Vänersborgs Söners Gille
Vänersborg

Vänersborgs Söners Gille, founded on December 27, 1905, has the following purposes:

• To provide the sons of Vänersborg an opportunity to gather.
• To organize guild meetings with social gatherings at least twice a year, including a spring meeting, also the annual meeting, no later than May, and a festive meeting in the autumn.
• To collect, in its archive, through images and writings, what may have significance for Vänersborg's and the community's history.
• To publish essays at year's end that can promote knowledge about Vänersborg and its surroundings.
• To work for the good and beautification of Vänersborg by receiving and managing donations in an honorary capacity.

A Over 100-Year-Old Association

In the late 1800s, a group of gentlemen gathered every Christmas Day at the Stadshotellet in Vänersborg. To formalize this tradition, they formed an association - Vänersborgs Söners Gille. Today, Vänersborgs Söners Gille has over 1,000 members. Most of them reside in the city, but there are also many members across Sweden and around the world. All men born in Vänersborg have the right to join, and those who have lived in the city for a long time and contributed to its welfare can also be elected.

Vänersborgs Söners Gille publishes annual yearbooks since 1932, collecting stories about Vänersborg, its people, and local events. Each year, the association organizes or sponsors various events, from concerts to lectures. They also award scholarships for youth and music.

The association also works on beautifying the city, including projects like the fountain in Hamnkanalen, Bollen in the roundabout at the railway slope, the Millesstatyn, and excavations in Brätte.

Funding for these projects comes from membership fees, legacies, and art portfolios they have published.

The Houses at Kronogatan 22-24

Kronogatan 22-24 represents one of Vänersborg's best-preserved architectural environments from the mid-1800s. These three small houses, two street houses, and a courtyard house with adjoining outhouses are owned by Vänersborg Municipality but have been managed by Vänersborgs Söners Gille since 2000 through a right-of-use agreement. The association has created a flourishing garden with period-appropriate plants, and in 2015, all the houses were repainted, and the courtyard house was also renovated and upgraded inside.