Scan Magazine | Issue 50 | March 2013

MARCH 2013 ISSUE 50 PROMOTING BRAND SCANDINAVIA

TONE DAMLI: THE RIGHT TONE CULTURE IN SWEDEN 2013 WELLNESS IN DENMARK NORWEGIAN CULTURAL EXPERIENCES

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Scan Magazine | Contents

Contents COVER FEATURE 8

8

Tone Damli Tone Damli, one of Norway’s biggest pop stars, has been up to a lot recently, including launching her own television show, releasing a clothing line, acting as a judge on Norwegian Idol, performing at Melodifestivalen, and working with the producers behind the most recent hits by Justin Bieber, Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Lopez.

SPECIAL THEMES 21

Culture in Sweden 2013 To get to know a people or a nation you need to study its history and cultural expressions, a truth that has been known to tourists for centuries.

Sweden is rich in culture, and its heritage is more accessible and welcoming to its citizens and foreign tourists than ever before.

30

Norwegian Cultural Experiences Find out more about the different cultural and historical experiences that Norway has to offer, from open-air museums to theatre performances in the wild and curiosities from the Second World War.

40

Fishing in Norway Winding fjords and crystal-clear lakes teeming with fish – Norway presents an angler’s paradise. Norwegians take great pride in their natural heritage, and it is easy to understand why.

44

Inspiration from Sweden The general high quality of products coming out of Sweden has been recognised for a long time.

It is something that both well-established and newer companies adhere to and often proudly present as one of their defining characteristics.

50

Wellness in Denmark In recent years, spa breaks and beauty treatments have been gaining in popularity in Denmark, with plenty of high-quality facilities opening up all around the country, as well as more established wellness centres embracing both traditional and modern concepts.

30 DESIGN FEATURES 16

Copenhagen Fashion Week Copenhagen Fashion Week moved a step closer to international recognition when the grand dame of fashion, Vivienne Westwood, showcased her Anglomania collection in the Danish capital.

The presence of a true legend on the schedule caused quite a stir, but there was also plenty of exciting local talent.

18

Stellar Works Stellar Works is a Chinese design brand, based out of Shanghai, which represents designers from around the world, including Japan, China, France, Italy and Denmark, bringing them together in an eclectic mix of new, old and well known.

19

Reload Design Have you heard of BMW Art Cars, Maersk Drilling and Norwegian fashion designer Leila Hafzi? If yes, chances are that you have seen and experienced some of the work by Reload Design.

With focus on identity concepts, they develop strategies that make your company stand out.

REGULARS & COLUMNS 12

We Love This | 14 Fashion Diary | 57 Hotels of the Month | 60 Attractions of the Month

65

Restaurants of the Month | 92 Humour | 93 Music & Culture | 98 Culture Calendar

Scan Business 44 REGULARS & COLUMNS

FEATURES 70

74

Dania – The Danish School in London Introducing the first Danish-English school in London, which will open for reception, year 1 and year 2 classes in September 2013.

THEME 75

Nordic Technology & Business Innovation Introducing Danish and Norwegian companies that are offering services and products created with the help of the latest technology and through business innovation.

72

Business Columns & News Key note, columns and news stories on Scandinavian businesses and business events.

84

Conferences of the Month The best conference venues of the month.

90

Scandinavian Business Calendar Highlights of Scandinavian business events.

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 3

Scan Magazine | Editor’s Note

Dear Reader, While a few rays of warm sunlight are currently causing glare on my computer screen, spring still seems a distant prospect. The winter coat and boots have yet to be retired from use, but I’m not losing hope yet – there’s still plenty of time for a wonderful, warm, welcoming spring.

And summer’s pretty much around the corner anyway, right? Scandinavian summers are, in my opinion, just about the best thing ever, and I simply cannot wait for a visit back home full of sun, sauna and soaking in lakes. Well, perhaps I’m getting a bit ahead of myself there. Let’s start out with spring first; there’s certainly nothing wrong with spring in Scandinavia either – once it gets going.

For some unique Swedish products and brands, turn to our Inspiration from Sweden theme; and if you’re looking to indulge in some pampering treatments this year, don’t miss out on our selection of first-rate spas in Denmark.

While we wait for spring and summer, let’s look at some of the things you can get up to in Scandinavia in the upcoming months.

We’ve compiled a list of some ‘must-experience’ cultural events and attractions in Sweden in our Culture in Sweden 2013 theme, which is introduced by the inspiring words of the Swedish Minister of Culture, Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth. The Norwegian Cultural Experiences theme continues along the same lines, and if you’re a fishing fiend, we’re also introducing some excellent fishing spots in Norway.

Nia Kajastie Editor

Gracing our cover this month is the lovely and extremely hardworking Tone Damli, one of Norway’s biggest pop stars, who has been busy working with two of the most sought-after producers in the biz. She is currently juggling multiple different projects, while also looking forward to the next chapter in her music career.

Scan Magazine

Contributors

Magnus Nygren Syversen

Issue 50 | March 2013

Karl Batterbee

Mette Lisby

Julie Guldbrandsen

Maria Smedstad

Ian Morales

Cecilia Varricchio

Published 11.03.2013 ISSN 1757-9589

Anne Line Kaxrud

Published by

Julie Lindén

Scan Magazine Limited

Sara Schedin

Design & Print Liquid Graphic Limited

Elin Berta Ulrika Osterlund

SCAN

Sales & Key Account Managers Emma Fabritius Nørregaard Mette Tonnessen Johan Enelycke Evelinn Idenfors

Anette Berve Executive Editor

Kjersti Westeng

Advertising

Thomas Winther

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marketing@scanmagazine.co.uk

Creative Director

Hannah Gillow Kloster

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Didrik Ottesen

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Emelie Krugly Hill

newsletter@scanmagazine.co.uk

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Scan Magazine | Contributors

Regular Contributors Nia Kajastie (Editor) was born and raised in Helsinki, Finland, and moved to London in 2005 to study writing. With a BA in Journalism & Creative Writing, she now describes herself as a fulltime writer and grammar stickler.

Mette Lisby is Denmark’s leading female comedian. She invites you to laugh along with her monthly humour columns. Since her stand-up debut in 1992, Mette has hosted the Danish versions of “Have I Got News For You” and “Room 101”.

Julie Guldbrandsen is Scan Magazine’s fashion and design expert; she has worked in the fashion industry for more than 10 years, and advised various Scandinavian design and fashion companies. Besides, Julie has a BA in business and philosophy and has lived in Copenhagen, Singapore and Beijing before settling down in London.

Swedish Sara Schedin is a freelance writer with a degree in journalism from City University London. She moved here in 2006 and is currently covering Scandinavian culture in the UK.

Norwegian freelance journalist Anne Line Kaxrud fell in love with the British Isles after watching a few too many Hugh Grant films. Having lived in the UK for seven years, she finished her education in International Relations/Politics and Communication before working in journalism, PR and marketing.

Maria Smedstad moved to the UK from Sweden in 1994. She received a degree in Illustration in 2001, before settling in the capital as a freelance cartoonist, creating the autobiographical cartoon Em. She writes a column on the trials and tribulations of life as a Swede in the UK. Karl Batterbee is devoted to Scandinavian music and knows exactly what is coming up in the UK. Apart from writing a monthly music update for Scan Magazine Karl has also started the Scandipop Club Night and its corresponding website: www.scandipop.co.uk.

Having travelled much of the world, Signe Hansen, MA graduate in Journalism and previous editor at Scan Magazine, is now back freelancing in London, where she writes on everything Scandinavian and her main passions: culture, travel and health.

Hannah Gillow Kloster is a Norwegian freelance writer who came to London to study English literature on its home turf. With a BA from Royal Holloway under her belt, she is currently pursuing an MA in Digital Humanities in Chicago, combining her two favourite things: literature and the internet.

Norwegian Didrik Ottesen is back living in London after a carefree time travelling around the world. He is currently doing his MA Journalism degree while also working as a freelance journalist and trying to play as much football as possible.

Ulrika Osterlund spent most of her life in London, but recently returned to Stockholm, where she is working as a journalist. She studied international business in Paris and journalism in London.

She is also a budding novelist.

Kjersti Westeng moved from Norway to London to study journalism. She now finds it impossible to leave, despite having finished university two years ago.

From 9 to 5 she works in PR, but in the evenings she writes her blog and plans her next holiday.

6 | Issue 50 | March 2013

Anette Berve is a Norwegian freelance journalist based in London. She has previously worked in Buenos Aires for a cultural newspaper and is currently finishing her degree in journalism and Spanish.

Rikke Oberlin Flarup is a Danish freelance writer and publisher with a passion for thick novels and DIY zines. Still a newcomer to London, she spends her free time exploring the city's hidden gems.

Magnus Nygren Syversen is a Norwegian freelance journalist and feature writer, who graduated from Middlesex University with a BA in Journalism & Communication in 2010. Having left London and relocated to the other side of the world, he is currently doing his MA at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia.

Emelie Krugly Hill has worked on a number of Swedish newspapers. After travelling extensively, she has been based in London since 2006. Her particular interests are news and current affairs within Sweden and the export of Scandinavian culture to the UK. Helena Whitmore moved to the UK from Sweden in 1989. She joined SEB Private Banking in the UK as a wealth structuring specialist in January 2013 and has extensive experience in crossborder tax planning having previously worked at a law firm.

Elin Berta is a Swedish freelance journalist. After working as a news reporter for Swedish Radio, she decided to leave the motherland for a life in London in 2010. Now her focus is back on her first true love - writing - often combined with her love for music and writing reviews.

Ingvild Vetrhus is a Norwegian freelance journalist and media researcher who moved to London in 2007 to study journalism and international relations. She is still based in the UK, where she has written for local newspapers, specialist magazines and African affairs publications.

Julie Bauer Larsen is a 29-yearold journalist specializing in corporate communication. In her current day job she combines her professional skills with years of experience as a volunteer on numerous projects for the Red Cross and other organisations. She’s passionate about incredible India, fantastic food and new novels.

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Scan Magazine | Cover Feature | Tone Damli

8 | Issue 50 | March 2013

Scan Magazine | Cover Feature | Tone Damli

The Right Tone Launching your own television series, producing and releasing your first clothing line, becoming a judge on your country's top-rated TV talent show, appearing as one of the star attractions in a neighbouring country's highestrated entertainment show, and, not forgetting, taking your actual bread and butter - your singing career - to new heights by getting to work with the two producers behind the most recent hits by Justin Bieber, Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Lopez.

