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From: alahelma@cc.Helsinki.FI (Antti Lahelma)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.nordic,soc.answers,news.answers
Subject: soc.culture.nordic FAQ, part 7/8 (Sweden)
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Date: 15 Feb 1995 16:32:42 +0200
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Summary: This posting is a part of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
file for the newsgroup soc.culture.nordic. Its purpose is to
introduce new readers to the group, provide some general information
about the Nordic countries (Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark and
Iceland) and to cover some of the topics frequently discussed in
the group.
Xref: bloom-beacon.mit.edu soc.culture.nordic:34974 soc.answers:2558 news.answers:35138
Archive-name: nordic-faq/sweden
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Version: 1.0
A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) -file for the newsgroup
S O C . C U L T U R E . N O R D I C
*** PART 7: SWEDEN ***
------------------------------
Subject: 7.1 Fact Sheet
Name: Konungariket Sverige
Telephone area code: 46
Area: 449,964 km2 / 173,629 sq mi.
Land boundaries: Norway, Finland
Terrain: mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west;
numerous lakes in the inland; large archipelagos on the
eastern coast.
Natural resources: iron ore, zinc, lead, copper, silver, timber,
hydropower
Population: 8,818,000 (1994)
Life expectancy: males: 75, females: 81 (1991)
Capital: Stockholm (pop. 650,000; metropolitan area 1,6 mill).
Other major towns: Gothenburg (450,000), Malmo" (235,000),
Uppsala (160,000), Linko"ping (120,000),
Norrko"ping (120,000)
Flag: a yellow Nordic cross on blue background.
Type: constitutional monarchy
Head of state: King Carl XVI Gustaf
Languages: Swedish, Finnish, Sami
Currency: krona (Swedish crown, SEK). 1 USD = 7.78 SEK (July 1994)
Climate: temperate in south with cold winters; sub-arctic in north.
Average temp. in Stockholm: -5C - 1C in Feb., 14C - 22C in
July.
Religion: Evangelic-Lutheran (91%), (official state-religion), Roman
Catholic (1.5%)
Exports: machinery, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood,
iron and steel products, chemicals, electronics
------------------------------
Subject: 7.2 General information
[By: Ahrvid Engholm>
Sweden occupies the Eastern part of the Scandinavian peninsula. Despite
this being as far up as southern Greenland, the climate is mild in the
summer, partly due to the effects of the Gulf stream. In the winter most
of the country is usually covered by snow, but winters can be rather mild
too (so called "green winters" occur at least once out of three years in
Stockholm).
The nation has its roots in the different kingdoms of the Viking Age, and
it may said to have been created when the King of the Svenonians (svearna)
assumed kingship over Goths (go"tarna) as well in early middle ages. The
word Sweden ("Sverige" in Swedish) comes from the Svenonians; "Sverige"
(Svea rike) means the realm of the Svenonians.
In medieval times the Swedes also pushed north to colonize the province now
known as Norrland, and over the Baltic Sea to conquer Finland. After the
era of the Kalmar Union between Denmark, Norway and Sweden, King Gustaf
Vasa created a more modern nation and made Sweden Lutheran. (Being able
to collect taxes from the Church and pay off national debts had a lot to
do with it). In the 1630's Sweden joined the 30 Years War in Germany, and
aquired a status of a great power that lasted for about 100 years. Finland
was lost to Russia in 1809, and Sweden was in a personal union with Norway
from 1814 to 1905.
Sweden's most valuable assets are forests, mines (especially iron, but
copper has also been important), and in modern days hydroelectric power.
The metallurgic industry was started in the 16th and 17th centuries, and
through the ages Sweden has been known as one of the biggest iron exporters
in the world. A mechanical industry came with the industrial revolution
in the 19th Century, and Swedish products such as steel (Sandvik), paper
(SCA and others), cars (Volvo and Saab), ball bearings (SKF), electrical
equipment (ASEA, now ABB), telephone equipment (Ericsson) have become
well known.
Sweden hasn't been involved in a war since 1814, mainly due to a strong
policy of neutrality. This policy may shift as Sweden in January 1995
joined the European Union (but the future isn't very clear yet). Sweden
is a constitutonal Monarchy, governed by a Riksdag (parliament) elected
every four years, and the Riksdag elects a government. There are old proto-
democratic traditions in Sweden. In the middle ages the kings were elected
for life by representatives for the free farmers, the city merchants, the
Church and the aristocracy. Even when the monarchy was made hereditary,
the elected Riksdag retained substantial power (though the King sometimes
managed to push this power back). These traditions played an important role
as modern democracy gradually took over in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Two important political concepts emerge from Sweden: the ombudsman, a
representative elected by the parliament to watch public administrations
and with the power to prosecute, and the principle of official documents
("offentlighetsprincipen"), which says that all state documents are a priori
public (unless declared secret under special laws).
Swedish is Germanic language, very closely related to Danish and Norwegian
(most Swedes can understand Danish and Norwegian), and somewhat less close
to German, Dutch and English. There are many words borrowed from German,
French (18th Century) and English (later). Literature and music is important
in Swedish culture. Authors like August Strindberg (18xx-19xx), Selma
Lagerlo"f (18xx-19xx) and Astrid Lindgren (19xx-) are among the best known.
