in several museums.
Until the beginning of the 19th century, Motala was a small town whose inhabitants worked in the woods and fished in Lake Vättern. The situation changed when the Gotia Canal was built and numerous industrial plants were built on its shore. Motala then turned into a center of the machine industry and plants manufacturing engine components are still operating here, including for Saab cars.
The main monuments of Motala are related to the industrial heritage. There is a former engine factory here, the oldest such plant in Sweden. Its building is open to the public today. Another valuable industrial monument is the Gotia Canal with its locks and slipways. The city has the Automotive Museum, which presents cars, mopeds, motorbikes and other vehicles created in Sweden since the beginning of the 20th century. Another interesting museum is the Swedish Broadcasting Museum, which occupies the buildings of Sweden's oldest long-wave radio. In addition to the rich collection of transmitters and receivers and other radio equipment, there are also 2 historic transmitter stations.
The late Baroque Charlottenborg Palace stands on the shores of Lake Vättern. It is one of the first leisure facilities in the city. Today it can be visited. In summer, the shores of the lake are full of sunbathers and people practicing water sports, and there are many holiday homes with their own jetties and boats in the area.