By Karl Batterbee | Photos: Pål Laukli/Eccentric Music

To the luckiest of international stars, the above list reads like an impressive selection of noteworthy highlights spanning the length of their career. But for Norway's biggest pop star Tone Damli, this is her todo checklist for a tight, three-month period. In fact, getting a chance to interview a singer like this, who is not just at the concentrated peak of her career thus far but is also on the brink of much bigger things this year, turned out to be so difficult that it almost resembled the plot of ABBA: The Movie. But as the film portrayed so well, it is rare to find a Scandinavian pop act who is juggling so many opportunities at the same time and achieving so much success with all of them. So it is fascinating getting an insight into it from the woman herself.

“I’m working too much” For a start, one wonders if the artist in question is actually getting a chance to enjoy any of this. Or if she is just too busy to stop, think and appreciate it all. “Well, right now I'm working too much,” says Tone unsurprisingly. “But I try to tell myself to enjoy it all and to be grateful. And I really am. I love working and I love hav-

ing a lot to do. So yeah, I enjoy it; I feel happy about it and I feel lucky.”

Depending on which day of the week you speak to Tone, she will be focusing on a different priority amongst her work commitments. But when I speak to her, she has just spent the last five days dividing her time between two jobs in particular: the launch of her own clothing line in Norway and her participation in Sweden's biggest annual entertainment show, Melodifestivalen (which was won last year by another recent Scan Magazine cover girl, Loreen). This meant jetting to Gothenburg on Wednesday for Melodifestivalen rehearsals, then back to Oslo on Thursday for the launch party of her fashion line, then back to Gothenburg on the Friday and Saturday for more rehearsals and for the actual live show, and then returning to Oslo the next day for the release of the clothes in stores.

“Right now I'm actually standing in a store because the clothes were released today.

And at this very moment I'm watching lots of girls trying them on and buying them, and it makes me so proud.” This is the

first time she's done anything like this.

Has she found a new calling? “Really, it feels so good to see my clothes on other people. And I love the clothes myself; I'm extremely proud of them. If this works, maybe I'll do it again, maybe I'll produce another clothing line. There's a big part of me that loves fashion, and of course it's also part of being an artist too, how you dress.”

“I’m always searching for a bigger audience” With so much else going on, you would expect the main focus of an artist, the music, to be taking a back seat. But after eight years, three albums and a greatest hits collection, Tone is actually about to embark on her most ambitious body of work to date. She has been travelling to LA to work with two of the biggest music producers in the business, Rodney Jerkins and Andre Lindal (the latter of whom is also Norwegian).

So how does an internationally unknown girl from Norway get to work with the same guys who were behind one of the most successful worldwide hits of last

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 9

Scan Magazine | Cover Feature | Tone Damli

definitely going to try. But I'm a person who is also very grateful for what I have. I will continue making music all the time, and I make music for those who like my stuff. If those songs can work in another country, then I would be extremely happy.”

The full range of experience Tone Damli was introduced to Norway as a singer in 2005 when she competed on Idol and finished second, and she has now received the ultimate honour for an Idol graduate and been invited back as a permanent judge on the show. So how did it feel and was it like a full-cycle validation?

“You know, I actually got an invite before to be a judge on Idol. But it was really only now that I felt ready to do it. It's only now that I feel I have the full range of experience to take with me onto the show, to find talent and to teach them what I know. And I'm loving it.”

And what advice would Tone, the Idol judge, give the young Tone auditioning for Idol eight years ago? “I would tell her to listen to the people around her who are already in the business and to take advice from all of those people that you meet. It's a huge circus, a lot of pressure, and it's like you're getting famous overnight. And that can be pretty hard, so you have got to be tough and also careful. But all that matters is that you love the music and you love what you do, and you trust yourself. And of course you must work hard but also take care of yourself.”

year, As Long As You Love Me by Justin Bieber?

“It happened because my manager used to work with Andre many, many years ago when he was back in Norway. They know each other. And so basically he asked Andre if he had any songs that would fit me.

There was one in particular that Andre and Rodney felt was for me, like it was made for me. And I loved it. So back and forth we went to LA to record it, and we had a great time with them in the studio.”

That song is Perfect World, and it has al-

10 | Issue 50 | March 2013

ready had the Norwegian press in something of a frenzy, despite it not having been released yet. “And now that the single is getting such positive feedback, I'm truly grateful,” says Tone of its reception so far.

After eight years of success, is Scandinavia perhaps starting to feel a little restrictive for Tone? Especially with this new hit on her hands. So is 2013 the year in which Tone finally attempts to branch out internationally? “That is something I want to do, yes. I want to travel the world. And I'm always searching for new stuff all the time, and for a bigger audience. So I'm

That Scandinavian music talent has such a good reputation internationally she attributes to hard work. “It must be the fresh air in Scandinavia,” suggests Tone.

“I don't know; it's hard to say. But what I can say is that in Norway we really do work pretty hard.”

And anyone who doubts that sentiment need only take a quick glance at Tone Damli's schedule, or watch her new TV series which has just started in Norway, which follows Tone around and is documenting every moment of this incomprehensibly packed but hugely exciting chapter of her life.

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Scan Magazine | Design | We Love This

We love this...

Here in the northern hemisphere 1st March is the official beginning of the meteorological spring. We welcome in the new season with this little host of Scandi design delicacies.

By Julie Guldbrandsen | Email: julie@scanmagazine.co.uk

Up your organisation credentials with these luxe magazine holders in wood. Available in These boxes by OYOY are a cool little multipurpose storage solution that will find a chic use in many

three colours, they come with small

places. Use as a jewellery shrine or for office gear. Made of ash with brass or copper lid. Small

unattached chalkboard labels. £14.90.

£41.00, large £45.00. www.skandivis.co.uk

nordicbliss.co.uk

Put a cool twist on your ceiling and

The print of this cushion cover was designed

lampshades with these vibrant textile

by Erik Bruun in the 1960s as a poster to

Tina Ratzer's organic merino wool throws'

cables by Rie Elise Larsen.

promote the iconic Finnish drink Jaffa. Now

trademark is their beautiful classic pattern

Available in various colours.

a cool retro cushion reinvented by Vallila.

with a modern twist. A cool addition to the

£29.00. rootsliving.co.uk

£22.00. www.zandersandsons.co.uk

couch. £94.80. www.storynorth.com

12 | Issue 50 | March 2013

Your Shortcut to Scandinavia Bergen

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Scan Magazine | Design | Fashion Diary

Fashion Diary...

What better way to celebrate the arrival of spring than by sporting a vibrant outfit? Electric hues are everywhere this season, and oh my, how they can boost your mood and make you stand out. Embrace the happy shades and colourblock your ensemble with two strong dyes, or simply season your wardrobe with a single bright piece.

By Julie Guldbrandsen | Email: julie@scanmagazine.co.uk

For a sporty downtown look and for bad hair days - try a funky cap. £6.99. H&M

A casually cool oversized sweatshirt like this by 5PREVIEW is an off-duty wardrobe must. Style it with jeans and cool sneaks or pair with a feminine skirt. £ 95.00. For retailers call +44 (0)203 651 1371.

The parka is a continuously practical yet chic outerwear choice.

Over the past seasons jeans have

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14 | Issue 50 | March 2013

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Designers Remix

Copenhagen Fashion Week AW13 Highlights Copenhagen Fashion Week moved a step closer to international recognition when the grand dame of fashion, Vivienne Westwood, showcased her Anglomania collection in the Danish capital. The presence of a true legend on the schedule caused quite a stir, but there was also plenty of exciting local talent.

By Ian Morales | Photos: Copenhagen Fashion Week®

The historic beauty of the Old Stock Exchange and its fairy-tale Dragon Spire undoubtedly played a key role in persuading Vivienne Westwood to accept an invitation to present her capsule collection at Copenhagen Fashion Week. Anglomania AW13 is a celebration of London’s glorious past. The collection combines Westwood’s rebellious signature aesthetic with classic styles, using tartans and historical prints to evoke the city’s great naval heritage, floral prints to pay tribute to Covent Garden Market, and barbed wire and portcullis prints to inject a darker edge.

Denmark’s own wild child, Henrik Vibskov, proved that young Scandinavian designers can hold their own on the world stage. “The Stiff Neck Chamber” installa-

16 | Issue 50 | March 2013

tion was by far the most innovative catwalk production staged inside the Exchange Hall. The length of the runway was filled with long black flamingo heads hanging upside down in a historical reference to the term “stiff neck” used in death, the Bible and for brick carriers on constructions sites. Models marched around the conceptual chamber in a mix of flamingo prints, boxy tailoring, quilted coats and jackets, and chunky knitwear designed in collaboration with Dale of Norway.

Another hot Danish export, Anne Sofie Madsen, brought a half-monster, halfmachine female to life on the runway. Inspired by the Jesper Just film Sirens of Chrome about four women driving

through post-apocalyptic Detroit, her AW13 collection features a juxtaposition of heavy metal leather and smooth silk and fur. Monster faces abound. Madsen dyed her standout fur piece a soft blue-grey to give the impression of an artificial animal, like the ones in Star Wars.

Asger Juel Larsen took us back to the 90s rave scene with his latest collection entitled “CCTV on Fire”. His subversive street style for AW13 was unveiled by men storming down the catwalk dressed in balaclavas. In the face of recession, Larsen was one of the few designers who took a risk by presenting a less wearable collection than the previous season. The collection is permeated by 90s neon colours and includes bomber jackets, beanies and hooded down jackets. A white yeti closed the show.

Fashion victims were rushed to Eskildsen Hospital to watch the Designers Remix AW13 show. Arriving guests were greeted by nurses serving champagne at the con-

Scan Magazine | Design | Copenhagen Fashion Week

Vivienne Westwood

Copenhagen Fashion Week ended with a rather eccentric debut by Han Kjøbenhavn that had more of a London avant-garde vibe than fashionistas are accustomed to in Denmark. Kjøbenhavn summoned his faithful to an old sports hall in the east of the city with plenty of beer flowing on a late Friday night. The show kicked off after midnight with models moving robotically like Commodore 64 game characters along a maze of the 80s-video-gameinspired catwalk. The collection itself was not as daring: varsity jackets, 80s track suits, cardigans and Japanese denim in

Bibi Chemnitz

Asger Juul Larsen

Vivienne Westwood

Henrik Vibskov

black, white, grey and brown with splashes of faded yellow, red and orange.

Nonetheless, it was refreshing to see something different.

Overall, Copenhagen Fashion Week AW13 launched a number of impressive collections. The season offers a wider palette of colours for the dark winter days, but the ongoing recession made it difficult for designers to explore new boundaries. There was plenty of minimalistic fashion on display, but CFW AW13 may also be remembered as the season where the effects of the recession became apparent on the catwalk.