There aren't many internationally known Swedish composers, but Swedes have
an ancient fondness for ballads and trubadours (Carl Michael Bellman
(17xx-17xx) for example), and in the later days Swedish pop and rock groups
have reached international fame (e.g ABBA, Army of Lovers, Ace of Base, etc).
Various sports are popular in Sweden, especially team sports like soccer
and ice hockey, but also for example tennis and table-tennis, outdoor
activities like skiing and orienteering. Science and technology also plays
an important role in the modern Swedish society. Private companies fund
substantial research and development, and the government funds research
at the universities. Examples are the JAS Gripen fighter project, and the
information technology strategies put forth by the Bildt (1991-1994)
government (now evaluated by the new Carlsson government).
Swedes work hard, pay high taxes, try to be open minded to other cultures
(there is much immigration, which most people seem to accept), enjoy their
traditions (around Christmas and Midsummer, for instance), but it is not
actually true they are among the heaviest drinkers in the world. Statistics
in the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet January 7 1995 shows Swedish alcohol
consumtion to be on only 21st place among a selection of the industrialized
nations, with 6,1 (100% pure) liters of alcohol/year (after most Western
European countries and USA).
------------------------------
Subject: 7.3 History
A chronology of important dates:
800-1050 Viking age. The kingdom of 'Sveas' gets a leading position,
its capital is in (Gamla) Uppsala. The Swedish vikings mostly
travel east, to Russia and Byzantium.
829 The German bishop Ansgar introduces Christianity to Sweden.
1004 Olof Sko"tkonung was baptized, and made Christianity the
official religion of Sweden. Several pagan kings followed
him, though.
11th ct. Sweden becomes Christian, and the country is united into a
single kingdom. Sweden conquers Finland through a series of
'crusades'.
1250 Stockholm becomes the capital.
1344 St. Birgitta (1303-1373), Sweden's most important medieval
saint, starts to write down her Heavenly Revelations and
decides to start a convent in Vadstena. The Brigittine Order
exists even today in many countries.
1397- The Nordic kingdoms are united as the 'Kalmar Union', led
1521 by Denmark.
1477 Uppsala university founded; the oldest university in the
Nordic countries.
1520 When the Danish king Christian II is coronated in Stockholm,
he executes 100 Swedish noblemen who belong to the Sture-
party. This so called 'Stockholm bloodbath' causes a
rebellion in Sweden which is led by Gustaf Vasa.
1523 With the help of the Hansa-city of Lu"beck, Vasa defeats
the Danes and is elected king. The Kalmar Union ceases to
exist.
1527 Reformation confirmed by the diet of Va"steraas. Sweden
becomes Lutheran and the Church is stripped of its riches.
1560 Gustav Vasa's son, the mentally unstable Erik XIV, becomes
king, and in 1561 he starts Sweden's overseas conquests
by capturing northern Estonia from the Teutonic Knights.
1568 Erik marries a common soldier's daughter Karin Ma*nsdotter
after unsuccesfully courting e.g Elizabeth I of England
and Mary Stuart of Scotland. In the same year, his brother
Johan, duke of Finland, turns against Erik imprisons him.
The duke becomes king Johan III and his brother, having been
sent from one prison to another for nine years, is poisoned
in 1577.
1590-95 Sweden fights a smaller war with Russia that ends with
the peace of Teusina and the recognition of Sweden's
right to northern Estonia.
1594-99 The Catholic Sigismund, the son of Johan III and the Polish
duchess Katarina Jagellonica, becomes king, and Sweden enters
a personal union with Poland.
1596-99 Civil war between Sigismund's uncle, duke Karl, and those
nobles who were loyal to king Sigismund. As a result, Sigis-
mund is kicked out, and the duke becomes king Karl IX.
1617 Sweden gets Ingria and Kexholm province in the peace of
Stolbova with Russia.
1629 Poland cedes Livonia to Sweden in the peace of Altmark.
1630-48 Gustav II Adolf (Gustavus Adolphus) interferes in the Thirty
Years' War (1616-48) and Swedish troops fight in Russia,
Poland, Austria and Germany. The "Lion of the North" achieves
legendary status as the defender of Protestants, he receives
crushing victories but his appetite for conquest grows too
large and eventually the king is killed in the battle
of Lu"tzen, 1632, after which the war fortunes waded back
and forth for the following 16 years. Gustav's daughter
Christina becomes queen; as she is still under age the
country is led until 1644 by Sweden's perhaps most famous
statesman Axel Oxenstierna. In the peace treaty of
Westphalia, 1648, Sweden wins the German territories
(Vorpommern, Ru"gen, Stettin, Wismar, and Bremen-Verden)
and becomes a major power.
1638 Sweden's American colony, "New Sweden" (in present day
Delaware) is founded and settled by Swedish and Finnish
pioneers. The colony remains in Swedish hands only for 17
years, and is lost to the Dutch.
1645 Sweden gets Gotland, O"sel (Saaremaa), Ja"mtland and Ha"rje-
dal from Denmark in the peace of Bro"msebro.
1654 Queen Christina, the daughter of Gustav II Adolf, converts
to Catholicism and gives up the crown. She spends the rest
of her life in Rome. Her reign had been one of favouring
arts, culture, science and philosophy, and the conversion
of the daughter of the greatest enemy of Catholicism was
a brilliant propaganda victory for the Catholic counter-
reformation. On the other hand, she had ruined Sweden's
economy by raising hundreds of new families into nobility
who were excempted from taxation.
