Gothenburg is not a medieval town—the current town was founded in the 17th century by King Gustavus Adolphus on the tiny bit of west coast held by Sweden. Right across the river was the frontier with Denmark-ruled Norway, and the border with Denmark-proper was less then 20km away to the south. Sweden vanquished Denmark by […]
When we talk about the national dish of Sweden, things like köttbullar (meatballs) and surströmming (fermented fish) come to mind. But when it comes to snacks, kanelbulle (cinnamon bun) is probably one of the most frequently seen. Kanelbullar are usually in a whirlpool shape, and eaten at a fika with black coffee, together with friends […]
Helsingborg, a Scanian city on the east coast of the Sound (Öresund), is the nearest point of Sweden to Denmark (4 km to Elsinore/Helsingør). Helsing means “neck” (compare with the modern Swedish word hals), which is why the name is similar on both sides of the narrow Sound; similarly named places include the province of […]
Do you know Stockholm has a National City Park? The “national park in the city” concept was introduced in the 1990s and encompasses a large area of forests and fields east of downtown Stockholm, part of it being the royal game park of Djurgården. There are many animals like deer, horse and sheep. Some built […]
Advent calendar (julkalender, “Christmas calendar”) is a tradition of Sweden where you open one window per day and get the goodies behind, until Christmas. We start the Christmas month with a virtual tour of Gamla stan!
The new Golden Bridge (Guldbron) at Slussen will open this morning (26th) for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. The bridge is part of the New Slussen project, construction of which started in 2016. The whole project will finish in 2025, creating a brand new public space for Stockholm. King Carl XVI Gustav opened the bridge in […]
Congratulations for all of you who got a place to study in Sweden! Here are some tips to help you get started with life in this beautiful Nordic country: 1. Take note of your course outlines—you might be able to skip some lessons Your course outlines are not just about formalities; they contain important information […]
You might have heard of allemansrätten, or seen the name on IKEA’s packed sauces. The name literally means “everyman’s right”, and is an important part of Swedish outdoor culture. The right to roam is ancient and traditional, and codified into law in the 20th century. It’s even added to the constitution (grundlagen) in 1994. What […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the livelihood of those in the sports and culture industries. Currently, public activities with over 50 people are forbidden in Sweden, and consequently sports and culture are at a standstill, threatening livelihoods for many workers and entrepreneurs in the industries. After petitions from clubs, federations, artists, companies and many […]
The Swedish government proposes new legislation for a plastic tax, applicable to one-time plastic cups and food packaging. Each plastic cup will cost 5 kronor more, while each food packaging will be taxed 7 kronor. Food that must be packed using one-time plastics, such as yoghurt, will be exempted. Non-biodegradable plastics are a major threat […]