Anne Sofie Madsen

The crème de la crème of Danish fashion turned out to celebrate the 10th anniversary of By Malene Birger held at the Royal Theatre. Her AW13 collection, entitled “The Letter”, takes inspiration from handcrafted Moroccan rugs, beautiful Arabian tiles, orchids and crystals and evokes the spirit of the late 1960s.

Birger combines her love for men’s tailoring with a ladylike aesthetic in a sophisticated retro collection of wide-legged silk trousers, cigarette trousers, Le Smoking-inspired suits and glamorous evening gowns, with a touch of fur. Floppy, widebrimmed hats, à la Faye Dunaway in The Thomas Crown Affair, prevailed. The show opened in her blackand-white universe and gradually gave way to a more vibrant palette of camel, gold, pink and cobalt blue.

Birger took her bow in a shower of silver confetti, a fitting celebration for her majesty’s 10-year reign.

Han Kjøbenhavn

ceptual hospital – an old bank in the city centre converted for the occasion. Danish top model Caroline Brasch Nielsen opened the show in a screaming white nurse-inspired outfit, followed by a variation of minimalistic styles in muted hues of white, grey and black, with dashes of green and orange. The favourite pieces were the chunky knits and a cool leopard jacket.

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 17

Scan Magazine | Design | Stellar Works

Stellar Works produces both signature and vintage collections, meaning that they create both their own collections as well as reissuing vintage pieces no longer in production. Among the Danish designers whose work has been revived by Stellar Works are Mogens Andersen, Børge Mogensen and Vilhelm Wohlert.

Danish design studio SPACE Cph, on the other hand, has created two signature collections for Stellar Works named Lunar and Rén. The founders of the brand, Signe Bindslev Henriksen and Peter Bundgaard Rützou, comment on their collaboration: “Our brief from Stellar Works was to create two series of designs – interpreting Asian and Chinese culture through our Danish and Scandinavian background and understanding.”

Piano Chair, SW Daybed, Kyoto Lamp and Laval Rugs

Cross-cultural sampling A cross-cultural approach, an eye for both classics and fresh contemporary design, respect for quality craftsmanship and natural materials, and an exclusive group of designers: Stellar Works stands for all of these things, and, above all, tells a story of unique expression. The Chinese design brand, based out of Shanghai, represents designers from around the world, including Japan, China, France, Italy and Denmark, bringing them together in an eclectic mix of new, old and well known.

By Nia Kajastie | Photos: Stellar Works

As the creative director of Stellar Works, Danish Thomas Lykke has helped form the brand’s architecture and its design philosophy. “Our design and brand ethos is one of being ‘cross-cultural’ – we have been tapping into the history of Shanghai, which has always been influenced by other cultures. When creating a brand, you must be authentic and true. Being

cross-cultural allows us to play around and mix typologies, which gives us freedom to create something new and different yet with a clear reference to things we already know. Stellar Works is a Chinese brand, but we take inspiration from all over and mix – a bit like in the music industry – cross-cultural sampling,” he explains.

Ming Table, Laval Crown Chair and Kyoto Lamp

Vintage Collections

18 | Issue 50 | March 2013

A piece of the Rén collection can also be found in Noma, the world’s best restaurant, located in Copenhagen. “The Rén chair reflects values that we feel match and complement the aesthetics of Noma. It is an honest chair with detailed features in black solid wood, brass and black leather. The chair has an organic-shaped body and fine detailing in brass; it picks up the tradition of classic Danish design but also shows a curiosity towards other cultural points of reference, sampling Asian features into the design,” the designers explain.

Stellar Works is sold in the UK through Staffan Tollgard Design Group and is represented by kùrate.

For more information, please visit: stellarworks.com www.tollgard.co.uk www.kurate.co.uk

Rén Lounge Chair

Scan Magazine | Design | Reload Design

Reload Design, since its establishment in 2000, has been known as an innovative design and communications company.

They aim to push your company to the top by developing identity concepts and advertisements that make you stand out in a positive and ground-breaking way. “We push the limits to ensure the best outcome for our clients,” creative director Aud Vikør says.

Small in size, big in capacity The company may be small in size but brings an impressive portfolio to the table.

Located in the oil capital of Norway, Stavanger, it is only natural that they work closely with a variety of oil companies, as well as international giant Maersk Drilling. However, the portfolio also includes culture institutions, state institutions and designers. “We work with a variety of companies and people, and adapt the expressions to the individual client.

We are happy and proud to be involved with so many unique and different projects,” Vikør says. “We recently worked on the art project BMW Art Cars with Stavanger Art Museum and BMW. Eight cars were exhibited in Stavanger, whereupon some of the world’s most famous artists used the cars as their canvas.”

Leila Hafzi: Identity, catalogues and marketing for the fashion collections. Photo: Charlotte Spetalen

Make your company one of a kind with advice from Reload Design Have you heard of BMW Art Cars, Maersk Drilling and Norwegian fashion designer Leila Hafzi? If yes, chances are that you have seen and experienced some of the work

by Reload Design. With focus on identity concepts, they develop strategies that make your company stand out.

Giving something back to society While large companies are important, Reload Design have also worked with local government on a campaign to attract young voters to the polling station. One of the most successful projects is Tips, a hotline for people with, or close to people with, psychiatric problems, administrated

by Helse Stavanger. By marketing the service, they contributed to developments within the psychiatric science sector not just in Norway but in the world. Reload also offer free services to charitable organisations. “We all have a responsibility for taking care of the wellbeing of society, and we can contribute with information, design and strategies,” Vikør says.

By Anne Line Kaxrud | Photos: Reload Design

From left to right: BMW Art Cars: Invitations, posters, ads etc. for the exhibition shown at Stavanger Art Museum as a part of ONS; CAKE: Design and development of the identity for the Maersk Drilling HSE program; Tips: “When somebody you know becomes unusually silent, they probably have something to tell.” Ad campaign for Tips that targets the population in general.

For more information, please visit: www.reload.no

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 19

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Culture in Sweden 2013

CU SP LT EC UR IA EI LT N S HE WE ME DE : N2 01 3

To get to know a people or a nation you need to study its history and cultural expressions, a truth that has been known to tourists for centuries. Sweden is rich in culture, and our heritage is more accessible and welcoming to its citizens and foreign tourists than ever before. As Minister for Culture, I am proud that Sweden stands firm in the support of culture in these financially uncertain times, and that we have been able to increase public funding and our investments in culture and creativity. Museums have a growing attendance, and all national museums offer free entrance for children up to the age of nineteen.

By Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth, Minister for Culture | Photo: Government Offices

Today, Sweden is in many ways a secular society but, throughout the country, numerous medieval churches bear witness to more pious times. They also represent a rich and beautiful cultural heritage reflecting the local societies from which they have sprung. The churches are also our main organizers of concerts. All over Sweden there are fantastic examples of former industries, farmsteads, old schools and ships carefully preserved by volunteers in various local historical societies.

In contrast, our royal castles are historical buildings showing a different aspect of Swedish history. Around Stockholm there are three grand examples: Ulriksdal, Gripsholm, and Drottningholm with its unique theatre that is almost untouched since the end of the 18th century, acknowledged

by UNESCO’s World Heritage list.

In Stockholm, don’t miss out on Djurgården, the former royal hunting ground and now a National City park. There you’ll find popular museums such as the worldrenowned Vasamuseet, built around the royal man-o’-war Vasa that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. You will also find the open-air museum Skansen and Nordiska museet, both showing Swedish folklore and traditions, and a large number of art museums, as well as the new ABBAmuseum opening in May. The National Museum, however, is closed until 2017 for much needed renovations. The national art collection will in this period be exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts and other venues in different parts of Sweden

and abroad. Moderna museet, located on the small island Skeppsholmen in the centre of Stockholm, has a prominent collection of modern and contemporary art and exciting special exhibitions.

Swedish children’s literature is rich with many successful authors and illustrators such as Astrid Lindgren, Ulf Stark, Barbro Lindgren and Sven Nordqvist. The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is the biggest international children's and young adult literature award in the world and our way of promoting children’s literature worldwide.

The Swedish music industry has had great achievements and the demand abroad is increasing, as shown by statistical facts.

With many strong songwriters, groups, producers and artists – ranging from the Swedish House Mafia and Robyn to the world-famous soprano Nina Stemme and composer Anders Eliasson – one could call it a true success story. Music awards like the Polar prize have also contributed to profiling Sweden. Spotify, a fruit of Swedish entrepreneurship, helps the music industry take the leap into the digital music era. Our queen of pop, Loreen, captured last year at the Eurovision Song Contest with her song Euphoria. So in May it is time for Malmö to host this dazzling event. And of course we are all euphoric!

Dance is strong in Sweden, and the big event this spring is the world-famous choreographer Mats Ek’s interpretation of the timeless love story of Romeo and Juliet

Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth, Swedish Minister for Culture

with the Royal Swedish Ballet. Dansens hus, Sweden’s largest venue for contemporary dance, presents a wide range of dance performances, including by the Cullberg Ballet, Cirkus Cirkör and Virki Pahkinen. So, there are many reasons to take special note of all that is being offered in the world of dance this year.

Sweden is a country of many festivals, especially during the summer months. They are meeting places where many people get together from all over – during a short and intense period – for a shared experience. Just to mention some, there’s the International Film Festival in Gothenburg, Stockholm Music and Arts, Hultsfredsfestivalen and Peace & Love in Borlänge.

A newcomer this year is the Literature festival at the Modern Museum in Stockholm in October, where literature and the visual arts will be united. This cultural crossover is perhaps a new and exciting trend!

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 21

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Culture in Sweden 2013

A view of Umeå from Tegsbron bridge where the new culture centre is being built. Photo: Johan Gunséus

Experience culture within the eight seasons of the Sámi calendar Picture the beautiful serenity of northern Sweden coupled with one of the fastest growing cities in Europe, and what do you get? Nothing less than the European Capital of Culture in 2014 - Umeå - feverishly preparing for an exciting year designed to engage, charm and inspire.

By Julie Lindén

Kicking off the year in deep winter on 31 January next year, with an opening ceremony which promises to gather the collective forces of Umeå, Sápmi and Europe for a three-day opening event, it is safe to say that Umeå will celebrate its new cultural platform with grandeur. Occupying the city with cultural events and happenings for all age groups, Umeå2014 aims to bring Europe a fair slice of Nordic inspiration.

“There are so many innovative projects taking place in Umeå during 2014,” says Shauna Adams, programme producer for the year. “In any of the eight seasons, one can find a broad range of activities which we hope will attract people from all walks of life. We hope our programme will tempt

22 | Issue 50 | March 2013

visitors to come and experience Umeå and see how this investment in culture helps to expand our community in so many interesting ways, both for locals and for visitors from afar.”