1658 The peace treaty of Roskilde gives Sweden the Danish provinces
of Skaane, Blekinge, Halland and Bohusla"n.
1700-21 The Great Northern War. Sweden is attacked by an alliance of
Denmark, Poland and Russia. The young king Karl XII invades
Denmark forcing it to accept a seperate peace. He then turns
towards Russia, lands in Estonia with 10 000 men and achieves
a glorious victory in the battle of Narva against a three
times larger Russian army. With Russia and Denmark beaten,
Karl XII neglects all suggestions of negotiating peace and
attacks Poland. This gives Peter I of Russia time to raise
a new army and to start reconquering the Swedish territories.
Karl XII eventually succeeds in subduing Poland, and starts
a new campaign against Russia heading for Moscow. The troops
that were planned to come to aid the main army, however,
never manage to show up, and Karl is forced to turn south
to Ukraine because of problems with supply. There he suffers
a crushing defeat in the battle of Poltava 28.6.1709 and
most of the Swedish army surrenders while Karl XII manages
to escape with a thousand men to Turkey. He spent several
years there trying to form a new allianace against Russia.
1714 With Finland occupied by Russians, most of the Baltic
provinces lost and Sweden itself threatened by a Russian
invasion, the estates and Riksdag decide that a peace
is necessary, but since the king was still in Turkey a
messenger was sent there to inform that Sweden would
accept any peace terms given unless the king soon returns
to Sweden. Karl XII reacts immediately, rides through the
whole Europe with only one man accompanying him in 15
days. After the king had returned, all talk of peace was
banned. In 1716 he still manages to raise an army of 40 000
men, and attacks Norway in 1718.
1718 Karl XII gets killed while laying siege to Fredrikshald in
Norway. To this date, it isn't known whether the bullet
came from the Norwegian or Swedish side. Whether he was
assassinated or not, his death put a welcome end to the
Swedish campaigns and the exhausted nation could eventually
achieve peace.
1720-21 Peace treaties with Hannover, Prussia, and Denmark leave
Sweden only Stralsund, Ru"gen and parts of Vorpommern of
its former "German territories". The most severe of the
peace treaties is, however, the one with Russia signed
in Nystad in 1721. Sweden loses all its Baltic territories,
the southeastern part of Finland, and ultimately its status
as a major power.
1718-72 The so called Age of Freedom. Political power shifts from the
king to the estates.
1741-43 "The War of the Hats". The French-minded "Hat party"
advocating agressive foreign politics became a majority
in the Riksdag and declares war on Russia. The war goes
miserably and Finland is occupied by Russia. In the peace
treaty of Turku, Russia however agrees to gaining only
fairly minor territories in eastern Finland because Swedes
agree to having Russian-approved Adolf Fredrik to enter
the Swedish throne.
1772 Gustav III performs a coup and restores absolute monarchy;
the beginning of the "Gustavian era". Gustav's rule is
authoritarian and freedom of speech is limited, but in the
spirit of "enlightened autocracy" he pushes through many
important reforms that the estates had been unable to decide
on during the Age of Freedom. Swedish economy strenghtens,
laws are made more humane, new towns and roads are built,
the navy is reformed and arts are favoured.
1788-90 Gustav's war against Russia. Sweden attacks Russia hoping
to reconquer eastern parts of Finland and Ingria. The troops
are poorly motivated, the war goes badly, a rebellion
known as Anjala-alliance rises among the Finnish officers
and Gustav has to stop the Russian campaign. Meanwhile,
Denmark attacks Sweden, but finds England and Prussia
opposing all military actions in the Danish straits, and
is forced to accept a truce. In June 1789 the war in the
eastern front is continued, but no with no significant
advance on land and several defeats on sea. However, on
9.7.1790 in Svensksund on the Finnish coast, the Swedish
navy achieves a glorious victory in the largest naval battle
ever fought on the Baltic sea. After this, Russia accepts
a peace offered by Sweden but the peace involves no ceding
of territories.
1792 Gustav attends a masked ball in Stockholm's opera despite
the several warnings about conspirators planning an assas-
sination. Around midnight, he is mortally wounded by a
certain J.J.Anckarstro"m, and dies a couple of weeks later.
Duke Charles becomes a regent while the young crown prince
Gustav Adolf is under age.
1808-09 The War of Finland. Russia had agreed in the treaty of Tilsit
to pressure Sweden to join the Napoleonic anti-British trade
blockade, but Sweden refuses to listen to the Russian ulti-
matums and scare-tactics and remains opposed to Napoleon.
Eventually, when all diplomatic means have failed, Russia
attacks Finland. Despite brief victories, the war goes
badly for Sweden and by the spring of 1809 the Finnish
troops had surrendered, the main army had retreated to
Sweden and in the peace treaty of Fredrikshamn the whole
of Finland was joined to Russia. Because of the disastrous
war Gustav IV Adolf loses power and a new constitution is
written that puts an end to Gustavian autocracy.
1810 One of Napoleon's generals, Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, is
elected as the heir to throne. Despite this Sweden joins the
British-led anti-Napoleon alliance. In 1818, he becomes king
Carl XIV Johan.
