The new settlement was equipped with an impressive network of fortifications, but military engineers were concerned by the fact that the city was overlooked by two hills, the Gullberg and the Risåsberg, and so it was decided to construct forts on both hilltops to prevent potential attackers from siting artillery there.

At the time, Gullberg was separated from the city walls by a substantial expanse of open ground, as can be clearly seen in Dahlbergh's illustrations of Gothenburg, including the by-then finished Skansen Lejonet, from his famous Suecia antiqua et hodierna (1690–1710).

However, as the city expanded, Gullberg was enveloped by urban sprawl, and today Skansen Lejonet is situated in the middle of the marshalling yards outside Gothenburg Central Station.

[6] The fortress was complete by 1692, when the finishing touch was applied in the shape of a lion ornament fashioned by the sculptor Marcus Jäger the Elder.

[7] Skansen Lejonet is currently used as a venue for wedding banquets, conferences and private parties;[8] the building is owned by a fraternal order, Götiska Förbundet, not to be confused with the literary society of the same name which was active in the early nineteenth century.