Inspired by indigenous culture And the programme is nothing short of impressive. The borderless north, home of the Sámi, the only indigenous people in the EU, is the inspiration for Umeå’s culture capital programme. The programme embodies the unique rhythm and character of the eight seasons, and as the seasons change, the projects and activities reflect the essence of that season, telling their own unique stories with a palette of creativity that expands beyond the Sámi culture.

“The eight seasons have a fascinating story, which has provided a cradle of inspiration for all contributors to the programme. It’s a great framework for the main concept behind the cultural year, namely co-creation,” Adams says.

“This was one of the main factors when the jury unanimously decided to appoint Umeå as the European Capital of Culture for 2014. We really wanted to focus on the process of co-creation in order to develop a programme in partnership with the many culture producers in the city, the north and within Europe. We encourage and support new collaborations and ideas for the creation of innovative projects and activities that will foster cultural growth long after 2014.”

A hotspot for contrasts And with growth, such as the building of a state-of-the-art culture centre complete with Sweden’s first ever museum of

Sweden’s first ever museum of women’s history.

Photo: Andreas Nilsson

women’s history, and a programme ranging from outdoor operas to a horror theatre festival, it is not difficult to see why the jury was unanimous in their vote. “A hotspot for contrasts”, Umeå has made the most out of its diversity to create a wealth of cultural attractions.

“Our northern environment is filled with contrasts: this city, the weather and the ever-changing seasons. Umeå is contrasts. I can enjoy a quiet walk to work from my home five kilometres from the city centre along the river and count nine construction cranes along the way! We have such a serene closeness to nature in the heart of town paired with this buzz of growth and feeling that things are happening here. Umeå has a pulse and diversity that I love,” says Adams.

While the new culture centre, designed by renowned Norwegian architect firm Snøhetta, will be finished towards the end of 2014, visitors to Umeå will have no shortage of places to visit throughout the year. Within the city centre, one can walk from the newly built Umeå University Arts Campus to the Provincial Museum to Sweden’s northernmost performing arts centre at Norrlands Opera. All three institutions offer a range of activities throughout the year.

“Our institutions contribute significantly to the Umeå2014 programme; however, we have fantastic local culture that shouldn’t be missed. There are over 30 festivals in the programme, all locally produced. That’s just the festival scene!

There’s so much more.”

For festival lovers, something to watch for is the new U x U 2014 music festival based on the grassroots concept of “crowdfunding”: the size of the festival is determined by the number of tickets sold in advance.

Quite simply a music festival created for the people, by the people.

On a spectacular note, Umeå history will be made when Norrlands Opera stages its outdoor production of Richard Strauss’s

The Generation Choir of Umeå with David Sandström. Photo: Andreas Nilsson

NorrlandsOperan will stage its outdoor production of Richard Strauss’s Elektra in August 2014, supported by performing arts group La Fura dels Baus (pictured).

Elektra in August 2014. This expressionist masterpiece will be supported by the Catalan performing arts group La Fura dels Baus, famous for staging the 1992 Olympic opening ceremony in Barcelona.

credible range of cultural experiences to offer. People who make the trip in 2014 will find something to suit their every taste. Umeå is on the European map… come and visit us!”

Challenging power Although entertaining visitors is an important part of Umeå’s year as culture capital, there is also an opportunity to deepen the content of the programme by incorporating cultural activities which question the norms and power structures in society. Aside from the much-anticipated museum for women’s history, there are a multitude of events that take on the challenge to power theme in imaginative and collaborative ways.

Sápmi map

So why Umeå 2014?

Programme planner Shauna Adams is sure. “I have never experienced such amazing openness as I have in Umeå. This is an intimate, beautiful city with an in-

For more information and inspiration, please visit: www.umea2014.se

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 23

Interior (Photo: Hans Runesson) and exterior of the culture centre and art gallery in Ronneby.

Jonathan Josefsson

Culture and art in the Garden of Sweden After Kockums’ enamel factory in Ronneby was closed down in the 1970s, the town decided to turn the old warehouse into a culture centre and spacious art gallery. The gallery exhibits the works of local, national and international artists, as well as being a music and theatre venue. This spring, it features art by local sculptor Johnny Martinsson and graffiti-inspired artist Jonathan Josefsson.

By Sara Schedin | Photos: Kulturcentrum in Ronneby

The culture centre has a serrated roof and north-facing skylights which admit a soft, diffuse light all day, making it a perfect place for showcasing art. There are two main galleries which cover 1,500 square metres, and there is also a smaller third gallery.

Josefsson’s youthful expression contrasts with Johnny Martinsson’s exhibition ‘Thoughts took form’. His abstract sculptures are inspired by the sea and his childhood in the Blekinge archipelago. The exhibition celebrates Martinsson’s 50 years active as an artist.

“When it comes to choosing our artists, we try to think as broadly as possible and get a good mix of different styles and expressions,” says the centre’s culture secretary Kirsti Emaus.

“In the summer, we’ll be looking outside the borders of Sweden and showcasing ARTAPESTRY 3, which is a modern presentation of woven pictures from 14 European countries,” says Emaus. “In the other gallery there will be a Danish/Swedish aquarelle exhibition.”

This spring the gallery will show Jonathan Josefsson’s colourful tufted rugs and graffiti-inspired paintings. Josefsson likes using his whole body when creating a piece, so he often works in large-scale formats.

He was a graffiti artist when he was younger, which led to an interest in other types of art and, later on, a fine art degree.

In connection with the exhibition, Josefsson will paint graffiti outside the gallery.

“In Ronneby we recognize graffiti as an art genre, and every year we arrange a graffiti week for young people where we invite an artist to teach the craft,” says Emaus.

24 | Issue 50 | March 2013

In addition to the art gallery, the culture centre has workshops in graphics, enamel, textiles and painting, which people with some knowledge of the crafts can rent.

“The town in itself is also well worth a visit. Ronneby is situated in the heart of the province Blekinge, which is known as ‘the Garden of Sweden’. The town has a beautiful park called Brunnsparken and our province is known for its scenic archipelago,” says Emaus.

Every year the culture centre arranges a graffiti week for young people where they invite an artist to teach the craft.

Opening hours: Tue–Fri 11am–4pm Sat–Sun 11am–3pm Exhibition dates: 23 March –19 May 2013 Jonathan Josefsson and Johnny Martinsson Thoughts took form 1963 - 2013 8 June – 25 August 2013 Danish/Swedish aquarelle exhibition ARTAPESTRY 3

For more information, please visit: www.ronneby.se/sv/uppleva-gora/ kultur/kultur-och-aktivitetshus/ kulturcentrum or go to: www.facebook.com/pages/ Kulturcentrum-Ronneby-Konsthall/ 332848030146941

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Culture in Sweden 2013

Discover the women of Swedish cultural heritage In the county of Uppland, twenty villages established by mining communities during the 1600s form what is known as the Walloon ironworks. The lives of the Belgian immigrants who worked here have been well documented, and this summer the time has come for the women of that era to have their story told.

“This year the opening exhibition held in Strömsbergs bruk will focus on the women. Their story is often forgotten but that does not mean it is not worth telling,” says Kicki Lidén from the organization.

By Elin Berta | Photos: Vallonbruk i Uppland

During the 17th century, Sweden had to pay a large ransom to Denmark, and salvation came in the shape of industrialist Louis De Geer. By lending money to the Swedish state he was able to import craftsmen from Wallonia; craftsmen who would make their ironworks world leading and who would leave a large legacy behind.

Last year the non-profit organization Vallonbruk i Uppland that works for the area’s preservation and development celebrated its 15-year anniversary with a week full of events – a week so successful that they will arrange it again this August.

During the week, museums and mills will have extended opening hours, and visitors will be offered several events such as live concerts and guided tours of the mansions and mills. For visitors who want to combine their cultural stay with something more modern, Europe’s first fulllength racing course in concrete for drag racing is to be found close by in the town of Tierp.

Gimo Herrgård

For more information, please visit: www.vallonbruken.nu For more information about Tierp arena, please visit: www.tierparena.com

Lövstabruk

A colourful artist’s museum

close to the art and can follow the development of a piece of work,” says Enström.

There are several public sculptures by Bror Hjorth around the country, notably the much debated “Näckens polska” (Dance of the Water Spirit) statue at the Uppsala train station and the altar reliefs at Jukkasjärvi church up in the north.

For a glimpse of the life of one of Sweden’s most celebrated artists, pay a visit to Bror Hjorths Hus in Uppsala. The former home and studio turned museum boasts the single largest collection of Hjorth’s legacy with its 1,200 pieces.

By Ulrika Osterlund | Photos: Bror Hjorths Hus

Colour and rhythm are central themes in Hjorth’s works. This resonates through

Contemporary artists are also presented at Bror Hjorths Hus in the space designed for temporary exhibitions. Check out Ulla Fries and Stina Wirsén this spring – or simply relax with a cup of coffee in the garden.

all the paintings, sculptures, reliefs and drawings that are on display. The museum was as controversial in its conception as Hjorth’s artworks were during his lifetime.

Nevertheless, it has become a very popular museum and exhibition space since its opening in 1978. “It’s a homely and very personal museum, where you come

Photo: BUS/Bror Hjorths Hus

“His art is a celebration of man, life, love and music,” says Mattias Enström, acting museum director, “inspired by the modernist movement in combination with traditional Swedish folk art.”

Families with children can bring their little ones for some hands-on activities in the workshop. Seminars and workshops are held throughout the year for both children and adults.

For more information, please visit: www.brorhjorthshus.se

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 25

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Culture in Sweden 2013

Group photo of La Bohème 2010, with, among others, César Gutiérrez.

Discover a different way to experience opera

And so the seed for creating a new type of opera experience was planted. Inspired by the beautiful nature, Niclasson’s mind was set on creating an experience unique

In the deep forests of Bergslagen, an old timber magazine has been transformed, creating a brand well-known to opera enthusiasts all over the world. Surrounded by Swedish nature, international solo artists and professional musicians create a unique experience together with music students and amateurs. This year Opera på Skäret celebrates its 10-year jubilee.

By Elin Berta | Photos: Opera på Skäret

“I was on my way home after a performance and found myself in this small village in the middle of the forest – Swedish nature at its best,” says Sten Niclasson, the initiator of Opera på Skäret.

With a life dedicated to music, he has been working with opera for most of his life.

Niclasson received his education as a violinist and opera singer at the University College of Opera in Stockholm, and after performing more than 50 different parts,

26 | Issue 50 | March 2013

an interest in producing and directing started to grow.