1814- In return for its anti-Napoleonic stance, Sweden receives
1905 Norway in the treaty of Vienna, and two countries are united
in a personal union, with Sweden occupying a leading
position.
1901 First Nobel Prize award
20th ct. Sweden manages to stay out of both World Wars, achieves a high
standard of living and becomes a welfare state.
1939-45 Sweden declares itself neutral at the eve of the war but
has to compromise on several occasions to avoid direct
conflict with Germany. Sweden continues to deliver iron
ore and other strategic goods to Nazi Germany and allows
the transfer of German soldiers through its territory.
At the same time, however, Sweden acts as a haven for
refugees coming from the neighbouring countries, provides
aid to Finland in its fight with the USSR and trains Danish
and Norwegian police troops that were used to restore order
after the German surrender. At the close of the war Sweden
returns the Baltic refugees to Stalin's Soviet Union (so
called 'Baltutla"mningen').
1986 Feb.28, prime minister Olof Palme is assassinated while
returning from movies. The motive and the killer remain
unknown.
1994 Sweden held a referendum about joining the European Union
in November 13th, and a "YES" result was achieved.
1995 As of January 1st Sweden became a full member of the EU.
[I'm a bit hazy on Sweden's post-1809 history. If you think something
ought to be added/corrected just tell me. I'm sure the earlier history
lacks something as well]
7.3.1 A list of Swedish monarchs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ca 990 Erik (the victorious)
ca 1000 Olof Sko"tkonung, baptized as a Christian in 1008
1019-50 Anund Jakob
1050-60 Emund den gamle (the old)
ca. 1160 Stenkil
1066-80 Halsten
1080-1110 Inge the elder
1110-18 Filip
1118-1120 Inge the younger
ca. 1130 Ragnvald
1135-56 Sverker the elder
1158-60 Erik IX den helige (St. Eric)
1160-67 Karl VII Sverkersson
1167-96 Knut Eriksson
1196-1208 Sverker Karlsson the younger
1208-16 Erik X Knutsson
1216-22 Johan Sverkersson
1222-29 Erik XI Eriksson
1229-34 Knut Holmgersson den la*nge (the long)
1234-49 Erik XI Eriksson la"spe och halte (lisp and limp)
1250-75 Valdemar Birgersson
1275-90 Magnus Birgersson Ladula*s
1290-1318 Birger Magnusson, under age until 1298
1319-64 Magnus Eriksson, under age until 1332.
1363-89 Albrekt av Mecklenburg
1389-1412 Margareta (queen of the Kalmar Union)
1412-34 Erik av Pommern (king of the Kalmar Union)
1441-48 Kristoffer av Bayern (king of the Kalmar Union)
1448-57 Karl Knutsson (regent of Sweden)
1457-64 Kristian I (king of the Kalmar Union)
1464-70 Karl Knutsson (regent of Sweden)
1471-97 Sten Sture the elder (regent of Sweden)
1497-1501 Hans (king of the Kalmar Union)
1501-03 Sten Sture the elder (regent of Sweden)
1504-11 Svante Nilsson Sture (regent of Sweden)
1512-20 Sten Sture the younger (regent of Sweden)
1520-21 Kristian II (king of the Kalmar Union)
1523-60 Gustav I Vasa
1560-68 Erik XIV
1568-92 Johan III
1594-99 Sigismund III Vasa
1599-1611 Karl IX
1611-32 Gustav II Adolf
1632-54 Kristina, under age until 1644
1654-60 Karl X Gustav
1660-97 Karl XI, under age until 1672
1697-1718 Karl XII
1719-20 Ulrika Eleonora
1720-51 Fredrik I
1751-71 Adolf Fredrik
1771-92 Gustav III
1792-1809 Gustav IV Adolf
[incomplete; could someone with easy to access to this data please
send the rest of the lot]
------------------------------
Subject: 7.4 Main tourist attractions
[collected from various articles by different people>
7.4.1 Stockholm area
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Major attractions in Stockholm: the National Museum (of art), the
Modern Museum (of art), the Vasa Museum (with the 17th Century warship
Vasa), the Historical Museum, the Nordic Museum, the Museum of Natural
History (with Cosmonova omni theatre), the Museum of Naval History,
the Royal Opera, the Royal Dramatic Theatre, the Skansen outdoor museum
and zoo, the Gro"na Lund amusement park, the Old Town, the Royal Palace
(with the Royal Armoury), the Globe (ice-hockey, rock concerts, sports
events etc).
In August each year we have the Stockholm Water Festival, an annual
cultural and entertainment event sponsored by the city council and local
business life. The one and a half week festival offers special exhibitions,
concerts, shows, fireworks, an impromptu shopping mall in the Old Town
with street restaurants, outdoor movie shows, activities for children,
etc. The offcial guide of the festival each year lists more than 1 000
festival events.
The Stockholm archipelago with tens and tens of thousands of islands
is very popular in the summer. You can take the white Waxholm boats to
the archipelago. A popular area for summer houses.
- Have a tour around Stockholm by sightseeing boat. Or see the city on a
regular boat trip. In that case, note Skeppsholmen and Kastellholmen,
formerly navy base. Then get the most condensed view of the old town.
