The present work is a study of the entrepreneurial activities of the first two generations of the Röhss family in Swedish industry from about 1825 to the turn of the century. With this starting point, important parts of Gothenburg's history as well as the breakthrough and development of industrialism in Sweden are touched upon. Wilhelm Röhss the elder and his sons Wilhelm and August were important parts of the leap in prosperity that Sweden took from being a poor agricultural country to becoming one of the richest countries in the world. The Röhsska trading house began with a rather scattered business but soon specialized in wood and iron. As these capital-intensive activities required more capital for their development, the initiative was taken to set up banks, which then took over the role of the trading houses as credit intermediaries. Not surprisingly, the Röhsska trading house was also involved in the development of transportation, particularly railways. Almost as natural was the activity in insurance companies. The development of Gothenburg is very much linked to the business community. Growth then created major social problems for the working class. This gave rise to individual initiatives and donors made large amounts of capital available to the city for social purposes. The Röhs family is an important part of the spirit of donation in Gothenburg and their donations are covered in the work. The book also touches on the Röhs family's origins in Germany and Denmark and other members of the family.