“I found the old timber magazine just next to the shore of Lake Ljusnaren and was amazed by how the lake opened up the forest,” Niclasson continues. “The magazine, large enough to fit 800 people, was built in 1940. When I went inside, I realized that not only were the surroundings amazing but also the acoustics inside the building.”

Sten Niclasson. Photo: Andreas Hylthén

The opera house

Bringing opera to the pub “We wanted to take the fine art of opera away from the fancy environment you usually find it in,” Niclasson says. The concept is that you should be able to enjoy a nice dinner, a beer or maybe just a coffee, and at the same time enjoy world-class entertainment. The unpretentious pub evenings are held without a set programme, including artists appearing in other shows at the opera. With the combination of the unpretentious joy of the amateurs and the professionalism of the world-known stars, a unique artistic interaction is created.

Starting from scratch with no contributions from government or sponsors, the opera has come a long way. Today, they get by with a small contribution from the government and their sponsors. But the main income, as much as 60 per cent, comes from tickets sales: another testament to the opera’s popularity.

Yana Kleyn as Mimi and César Gutiérrez as Rodolfo, in La Bohème 2010.

of its kind. This year, Opera på Skäret will have held their summer festival for ten years and that calls for celebration.

round starting this March. “Until now that has been impossible,” Niclasson explains, “as the opera house is not insulated and gets too cold during the winter months.”

Time for joy Throughout the years several international conductors and musicians of the highest international standard have performed at Opera på Skäret. Together with students and amateurs, they have delivered a new type of opera experience.

This year, the great comedy, Gioachino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, will be put on as the main show with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, an ensemble that has toured all over the world and received great reviews. Conducted by Andreas Lönnqvist from Malmö Opera, the premiere will be held on 9 August and every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday after that up to the end of the season on 1 September.

However, the festivities neither start nor end there. This year, a new smaller stage has been added to the area to make it possible to have performances all year

Two special jubilee concerts will also be held, on 29 July and 3 August. The concerts will be conducted by the famous Marcello Mottadelli from Italy and will include highlights from shows that have been held throughout the years. A mix of famous singers will return to the stage in the old timber house to contribute to the celebrations.

Opera på Skäret has become its own brand, well-known across the world, and thousands of guests make their way to the small village every year. But Sten Niclasson’s dream of taking opera to new dimensions does not end here. “In the next ten years, we are hoping to expand with hotels and restaurants to make it easier for guests to stay and get as much as possible out of their experience. And once we have done that, the next step is simply to produce more, perform more and keep getting better.”

Next stop Skäret Station Situated 230 kilometres from Stockholm, 100 kilometres from Örebro and 70 kilometres from Borlänge, it might sound difficult to get to the small village. But to add to the numerous things that make the opera unique is that it is probably the only opera in the world with its own train station. From Stockholm Central train station you can easily get on a veteran train that will take you all the way and back the same day, even offering lunch and dinner.

Left: Conductor Andreas Lönnqvist. Right: Conductor Marcello Mottadelli. Photo: Andreas Hylthén

For more information, please visit: http://operapaskaret.se

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 27

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Culture in Sweden 2013

Woman’s Head designed by Picasso. Photo: Mymmel Blomberg

A statue of 91:an Karlsson

Top: Europa and the Bull by Carl Milles Below: Flicka i balja by Lena Cronqvist

Halmstad – where creative identities come together Rooted in a proud history of artistic innovation, Halmstad offers a multitude of cultural experiences. From Picasso to artwork powered by wind and solar power, this creative pearl of Sweden’s west coast is sure to leave you in awe.

By Julie Lindén | Photos: Halmstad

It was the artists of Halmstadsgruppen who first put Halmstad on the map of the arts. Educated in French and German modernism, these six artists played a significant role in introducing Sweden to ground-breaking expressions such as surrealism and the Picasso-inspired cubism. And their legacy is palpable.

“Their work goes to show that Halmstad has always been very accepting of art on its own, allowing varied art forms to reach out to spectators and become accessible to them. Our art is supported by several pillars, but Halmstadsgruppen makes up much of its heritage and allows for a factor of recognition,” says Karolina Peterson, head of the art unit at Halmstad municipality.

And though marked by a proud tradition, Halmstad’s creative identity has never

28 | Issue 50 | March 2013

stopped evolving. Several works, such as the famous statue Woman’s Head by Picasso and Flicka i balja by Lena Cronqvist, are also part of an accessible public art scene which can be visited through guided tours. No less than three noted institutions add to this, of which Mjellby Art Museum serves as a hub for Halmstadsgruppen as well as international exhibitions.

putting Halmstad on the map,” says Peterson.

And what piece of Halmstad’s art scene is Peterson’s personal favourite? “One of my favourites is a piece by Noah Ljungberg, which you drive past along the coastal road. It’s a neon sign saying ‘sorry’, and it’s powered by wind and solar power. It’s a different piece of work that contradicts the notion many people have of art as something superficial and shows how fundamental it can be to how we live our lives.”

Peterson explains what the prominence and impact of art in the city owes to active political choices.

“We have seen a tremendous political will to invest in art and the creative identity of this city. The mental growth that art can provide is key, but it’s also important to envision the economic growth good art experiences can offer. We have visitors flying in from near and far to visit our museums and exhibitions, contributing to

Noah Ljungberg, Förlåt

For more information, please visit: www.halmstad.se

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Culture in Sweden 2013

Above: Old Linköping

Do as the newborn princess and indulge in Östergötland Experience the historical Östergötland. Located just south of Stockholm, the area has played a central role in Swedish history for centuries, and offers medieval cities, a trip down the famous Göta Canal and cultural activities all year long.

By Anne Line Kaxrud | Photo: Visit Östergötland

In other words, the place hardly needs a little princess to attract further attention, but it does, however, add some glamour having the new princess named the Duchess of Östergötland. So do as the princess may already have done, but definitely will do in the future, and indulge in the cultural sights that characterise the area. “Östergötland offers a myriad of cultural-historical attractions, where visitors can combine medieval cities and historical sites with beautiful scenery and a taste of the renowned Swedish archipelago,” Linda Jonsson at Visit Östergötland says.

Go with the flow through the Göta Canal The Göta Canal, which runs through eastern Sweden, is one of the country’s largest cultural-historical constructions. While it was originally built as a means of transportation, it is today known as one of the

country’s most popular tourist attractions.

With charming boats running up and down the canal, this is an excellent way to explore the picturesque area in a relaxing manner. A quick online search confirms that visitors from all over the world rate the experience highly, and some recommend a swim in the water before heading for lunch.

Do not miss out on these cultural experiences The list of places not to miss is long, but there are some obvious highlights once you have experienced the Göta Canal: stroll among beautiful old houses in the old town of Linköping, be fascinated by the old industrial landscape in Norrköping and enjoy some relaxing hours in the beautiful archipelago in the east. And it is worth noting the numerous cultural

Top: Old industrial landscape, Norrköping (Photo: Satu).

Middle: Evening cruise on Göta Canal (Photo: Niclas Albinsson). Bottom: The stunning archipelago of Östergötland (Photo: Ostkusten kajak).

events that run throughout the summer, including outdoor theatre performances and concerts. “Do not miss out on Shakespeare in the medieval town of Vadstena and the internationally known exhibition Titanic that is exhibitied in Norrköping this year,” Jonsson says, adding: “Check out our project Active Östergötland, through which you can book numerous activities throughout the summer. Östergötland is the right place for a memorable holiday.”

For more information, please visit: www.visitostergotland.se

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 29

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Kongsvold Fjeldstue hotel in Sør-Trøndelag

St Olav’s Rose – a symbol of quality “Olavsrosa” – “St Olav’s Rose” is the Norwegian Heritage Foundation’s symbol of quality. The label is awarded to sites that offer the highest standards in cultural experiences and practice a sustainable use of our national cultural heritage. Each candidate site must undergo a rigorous quality control review of the experience offered to the general public before being considered for this distinction.

Text and photos by the Norwegian Heritage Foundation

In the quality review, the focus is on the quality of the cultural history, which is the basis for what the site offers. Cultural values must be portrayed in a constructive manner, and the experience offered to the general public must be of a high standard not only in terms of what you see but also in terms of the overall experience. The Olavsrosa symbolises a deep respect for

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the past, but also a faith and joy in life today.

The holders of Olavsrosa – your hosts at the site – are obliged to serve as good ambassadors for a vibrant cultural heritage and to communicate the site’s history to their guests.

The list of holders of the Olavsrosa distinction reflects the wide diversity of the

Above: View from Ekebergrestauranten, Oslo.

Photo: Mathias Øvsteng

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Norwegian Cultural Experiences

Anna Rogde from 1868, the world's oldest schooner in operation. Photo: Mathias Ă˜vsteng

Norwegian cultural heritage. You will find the familiar and the unfamiliar in beautiful harmony – everything from the opulent to the modest, and a range of memorable cultural experiences from the sea to the mountains, along the coast as well as far inland. Each site is unique and represents a period of Norwegian history that has shaped both the country and the people living here.

St Olav’s Rose is supposed to be the symbol of what binds together our unwritten history and our own time; it embraces the global perspective and the historical landscape, both literally and metaphorically.

The cultural monuments are non-renewable resources. And so our emblem stands for the combination of development and protection in modern society.

For more information, please visit: www.olavsrosa.no

Above: Gloppen Hotel in Sogn og Fjordane, with Chef Bodil Fjellestad

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 31

Clockwise from the left: Fetsund Lenser, Photo: Ingrid Aas; Stein Skole (Stein School) in Nes, Photo: Øivind Möller Bakken; Follo Museum, Photo: Thore Bakk

Akershusmuseet – Norway’s best kept secret?

By Anne Line Kaxrud Photos: Akershusmuseet

Indulge in some of Norway’s most historically important and interesting places, just a stone’s throw from central Oslo. Visit one of the museums of Akershusmuseet and understand why people assert it is the country’s best kept secret.

Conveniently surrounding the capital, Akershus county has a myriad of activities on offer. Akershusmuseet consists of nearly 20 of these and is delighted to attract the young and adults, tourists and locals, to some of their somewhat hidden treasures.

“Akershus is home to some of the most historically important sites in the country,

as well as being one of the most expansive and interesting areas of our time,” museum director Roger Erlandsen says.