Further out, note Waldermarsudde, home of artist late Prince Eugen, now
museum. Young artists will give concerts here summertime. Then a white
building with towers, home of late Marcus Wallenberg. Finally two beautiful
houses from baroque on point Blockhusudden.
- Drottningholm. Accessed by land or by boat. Home of the royal family.
Theatre with advanced scene mechanism from 18th century, in use today. Park
in the style of Versailles, with 'Kina slott', romantic building in Chinese
style.
- The Medieval Museum (Medeltidsmuseet) and the Royal Armoury
(Livrustkammaren).
- Open-air museum Skansen in Djurgaarden should preferably be seen when
all workshops are open which will not be until the end of August. At least
some of them should however be open every Sunday. Skansen also has a Zoo.
You can get there with the museum tram line leaving from Norrmalmstorg.
SUGGESTED WALKS OR BIKE RIDES AROUND STOCKHOLM
- Along shore Norr Maelarstrand. Out door cafe. Then one will come to the
City Hall. Enter the tower.
- From Djurgaarden eastwards along the shore to Blockhusudden. Bring a
picnic basket early in the morning.
- On the hills of Soedermalm, with red cottages dispersed among the stone
houses. Fine views over the water.
- Along the shores of Reimersholme. Then, on the way to bridge Vaesterbron,
pass by 'Lasse i parken' (cafe in a red cottage). Go over Vaesterbron and
again come to Norr Maelarstrand.
- On Skeppsholmen and Kastellholmen. Museum of Eastern antiques. Youth
hostel and out-door cafe.
There is no particular restaurant area in Stockholm. Stureplan and around
however is somewhat of a meeting place. It is also close to water.
In later years the south side (Soedermalm), especially around Medborgar-
platsen, has emerged as an important area of restaurants and pubs. There
are over a hundred of them within 5 minutes walking distance from Medbor-
garplatsen.
Plenty of choir concerts are given in the churches and the choirs are
generally very good.
There are some places close to Stockholm which should be seen, if possible.
- Gripsholm castle, accessed e.g. with s/s Mariefred on a one-day trip;
oldest part was built in the 1380's. Interesting because it's different
styles inside reflect different epochs.
- Home and orangery of the famous botanist Carl von Linne in Uppsala.
- Hammarby, east of Uppsala. Summer resort of Linne, used by him for
lecturing.
- O"sterbybruk, north of Uppsala. The pre-industrial factories called
'bruk' are peculiar for Sweden. A 'bruk' was a complete community. They are
dispersed throughout middle Sweden. O"sterbybruk is very well preserved.
- Skokloster at lake Maelaren. Castle from about the same time as
man-of-war Vasa. Armoury collection.
(Rent a car in order to visit the previous four items.)
- The remains of Birka in lake Maelaren. Birka could be considered capital
of Sweden during the Viking age. Best accessed by boat.
SUGGESTED ONE-DAY ARCHIPELAGO TRIPS FROM STOCKHOLM
- Sandhamn on island Sando"n. Have beefsteak lunch onboard on the steamer.
From the harbour, walk southwards to village Sandhamn. Then follow the
southern shore of the island to point Trouville. Find a suitable way back
to the village. Be careful to enter the right boat back. Avoid Saturdays
and Sundays.
- Kymmendo". Strindberg's Hemso". Restricted area. Ask for permission at
the police office.
- Ro"dlo"ga. Small formerly fishing village. Forest meadows and hardwood
forest, very impressing that far out in the sea. It will however be at its
best in early summer. The main island of this detached archipelago is
rather small and will be walked around in one hour. Choose between
Saturdays or Sundays.
- Husaro".
If you have the time, stay over night somewhere. There are accommodations
at several places. Buy a smoked fish if there are not any restaurants.
Check restricted (military) areas on the map. Ticks is not a big problem,
but ask for advice if you are uncertain.
On a half-day trip from Stockholm one can go to Vaxholm. See the citadel
(open until 16.00) with gunnery museum and minute exhibition about the
Ytterby mine, known for ytterbium, yttrium, terbium, holmium, scandium,
gadolinium and lanthanum. The mine itself may be visited but is hardly
worth seeing and minerals may not be collected. Open air cafe in the
citadel.
7.4.2 The rest of Sweden
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the north, people appreciate the beauty of the mountain range ('fja"ll-
va"rlden'), where you can hike, fish, pick berries, ski (in the winter) or
see the midnight sun (in the summer and far north). There are several big
national parks here.
The province of Dalarna is the "home" of the traditional Midsummer
celebrations, where people dance around the Midsummer poles in traditional
folk dresses.
A popular route is Go"ta Kanal, on which you can go on boat from
Norrko"ping to Gothenburg and at the same time see a cross section of
the mid-Sweden country side.
The island of Gotland, in the middle of the Baltic, is very popular
in the summer. This limestone island has a beautiful nature, and the
old ring wall around the Gotland city of Visby is almost totally
intact. An important event is the Medieval Week (medeltidsveckan)
arranged in Visby in August every year, with knights, Medieval markets, etc.
Skaane (Scania) is the Swedish province that gives an almost Central
European impression. The landscape is very flat and much of it is farmed.
You'll find beautiful beech woods here and everywhere you see the traditional
black and white houses ('korsvirkeshus'). Many like to rent or own summer
houses on the Scanian country side.
