In which Swedish city is the giant straw Yule goat built annually? Gävle. The Gävle Goat is erected in central Gävle, Sweden, as a huge straw version of the traditional Scandinavian Christmas goat.
The display began in 1966 when advertising consultant Stig Gavlén proposed placing a giant goat in Slottstorget, or Castle Square. His brother Jörgen Gavlén, then chief of the city fire department, designed the structure. The first goat stood about 13 metres tall, was 7 metres long and weighed roughly three tonnes.
The goat is famous not only for its size but also for repeated vandalism, especially arson. Burning it is illegal, although attackers have damaged or destroyed many editions. Since 1986, two goats have often been built: the main Gävle Goat sponsored by local merchants and a smaller rival structure made by students at Vasaskolan. The city’s straw goat has become one of Sweden’s best-known Christmas symbols.