“You won’t believe it until you see it” Despite having been, and continuing to be, one of the most important areas in Norway, many forget to indulge in the

treasures located within Akershus. Perhaps the closeness to Oslo makes people blind to the surrounding county, but it is truly worth getting in a car or jumping on a bus and travelling for a few minutes out of the city to explore what some refer to as Norway’s best kept secret. “I started a group a few years back named You won’t

Left: Aurskog-Høland Rural Museum. Photo: Øivind Möller Bakken; Right: The Norwegian Armed Forces Aircraft Collection. Photo: Cecilie Øien

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Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Norwegian Cultural Experiences

believe it until you see it, and we go to different parts of the museum every year.

While the experiences are different from time to time, most were amazed and did not know what was just under their noses,” Erlandsen says. With nearly 20 different museums, Akershusmuseet offers something for every taste, with transport, industry, rural and coastal culture, gardening and art being themes that bind them together. It is, however, not only locals who are mesmerised by the secret gems that are hiding outside the city borders of Oslo.

Do not miss out on…

The Norwegian Armed Forces Aircraft Collection, located quite literally next to Oslo Airport Gardermoen, is popular with tourists. The collection consists of more than 30 historic aircraft and gives a unique insight into Norwegian military aviation, with several rare aircraft from World War II and jet fighters which served with the Royal Norwegian Airforce during the Cold War years, in addition to newer additions like the much-talked-about dummy of Norway’s new fighter plane Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. Akershusmuseet also has two historical railways, UrskogHølandsbanen, better known as Tertitten, and Lommedalen Museum Railway Line.

Many are keen to experience Asker Museum, which is a cultural pearl. Located in the famous Valley of Artists, the museum offers a diverse collection of historical buildings and art. The homes and gardens of the artist couple Tilla and Otto Valstad are at the heart of the museum, while visitors are also given a unique insight into the works and lives of the author couple Hulda and Arne Garborg. “Few artists or authors have meant as much to the country as Arne Garborg,” Erlandsen notes.

And the audience seems to agree, at least judging by visitor numbers as this is a hugely popular part of Akershusmuseet.

Others have in turn fallen in love with Gamle Hvam, the charming visitor farm which has been the inspiration behind many famous illustrations from Norwegian folk tales. Fetsund Lenser and Gamle Hvam, together with two other of

Above: Historical railway Urskog-Hølandsbanen or Tertitten. Photo: Atle Liljegren Samuelsen.

Akershusmuseet’s open-air museums, Eidsvoll Museum and Aurskog-Høland Rural Museum, hold the St. Olav’s Rose/Olavsrosa.

The people who make it all possible It is impossible to talk of Akershusmuseet without giving credit to the numerous volunteers who help maintain its different museums, and in some instances have taken over the complete task. “Our museums are indeed dependent on these volunteers, and we are grateful to any one of them who helps us give our visitors a wonderful experience,” Erlandsen adds appreciatively.

The Oslofjord Museum – giving a voice to the urban fjord The newest addition to the museum opens this year at Vollen, southwest of Oslo. Surprisingly little emphasis and attention has been given to the coastal culture surrounding the Oslofjord, and the museum aims to give insight into the nature, culture and technology that all plays a role in the area. “It is rather special to be able to swim in and enjoy a fjord which is so close to a capital or large city,” Erlandsen notes, and welcomes people to explore this and other secrets surrounding Oslo.

Top: The Oslofjord Museum Bottom: Asker Museum. Photo: Knut Bry For more information, please visit: www.akersmus.no www.facebook.com/Akershusmuseet

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 33

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Norwegian Cultural Experiences

Submarine display

RAF pilot

See Hitler’s paintings and drawings with your own eyes Fancy a peek into the private life of Adolf Hitler where he nourished his artistic side?

Or perhaps a glimpse at Eva Braun’s purse? This and many more curiosities from the Second World War can be found at The Lofoten World War Memorial Museum. The museum holds one of the world’s largest collections of unique artefacts that tell a story from the war far from the battlefield.

Terboven, fake Christmas trees called Frontbaums that were sent up north to cheer up Waffen-SS, Christmas tree decorations with Hitler’s head painted on them, as well as a large collection of uniforms.

By Anne Line Kaxrud | Photos: Lofoten Krigsminnemuseum

The Lofoten World War Museum is a war museum out of the ordinary, where the focus has drifted from the military to the personal side of the war. Thus, the museum takes pride in reflecting the timespan between 1940 to 1945 with all its drama and brutality alongside examples of personal sacrifices, unselfishness, and courage. “It is a historical museum with curiosities that attract people from all over the world. It intends to encourage people to think for themselves,” William Hakvaag says. He is the enthusiast behind the museum, and it has become his mission in life to locate and exhibit artefacts that tell stories about people and the war.

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“A museum ought to shed light on the past, namely through photo material, pictures and text. Together, this constitutes a story, but the best thing it will do is to encourage visitors to think and make up their own conclusions,” Hakvaag says.

Josef Terboven's procelain Being Norway’s largest exhibition of uniforms, artefacts and small objects from World War II, there are many curiosities displayed within the museum walls. Hakvaag himself has travelled near and far to get his hands on the unique pieces, and the current collection consists of porcelain of Reichskommissar for Norway Josef

One of the most notable artefacts includes the main flag taken from the German ship Blücher after it was sunk in the Oslofjord.

On that note, the museum also holds the cap of Birger Eriksen, the officer who ordered firing on the ship, and was thus instrumental in stopping the first wave of Germans invading Norway. “Eriksen was from Lofoten, and it is therefore particularly special to have his cap,” Hakvaag says.

The Lofoten raid – the first victory against Germany It is no coincidence that the museum is located in Lofoten in northern Norway. The place played an important role during the war and was at the centre of Operation

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Norwegian Cultural Experiences

Norwegian soldier

Claymore, often referred to as the Lofoten raid. On 4 March 1941, the Allied forces, with the United Kingdom in the lead, carried out the raid on the Lofoten islands. It was soon considered the first total victory against Germany during the war, and it was a massive morale boost for both British and Norwegian troops. It did, however, lead to the enormous fortification of Svolvær in Lofoten, and not least did it open German eyes to the north. As a direct consequence of the raid, the Gestapo established their regional headquarters in Svolvær, alongside a considerable increase in German soldiers in the area.

Hitler behind the scenes – an artist and vegetarian Adolf Hitler is probably one of history’s most talked-about men, and there is no lack of biographies. Most people are struck by his brutality, while others are also fascinated by the man behind the public appearance. It is a well-known fact that he was an eager artist, and it has been argued that the whole war might have been avoided if he had been admitted into the Vienna Academy of Art. With this in mind, Hakvaag bought a painting by Hitler for 200 euros. What neither he nor the vendor knew was that behind the

Prisoner of war from Russia

French soldier

Hitler as the leader he was, the museum is also trying to show the person behind the scenes, who was a vegetarian and a non-smoker. “He was a hard-line psychopath, who may not have struck people as the dangerous person he really was at first. This is all part of our desire to make people think for themselves and gain a new insight into history.”

Above: Drawings by Adolf Hitler

painting there were five drawings of dwarfs from Snow White, all signed by Hitler. “He was an artist by nature, which one could also see in his behaviour as a leader. He did not follow the rules of the game and did things that no rational leader would do: for example, sending his troops to Russia without winter clothes,” Hakvaag says. While obviously portraying

For more information, please visit: www.lofotenkrigmus.no

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 35

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Norwegian Cultural Experiences

From the play Lady Guri of Edøy - an annual production at Gurisentret in Smøla.

Theatre in the wild Imagine looking out over a calm fjord, jagged mountain peaks and picturesque fishing villages, all while experiencing a play about Norwegian history, love and female empowerment. The Guri centre in Smøla offers theatre with a Norwegian twist.

By Anette Berve | Photos: Wigdis Wollan

The Guri centre was built to accommodate the growing popularity of the local play Lady Guri of Edøy written by Peggy Kristine Kruse. First debuted in 1990 for the 800th jubilee of Edøy stone church, the play proved a soaring success and became an annual production. In 2009, the centre opened with a purpose-built outdoor scene inspired by the Greek amphitheatres. “We wanted to professionalize the production and to accommodate the increasing number of visitors,” explains Anne Elisabeth Gjeldnes, manager at the Guri centre.

panorama windows offering views of the Edøy fjord and Tustna mountains. “People from Smøla are like our landscape – very open. We have guides on hand who can take visitors around the island to see some of the charming fishing villages and the windmill park, which is the biggest in northern Europe,” says Gjeldnes.

Invisible Designed by architectural company Askim/Lantto Arkitekter AS, from day one the centre was meant to be extraordinary,

rare and unique. Situated on historical grounds, the centre was designed not to ruin or distract its surroundings, including the old stone church from 1180. “It is almost invisible from afar, and the wood that has been used will age and blend in with the scenery with time. It is modern and spectacular without claiming your attention,” says Gjeldnes.

Historical grounds The Lady Guri of Edøy tells a fictional tale of the people who lived on Edøy around 800 years ago. The action revolves around two historical, cultural monuments – the runic stone ‘Kulisteinen’ and Edøy’s old church – and the cast consists of both professional and amateur actors. “It is a play that can be enjoyed by all nationalities even though it is in Norwegian,” ensures Gjeldnes. “The setting itself will move any visitor.”

Cultural hub

How to get there:

The visitor centre’s main attraction is the play, but it has also become a cultural hub for the municipality. It also opens for different cultural events, such as concerts, other plays and movie viewings, and visitors can experience the multilingual exhibition “Encounters with the wind”, an impressive showcase of the number one resource of the island, and see the work of local woodcarver Daniel Hagerup. The centre houses a charming café with

- 35 minutes from Kristiansund with the Coastal Express

36 | Issue 50 | March 2013

- Approx. 2 hours from Trondheim with the Coastal Express - By car: RV 680 from Kristiansund or Trondheim with a ferry from Tustna.

Accomodation is available on Smøla.

For more information, please visit: www.gurisentret.no

Karmøy Fiskerimuseum is situated in a beautiful location by the sea. Some people visit the museum simply to enjoy the architecture of the building.

History and architecture combined Karmøy Fiskerimuseum is often considered a work of art as well as a museum.

Some people visit because they have a genuine interest in the fishing industry on Karmøy, whilst others simply visit to enjoy the distinctive architecture of the unusual building.

By Kjersti Westeng | Photos: Karmøy Fiskerimuseum

Karmøy is an island in western Norway, where fishing and farming have always been important industries. The museum is situated in Vedavågen, a small village in Karmøy, where fishing has been a particularly important part of people's lives. In a scenic location by the sea, Karmøy Fiskerimuseum first opened in 1999 and was established to preserve objects related to the fishing industry and spread knowledge regarding the fisheries in Karmøy. Per Oddvar Sandhåland, the chairman of the foundation which owns the museum, has been involved since the very beginning. “The museum is situated in a lovely area; it's open and beautiful. Some people come here just to enjoy the scenery and the architecture of the building.”