------------------------------
Subject: 7.5 Addresses; Internet and regular mail
INTERNET
--------
* e-mail addresses *
Swedish members of parliament can be reached at:
firstnamn.lastname@riksdagen.400net.tip.net
statsministern@sb.gov.se (Prime minister, Ingvar Carlsson)
vicestatsministern@sb.gov.se (Vice prime minister, Mona Sahlin)
utbministern@utb.gov.se (Minister of education, Carl Tham)
rapport@basys.svt.se (Rapport, TV2 news cast)
aktuellt@svt.se (Aktuellt, TV1 news cast)
chefred@expressen.se (the editor-in-chief of Sweden's biggest daily,
Expressen)
70247.3516@compuserve.com (Radio Sweden International)
chief@lysator.liu.se (Erik) (He runs a mailing-list dealing with
Scandinavian indie-pop)
NB! A much more exhaustive list of Swedish Internet addresses can be
obtained at:
ftp.sunet.se:/pub/doc/network/addresslistan
Soon, it will be available by WWW as well, at the address:
http://tpx5.hfb.se:8000/
If you are interested in science fiction, order NESFAD (Nordic Electronic
Science Fiction Address Directory) with some 250 E-addresses to Nordic
sf-fans. Write to Ben Roimola [broimola@abo.fi> or Ahrvid Engholm [ahrvid@
stacken.kth.se>
A mailing-list for people interested in Sweden and Swedish culture,
consisting of mostly Swedish people living abroad and and lots of other
people interested in Sweden, can be obtained by sending mail to:
listserv@cmuvm.csv.cmich.edu
With the message body:
subscribe swede-l [your address>
The list is maintained by Jonas Andersson [34LSP36@cmuvm.csv.cmich.edu>,
and the language used is English.
* FTP *
ftp.lysator.liu.se (Project Runeberg; Nordic books in ASCII form)
ftp.luth.se
ftp.sunet.se
* Gopher *
gopher.sb.gov.se (Information Rosenbad)
Rosenbad is the name of the Swedish governtment's main building. This
gohper should contain information from the government. Supposedly, you
can reach the other ministers this way. It can also be reached by phone:
+46-(0)8-791 83 00
gopher.sunet.se
* WWW *
By connecting with Mosaic to:
http://www.sunet.se/map/sweden.html
you'll get an incomplete map on WWW servers, gopher Servers and ftp
archives in Sweden (among them the www server http://www.sb.gob.se/)
* MUD *
SvenskMUD is a mud where the language used for texts and commands is
swedish. The mud's setting is in the swedish culture and you can
encounter things like rumpnissar, g{rdar och grustag.
You can enter Svenskmud if you connect to:
svenskmud.mud.lysator.liu.se port 2046 (for iso-8859 chars) or
svenskmud.mud.lysator.liu.se port 2043 (for iso-646 chars).
Login as 'g{st'.
Or you can read about it (in swedish) if you www to:
http://www.lysator.liu.se:7500/mud/svmud/svenskmud.html
from where you can also enter the game.
Notice:
* If you don't know swedish, don't expect to be able to do anything at all.
* If you want to learn Swedish, this is probably *NOT* a good place
to start. As with the English-language MUDs, the language used in the
MUD is in some respects simpler, and in some respects more complicated
than the language people normally use.
REGULAR MAIL
------------
Swedish Tourist Board
Sverigehuset-Kungstradgarden
Box 7473
Stockholm, 10392, Sweden
phone: +46-8-789-20-00; FAX +46-8-21-35-55
Swedish Tourist Board (USA)
655 Third Ave.
New York, NY 10017
phone: +1-212-697-3964; FAX +1-212-697-0835
Rotspel (Pierre Alwert)
Box 70
S-129 21 Haegersten
SWEDEN
tel and FAX: 011-46-8-18 00 06
(Swedish folk music)
Books, CDs and accessories
Leif Alsjoe
Foerlaget Emma
S-740 61 Tobo
SWEDEN
tel and FAX: 011-46-295-300 35
Swedish Institute, SI
Sverigehuset, Kungstra"dgaarden
Box 7434
S-10391 Stockholm,SWEDEN
Telephone:++46-8-789 20 00
Faximile: ++46-8-20 72 48
The Swedish Institute is a important source of information on Sweden.
Among their activities are:
-Documentation, ask for fact sheets and newsletters on Sweden
-Arranging seminars and visits for foreign students, professors, etc
-Information on studies and grants
-NAMIC--National Academic Mobility Information Centre
The newsletters and fact-sheets are free for foreigners, write or
call them and you will be put up on a mailing-list. They also have
catalogs on books, CD's and films about Sweden and the Swedish
culture.
Office du Tourisme SuΘdois
11 rue Payenne
75003 PARIS
tel. (1) 42.72.58.77
fax. (1) 42.72.58.49
Centre Culturel SuΘdois
11 rue Payenne
75003 PARIS
tel. (1) 44.78.80.20
Here you can find news about Swedish culture, politics, history etc.
They also offer Swedish courses.
Bibliotheque Nordique
6 rue Valette
75005 PARIS
tel. (1) 43.29.61.00
------------------------------
Subject: 7.6 Swedish literature, language, etc.