The unusual building was designed by Snøhetta, an architecture company known for designing unique buildings all around the world. Sandhåland says: “The CEO of the company, Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, is from Karmøy himself, so he was the perfect candidate for the job.” The museum

sits on a small cliff overlooking the fjord, which offers a fantastic view for visitors from inside the museum.

Although some people come for the architecture, the main attraction is still the exhibition, which takes you on a journey through the last 60 years of fishing on Karmøy. It presents many different parts of the local fishing history through texts, pictures and artifacts. Visitors learn about the different trapping methods that were used in the past and gain a clear picture of how much the industry has developed.

Sandhåland says: “The exhibition gives you an insight into how the fishing industry has affected the people of Karmøy since 1950. We also have six small aquariums with all the different species of saltwater fish from the area, which is usually popular amongst the younger audience.”

The museum is open from June to August but is available for private visits on request.

The exhibition presents the history of the fisheries in Karmøy since 1950.

The big window inside the museum offers a fantastic view of the fjord.

For more information and details on how to buy tickets, please visit: www.fiskerimuseum.net

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 37

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Norwegian Cultural Experiences

From the exhibition From Cradle to Grave in Rysstad.

Scenery at Iveland og Vegusdal bygdemuseum.

Explore true Norwegian heritage at the Setesdals Museum This is the place to explore the national costume Setesdalsbunaden, the Viking ages and, not least, old farming traditions. The Setesdals Museum welcomes guests from near and far to take a peek into the national heritage of Norway.

By Anne Line Kaxrud | Photos: Setesdalsmuseet

In the middle of the country, located between mountains and lakes, you will find the 10 different museums that constitute the Setesdals Museum. The fantastic surroundings set the scene for a tale of customary Norwegian farming traditions, which visitors can explore for themselves to see what it was like to be a farmer more than 100 years ago, or they can take in the unique jewellery stones at Evje og Hornnes Geo Museum. “It is a great place to experience Norway,” says managing director Anna Stella Karlsdottir.

Combine a day of Vikings with geological treasures at Iveland and Evje One can spend days exploring all the different attractions in the area, but there is little doubt that the summer exhibition from the Viking ages will be a main at-

38 | Issue 50 | March 2013

and Norwegians alike are excited about this exhibition as it is not only a visual experience but an insight into our history and our culture of the past and present,” Karlsdottir says.

traction, while others may take a fancy to the unique stones that are found and exhibited at Evje. Others may in turn be keen to take in the beautiful painted textile materials from the Netherlands at Rygnestadtunet in Valle, dating back to the 1500s.

National costumes – the pride in any Norwegian’s wardrobe It is rather unique to the country that the majority, at least of women, has a national costume hanging in their wardrobe.

The local Setesdalsbunaden is known as one of the most fabulous and spectacular of its kind, and you can take a look at this and other local variations at the main exhibition From Cradle to Grave in Rysstad.

The exhibition presents variations worn for everyday use as well as for festivities, including wedding costumes. “Tourists

Painted textiles at the Rygnestad museum.

For more information, please visit: www.setesdalsmuseet.no

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Norwegian Cultural Experiences

A maritime timber-rafting experience From poetic and theatrical outdoor performances to live music and boat trips, experience the history of timber rafting in Norway recreated at scenic Fetsund Lenser, Norway’s only preserved timber-rafting plant.

By Ingvild Vetrhus | Photos: Fetsund Lenser

Timber rafting has long traditions in Norway, where the log transportation method was practised in the country’s largest river, Glomma, between the 16th century and 1985. The national heritage monument, Fetsund Lenser, was a hub for timber rafting in Glomma after 1860, when the river was Norway’s busiest timber carrier. The 2.5-kilometre-long plant, which is only a 20-minute train ride away from Oslo, attracted over 60,000 visitors in 2012 and is open to the public all year.

The summer programme, which will start on 1 May, includes Fløtefestivalen, where life in the days of timber rafting is recreated. Spectators will experience timberrafting down the magnificent river of Glomma as well as a spectacular boat parade through the plant’s marina. “There isn’t anything like this in Norway,” says organiser Anna Kristine Jahr Røine.

The monument, which consists of timber booms, machinery to bundle timber and 25 buildings that house a range of exhibi-

tions, used to be the location where large logs were prepared to be pulled across the lake of Øyeren. In order to experience the history of timber floating at its best, you can go for a stroll along the rustic buildings where exhibitions take you back in time to when the river was filled with millions of logs. You can even walk on the water as fleets are lined up in the sea along the plant so that the public can walk onto the actual timber-rafting facilities.

Make your visit complete with a maritime experience. Have a taste of local cuisine on the dockside before boarding tourist boat MS Øyeren for a sightseeing trip down the river Glomma to northern Europe’s largest inland delta, Nordre Øyeren. The area is one of Norway’s largest Ramsar sites and is of importance to migratory birds. “Beavers swimming or sitting along the river are also a common sight. Narrow canyons with rich vegetation make a trip on the tourist boat MS Øyeren an unforgettable experience,” adds Røine.

For more information, please visit: fetsundlenser.no

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 39

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Norwegian Cultural Experiences

In the charming eastern Norwegian town of Lier they take their town heritage seriously. Since 1970, the Lier History Preservation Group has been collecting and gradually rebuilding a small group of historical buildings into what is known as Lier Bygdetun. In keeping with a Norwegian tradition, Lier Bygdetun preserves not only buildings and artefacts, but culture as well.

By Hannah Gillow Kloster

Photo: Erik Jacobsen

Photo: Astrid Karlsen

Centred on a few key buildings, Lier Bygdetun is a cultural hub in Lier.

Amongst the buildings rebuilt in the beautiful historic location, one can find what coordinator and founder Aasmund Lyhus states is “one of Norway’s first permanent schools, Vivelstad School, originally built in 1807”. It is refurnished as a school building in the 1920s, when Olympic gold medallist skier Thorleif Haug made the school his stomping ground. Today, school classes may come and relive the reality of their historic peers, with ink, fountain pens and strict rule enforcement.

Another central aspect to Lier Bygdetun is their historical fruit garden. According to Lyhus, it is home to “over 90 dif-

MINI THEME - FISHING IN NORWAY

Angling heaven in Norway Winding fjords and crystal-clear lakes teeming with fish – Norway presents an angler’s paradise. Norwegians take great pride in their natural heritage, and it is easy to understand why. Vast opportunities lie on their doorsteps, with one of the longest coastlines in the world, thousands of islands and freshwater lakes.

Text and photos by Norges Jeger- og Fiskerforbund/The Norwegian Association of Hunters and Anglers

The Norwegian coastline, with its staggering 103,000 kilometres, is the second longest in the world, only surpassed by the Canadian coastline, which stretches to 244,000 kilometres. Fishing in the sea and large lakes is free for all, but smaller lakes and rivers might require a small fee. Remember to check if there are any local fishing regulations before you try your luck.

Sport fishing has a great standing as a preferred pastime, and more than half the population make good use of their fishing rods every year. In fact, every third fish supper is self-caught. Local and ecological food of superior quality really is the best recipe.

40 | Issue 50 | March 2013

ferent sorts, many of which are no longer planted elsewhere.” The fruit garden delivers offshoots of its trees to those who wish to grow them, as Lyhus enthusiastically explains: “Because the only way to keep this part of our heritage alive is to actually keep them growing.”

Open every Sunday, as well as continuously mid-June through mid-September, Lier Bygdetun is a shining example of keeping heritage alive and bustling, not confined to musty museums.

Photo: Knut Andersen

Bustling activity in historic surroundings

For more information, please visit: lier-bygdetun.no

Angling traditions, as we know them in Norway today, are the result of early British fishing tourism. British salmon fishers were drawn to untouched nature in the 19th century, and then as now they sought and found relief from everyday stress and tension in uncompromising fishing experiences. With them they brought a new culture and modern techniques, and the locals embraced them.

Measuring strength with a monstrous salmon, accompanied by the sound of a whining reel, still holds a special position for many anglers, as more and more discover water boiling with possibilities – voracious pike and perch, shy trout and grayling, man-sized halibut or omnivorous cod, there is a lot to discover.

Fishing is the solution for those seeking peace and tranquillity from the everyday hustle and bustle.

For more information, please visit: www.njff.no

Scan Magazine | Mini Theme | Fishing in Norway

Sublime fishing and peace of mind Based by the sea in idyllic Bømlo, in southwest Norway, Aasheim Rorbuer can offer peace and quiet, fishing, boating and canoeing, along with sublime accommodation for an idyllic holiday.

By Didrik Ottesen | Photos: Aasheim Rorbuer

Managed by the married couple Eldbjørg and Paul Jørs, the four cabins by the seaside are suitable for four to six people and form a marvellous base for various sea and nature activities, with approximately 1,000 islands within close range.

“We can offer fishing equipment, boats of various sizes and speed, arrange for guided tours if preferable, and there is a good deep-sea fishing scene here as well,” says Paul Jørs, daily manager of Aasheim Rorbuer.

Aside from fishing, diving enthusiasts can also consider themselves in luck, with magnificent diving opportunities available in the area, and Aasheim Rorbuer are happy to help supply the equipment.

Aasheim Rorbuer can also offer a slightly more flexible stay as visitors are not necessarily obliged to book for an entire week and shorter stays are also possible.

“There aren’t too many who offer anything but one-week stays; we wish to be slightly more flexible and can therefore offer different durations for visitors,” he says.

The couple took over the business three years ago and has since worked hard to expand offers and make all the facilities accessible for disabled as well as able-bodied visitors.

“Most importantly this is the ideal place to come to unwind, relax and enjoy the sea as well as the nature,” Jørs adds.

For more information, please visit: www.aasheim-rorbuer.no

Salmon fishing in Orkla Rennebu in central Norway is home to a little paradise for salmon fishers. With the river Orkla running through, Rennebu has become a popular destination for fishermen eager to catch the biggest salmon. Right next to the river lies Grøtte gård, a small farm where you can stay and make a holiday out of your trip.

By Kjersti Westeng | Photos: Grøtte gård

Orkla is famous for its salmon fishing and attracts enthusiastic fishermen every summer. The salmon season runs from 1 June to 31 August, and many fishermen travel to Orkla every year hoping to catch the best salmon. Grøtte gård is a farm located right next to the popular river and welcomes eager fishermen wanting to stay overnight. Ragnhild Øverland and her husband Einar own Grøtte gård. She says: “We have our own salmon beat and have visitors from all over the world coming to fish here. Some of our visitors come back year after year.”