Novels and poetry
-----------------
Dictionaries and other study-material
-------------------------------------
Holmes, Philip and Serin, Gunilla: "Colloquial Swedish,"
New York: Routledge, 1990, ISBN 0-415-02803-5. Cassette available
Beite, Ann-Mari, Englund, Gertrud, Higelin, Siv & Hildeman, Nils-Gustav:
Basic Swedish Grammar, 1963
Hildeman, et al: Learn Swedish, Swedish Reader for Beginners, 1959
All Almqvist & Wiksell: Practice Swedish, Exercises in the Swedish
Language, 1957
Nyborg, Roger & Pettersson, Nils-Owe: Svenska Utifran, La"robok i svenska,
Svenska Institutet, 1991 ISBN 91-520-0268-3
McClean, R.J: Teach Yourself Swedish, London, The English Universities
Press, 1947. Newer reprint available.
In French:
_Le suedois sans peine - svenska paa la"tt sa"tt_
Part I and II, ed. ASSIMIL, 1986. Easily found in any bookshop. These
two books are a sort of small FAQ about Sverige : *skaal*, herrings and
bier, Americans with Swedish backgrounds, etc. Two sets of cassettes can
be bought with the books.
For history:
Moberg, Vilhelm: A History of the Swedish People, New York: Pantheon Books,
1973 ISBN 0-394-48973-X.
------------------------------
Subject: 7.7 Scania
[By: Malte Lewan>
SKAANE AND SKAANELAND
Lat: Scania, Eng: Scania, Ger: die Schonen, Fr: la Scanie
"Skaane" is old Danish/Scanian and means "the dangerous beach". It's not
possible for any modern speaker to see that now, just by looking at the
word.
Skaane is the most southern of the provinces in Sweden. Together with
Blekinge, Halland and Danish Bornholm, it has it's own history while it
was an integral part of Denmark all the years before 1658 except 1332-
1360 when Denmark had no king and was in chaos. The four provinces
are together called "Skaaneland" in Swedish or "Skaanelandene" in Danish.
In latin it was "Scania". After 1658, Bornholm continued to be Danish
while the other provinces became Swedish.
"Scania" is used as representing "Skaaneland" in the text below but
not in a strict sense. Sometimes the meaning might be closer to the
province of Skaane. And Bornholm will in this use often not be included.
When emphasizing that it is only the southern province that is referred
to, "Skaane" is used, when emphasizing that all provinces are referred
to, "Skaaneland" will be used.
THE FLAG
The Scanian flag is read with yellow ribbons and is more square than
both the Danish and Swedish ones. The measurements are based on the
_old_ (1748-1926) Danish measures for its flag. They are 3-1-4.5 in
length and 3-1-3 in height.
The flag is most likely (though not proved) from the archbishop in Lund
Andreas Sunesen (1201-1228) who then was archbishop for all of Norden.
(But the country diocese ("landestiftet") where the Scanian law was in
force was Skaaneland). He got it as a crusader in Latvia and a stay in
Riga. The fact that the flag is like a Danish-Swedish combination with
what could have been borrowed colors from these flags is a coincidence.
The Swedish flag is younger.
The Scanian flag itself (though other yellow-red symbols existed) was
probably pretty much forgotten until Mathias and Martin Weibull
"reinvented" it around the end of the last century. First, it was used
very sparingly but the use has grown and does so even today. But only
outside one of the Scanian townhalls, in Ystad, is the Scanian flag
flying so far. It is more used by the people, depending on area in
Scania. The Swedish flag is still more common.
As late as in March 1992, the flag was registered in the Scandinavian
Roll of Armor. At the same time, the Scanian coat of arms was
registered: a golden panther on red background with hind legs like a
lion and front legs like an eagle . The day of the Scanian flag is the
third Sunday in July.
SOME HISTORY
An event that was in people's minds for a long while was that in 1612,
Gustav II Adolf's troops killed people in 24 congreations in Scania
and in the 1660's, the Scanian rebels - the "snapphanar", a well-known
word even today - were pierced and were put up and made an example of
along the Scanian country roads.
A certain level of self-governing remained until 1720 but then ceased to
exist. The last time there was any fighting about the status of Scania
was in 1811 in Klaagerup outside Malmoe. Peasants stood up to get rid of
the Swedish rulers but lost.
INTERNATIONAL STATUS
Scania is a member of the national minority organisations FUEV
(Foederalistische Union Europaeischer Volksgruppen) which is located in
Flensburg, Germany. Only regions with their own language, clearly
defined border and a history to go back to, are accepted in FUEV.
It is also a recent member of UNPO (Unrepresented Nations and Peoples
Organisation). UNPO is the alternative for minorities of the world which
are for example not represented in the UN. Before the entrance into the
organisation, UNPO was told by Swedish authorities that the Scanians
have been totally assimilated into the Swedish culture but was later
convinced by the Scanian "Stiftelsen Skaansk Framtid" that that was not
the case. UNPO is located in Haag, Netherlands.
LANGUAGE
Most people today agree that the language spoken today is Swedish but
there are a few old local words still in use. For example:
paag = boy (Sw: pojke)
rulleboer = wheelbarrow (Sw: skottkaerra)
moella = mill (Sw: kvarn)
hutta = throw (Sw: kasta)
The Skaane accent is characterized by the r's that are made using the
root of the tongue in the "French way" as well as lots of diphthongs
which standard Swedish lacks entirerly.
There are no original ethnic minorities living in Scania but there are
a few tens of thousand of Danes that have moved in after World War II.
Some are living in Landskrona and others have houses in Northern Skaane.
MISCELLANEOUS
The populations of the four provinces are today:
Skaane: 1 100 000
Halland: 250 000
Blekinge: 150 000
Bornholm: 50 000
The big cities in Skaane are
Malmoe: 250 000
Lund: 90 000
Helsingborg: 110 000
Kristianstad: 70 000
The biggest newspaper is "Sydsvenska Dagbladet" that has its base in
Malmoe but covers south western Skaane equally well. It is independently
liberal. In the same area, there are "Arbetet" and "Skaanska Dagbladet".
Lund is the only university in Scania. Other schools for higher
education in the same university area of southern Sweden are in
Vaexsjoe, Kalmar, Karlskrona/Ronneby, Kristianstad and Halmstad. There
are also quite big university independent schools in Malmoe, and Lund
University holds some courses in Helsingborg and Joenkoeping as well.
There are ferries between Copenhagen and Malmoe, Helsingborg-Helsingoer,
Landskrona-Tuborg (close to Copenhagen) and of course to the islands Ven
and Bornholm. There are also ones to Germany (Trevemuende and Sassnitz)
and Poland and sometimes to Lithuania. A few other ones exist too.
THE BRIDGE
A bridge will be built between a point just south of Malmoe and the
airport of Copenhagen which is the biggest in northern Europe. The
bridge will be 16.5 km long and will carry cars as well as trains. The
current regional trains in Skaane and in Sjaelland (the island on which
Copenhagen lies) will be connected. It will take 28 min to go from
Copenhagen to Malmoe and 41 min to go to Lund. The university town of
Roskilde will be on the same connection (26 min from Copenhagen).
The bridge is supposed to be finished 1999, on June 27. It will be
financed by the cars who'll pay a few hundred SEK for a single trip,
just below the prices of today's ferries. Train passengers will only pay
the normal price of 50 SEK in today's money.
The bridge has been debated a lot because there have been worries about
the environmental effects. The flow of water between the Baltic Sea and
the North Sea is one of the problems since it could be affected. The
current solution is supposed to make sure there is no change in this
water transportation.
PLANS FOR A REGION
There is a lot of talk today in all kinds of sectors in Skaane public
life about the prospect of a united region together with Sjaelland and
Copenhagen. That's a goal every local politician seems to acknowledge.
There are ideas about common transportation cards, a common tv-channel,
all kinds of cooperations in science, sports etc, a common labor market,
and even common Olympic Games in the year of 2008. Skaane will be a
part of Copenhagen's arrangements as cultural capital of Europe in 1996.
The bridge has been considered important to achieve a working united
region and so has membership in the EU which could bring a common
currency, an abolition of customs controls, common regional EU financed
funds etc. The public opinion is the most favorable towards the EU in
all of Sweden.
Scanian regionalism is also considered getting a chance to flourish with
the EU Commitee of Regions in which the member states regions will have
representatives. Two Swedish representatives have already got
observatory status and happen to both be Scanians. In the case of full
membership, Sweden will have 12 representatives.
There is also a discontent with the centralisation of a lot of cultural,
and administrative activities around the capital Stockholm. For example
has there been a cultural research that showed that Stockholm gets six
times higher cultural subsidies than Malmoe per inhabitant. The
editorial offices of national radio- and tv-stations are usually located
in Stockholm which gives a Stockholm perspective in programs. Much more
is mentioned.
Sweden is supposed to get a new division into regions in the next years.
For the moment there are 24 smaller administrative provinces dating back
to the 1630's and in the future, there might be three to nine regions.
What is discussed now is which areas will belong together and many
different alternatives have come up. In most of them, Skaaneland is
broken apart and Skaane itself will be one region. Especially Halland is
a problem on most maps since at least the municipalties don't seem to
feel having any special bonds to Skaane anymore but Halland is not
naturally fitting into any other regions either. One solution is to
divide it into one northern and one southern part and let the southern
part belong to the Skaane region. The status of Blekinge is more often
put into the Skaane region but mostly to a northern region as well.
What seems to be most important to local Skaane politicians about the
future Scanian region is:
1. The existence of a regional parliament to take care of issues
involving both the administrative provinces that compose Skaane, for
example transportation issues: buses and trains.
b. Many feel this parliament should be elected directly by the people
and not elected by the municipality assemblies.
2. That the new organisation does away with all other existing
structures and replaces them, for example to take care of the medical
service. The responsibility is then focused to one point. The nightmare
would be to have yet another half powerless joint body with only few
areas with authority. The difficulty for the ordinary citizen to grasp
the procedures in the mix of organisations there is today has been
called undemocratic. There is also twice done work in the different
organisations and it's a difficult environment for new initiatives.
3. The power of taxation.
Sources: "Skaanelands flagga", Sven-Olle R Olsson, 1993
Newspaper articles from "Sydsvenska Dagbladet", 1992-
Brochures by SVEDAB (Svensk-Danska Brofoerbindelsen AB), 93-94
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-END OF PART 7-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-