Grøtte gård is situated by the upper part of the river, a quiet area with fewer fisher-

men compared to the area further down.

Visitors can rent a small hut or the beautiful timber-built house called “Feskarstuggu”. Øverland says: “People come back to Grøtte gård because they prefer to fish in this part of the river. It is a completely different experience from fishing further down, where the fishermen stand close together.”

Orkla attracts salmon fishers every season.

This year, Øverland and her husband are hoping to get an outside hot tub for their visitors to use. “We often have groups of friends visiting, who make food together and use our outside areas to enjoy themselves. The hot tub will be a nice addition.”

Visitors can rent the timber-built house ‘Feskarstuggu’. They come back to Orkla year after year hoping to catch the biggest salmon.

For more information and to book tickets, please visit: www.grottegard.no

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 41

Discover unbelievable fishing stories in the halibut capital of Europe Fancy pulling in a giant fish twice the size of yourself? How about spending a week on one of the most exotic islands in the world? At Torsvåg Havfiske, you can do both. On a small island off the border of Tromsø, they offer professional and hobby fishermen alike an experience out of the ordinary.

ilies. “Fishing is an activity for everyone, and many come here to combine a week of fishing with truly spectacular nature.”

By Anne Line Kaxrud | Photos: Torsvåg Havfiske

Look at the map of Norway and follow it above the polar circle, and about two hours west of Tromsø into the open sea.

Here, you will find a small island named Koja, a place which is renowned for its rich fishing community. “We are proud to call ourselves the halibut capital of Europe,” says Sonja Karlsen, managing director at Torsvåg Havfiske.

Havfiske caught a halibut of 194 kilograms and 242 centimetres long. While the numbers may not tell you much, it is safe to say it was far longer and much broader than the proud fisherman himself. “Some of the catches are unbelievable, and we are happy every time we see satisfied faces approaching land,” Karlsen says.

A boat and a bed to sleep in

Unbelievable stories Judging by the numerous fishing records set in the area, this is definitely the place to go to catch a big one, whether a halibut, cod or any of the other fish that live just off the island. But do remember to take a picture as it may otherwise be difficult to convince people it actually happened. The man who holds the current record at Torsvåg

42 | Issue 50 | March 2013

The place offers flats and houses, with supplementary boats. This way, the fishermen are given the freedom to try their luck at sea whenever they fancy. “We offer a brief introduction on how to use the boat and equipment, but many are returning guests,” Karlsen says, adding that it is particularly popular for typical boys’ trips but is also a popular destination for fam-

For more information, please visit: www.torsvaag.no

Scan Magazine | Mini Theme | Fishing in Norway

Supreme fishing all year round Situated in spectacular surroundings where mountains meet the sea in west Norway, Kvalheim Fritid offers extravagant facilities and fishing adventures all year round.

By Didrik Ottesen | Photos: Kvalheim Fritid

year-round; in the autumn there is the crab season and deep-sea fishing during winter is an astounding experience,” says Ann-Sophie Lindahl, general manager at Kvalheim Fritid.

Located only an hour’s drive from Bergen and two hours from Voss, where

All the 13 different cabins and houses are luxuriously furnished with Jacuzzis and saunas, optimising the possibility of an autumn or winter visit to this treasure by the sea.

“An interesting part of our offer is that fishing is something that can be done

you can find superb skiing facilities, Kvalheim Fritid is the ultimate base for visitors wanting to experience a winter holiday, a city holiday as well as a holiday by the sea.

“It’s somewhat extraordinary how we are situated, considering all the various opportunities within close driving distance; we can offer something for everyone regardless of interests.

“We also cater to businesses looking to do conferences and team-building trips as the possibilities around here are seemingly endless,” she adds.

Several different types of boats are available, with or without a skipper, along with both snorkelling and diving opportunities.

It is also possible to enjoy ocean sightseeing around the magnificent, nearby Hjeltefjorden.

For more information, please visit: www.kvalheimfritid.no

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CIA FRO E SP TION

A PIR S IN

Inspiration from Sweden Colourful, zany and made with love – the design and products coming out of Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia are not all about clear-cut simplicity and functionalism; however, a sense of tradition and an intrinsic Nordic-ness still play an important role.

By Nia Kajastie | Photo: Nicho Södling/imagebank.sweden.se

The general high quality of the products coming out of Sweden is an aspect that has been recognised for a long time – and continues to hold true. It is something that both well-established and newer companies adhere to and often proudly present as one of their defining characteristics, whether the product in question

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is clothes, jewellery, ceramics, toys, home accessories or baked goods.

This high quality also signifies product longevity – a green way of thinking in today’s ‘throwaway society’ – and shows us that the products were indeed made with love and thus created out of the best materials

and produce available. This is why it is so easy to be inspired by things that were made in Sweden; the love and skill simply shine through. Sometimes these qualities are embodied through the stylish minimalism that Scandinavian design is renowned for, whereas at other times joyful bursts of colourful idiosyncrasy just sweep us off our feet; both expressions of creativity are part of today’s Nordic-ness and the way Sweden presents itself to the world.

Read on and be inspired by a selection of delightful, high-quality products from Sweden.

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Inspiration from Sweden

Swedish design with a love of colour With its Mediterranean-inspired colourful design, Gerbera ceramics has found its way straight to people’s hearts and homes. Since its start in 2006, the company’s popularity has been constantly increasing. Today, they have resellers all over the world, with TV chefs and popular restaurants as some of their customers.

By Elin Berta | Photos: Gerbera AB

“Our beautiful colours are the first thing our customers fall in love with,” says Susanne Örnryd, owner and designer of Gerbera AB. All colours are carefully developed in the company’s factory in Portugal, where also every product is handmade with white terracotta clay.

“I wanted to create something functional yet still beautiful to rest your eyes upon.

With our spacious dishes, it is easy to make a big dinner which looks beautiful when you serve it and which is easy to clean up once you have finished,” Örnryd continues.

In July 2012, the company expanded their business with a shop in the historical set-

ting of Gustavsberg harbour, which was once home to the famous Swedish Gustavsberg porcelain. In a large old factory building, you will find all of the 1,000 articles from their collection in all of the 15 available colours.

Since everything is handmade, every single product is unique. The ceramics have a specific glaze which makes them easy to clean after cooking, and they are all ovenproof. Due to the unique process used when creating the ceramics, the dishes also preserve both heat and cold for a long time – qualities that all add up to a constantly increasing clientele.

Love in pastel In the heart of Stockholm’s trendy SoFo area on Södermalm lies Mia Blanche Keramik, a boutique and studio born out of a passion for the hard stuff. What began as a hobby has blossomed into a venture with an internationally known name. This joyously coloured ceramic stoneware collection can be found as far away as New York and Tokyo.

Founder and owner Mia Blanche says: “I create things that I find useful, that will be loved and used a lot, in every home.” Although keenly interested in ceramics for 20 years, it was not until 2008 that the former solicitor decided to launch her own creative business.

“I take inspiration from my childhood; the patterns of my grandmother’s textiles, for example, are a recurring theme in the ceramics,” continues Blanche. “Handmade, organically formed, each piece is unique in its own way.”

The range includes plates and bowls for different occasions, cups and pots, each piece thoughtfully named. Pick up a “Sven-

For more information, please visit: www.gerbera.cc

By Ulrika Osterlund Photos: Mia Blanche Keramik/Lena Granefelt

nis” or a “Farmor” (Grandmother), or perhaps a cute “Little Heart” dish. Characterized by cheerful and effervescent pastel shades, Mia Blanche Keramik dishes add a joyful touch to your day. Most of the products are made for use in the kitchen, the heart of the home.

For more information, please visit: www.miablanchekeramik.se www.keramikerna.se www.miablanchekeramik.tictail.com

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 45

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Inspiration from Sweden

KILA Design: Jewellery to evoke nostalgia KILA Design works with salvaged antique and period china and porcelain. The jewellery with its fine patterns evokes wonderfully nostalgic feelings.

sion. All the metal detailing uses sterling silver.

By Emelie Krugly Hill | Photos: Kristin Bäckstrand

Cecilia, who is a mother of five, stopped working as a nurse to raise her children and went through times when the family economy was a bit tight. Therefore, it was not unusual for her to explore the local charity shops for bargains, and this is how she gradually became interested in the world of porcelain by collecting antique cups and plates, mostly Swedish and Nordic ware from the 1940s to the 1960s, such as Rörstrand and Gustavsberg porcelain.

It all begun with an oddly shaped ceramic shard found by her four-year-old son on a hot summer’s day. He presented it to his mother Cecilia Claesson, and she commemorated this gesture by transforming his find into a brooch. Unbeknown to her then, she had invented the successful concept behind KILA Design. This inspiration began in 1996 and has now grown into a successful family business.

“Somewhere in that moment, a thought was born, an idea to make jewellery out of

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old porcelain. After friends had commented on how nice my brooch was, I simply started on a small scale by making a few brooches for friends and family. Today, my husband and children and even my son-in-law are involved; in fact, my daughter Ester is working with me on a part-time basis,” Cecilia explains.

Her unique jewellery is usually created with old and often familiar Swedish porcelain. They feature curious patterns and shapes and are designed for any occa-

“I’ve always had a good eye for unusual gems,” Cecilia explains enthusiastically.

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Inspiration from Sweden

“I wanted to show off some of our beautiful heritage through my jewellery. It makes people very nostalgic, and sometimes even brings tears to their eyes.

There is something quite magical about revisiting the decoration of porcelain that maybe several generations have used in their lives; it can remind you of long-gone grandparents, uncles and aunties. Perhaps you might even recall the smell of the food associated with them.

“Popular examples include the retro kitchenware by Swedish designer Marianne Westman, and the Gustavsberg Bersa Plates by Stig Lindberg, one of Sweden's most important post-war designers and illustrators.”

Cecilia’s first major event was a stand at a respected craft fair. “I remember being incredibly nervous about what people would think and whether they would laugh at my quirky designs. Instead it turned out to be an important stepping stone for my business and myself as an artist. Sales were not brilliant, but I could see an interest and that was the most important thing for me.”

Cecilia then established her brand at DesignTorget, a commercial marketplace for unique design in Sweden, as well as many other boutiques in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries. “That made me feel very proud, and I felt I was on the right track; over time my business has grown steadily,” she says.

usually creative women who are not afraid to wear an unusual style.”

Based on the Swedish west coast, in Horred, 60 kilometres south of Gothenburg, Cecelia creates her collection from her home studio in Vasse gård. There is no actual shop, but clients are welcome to visit. “Customers are welcome to pop in anytime. My clients find it difficult to choose one piece, with each piece displaying such strong colours and unique designs with their own special story to tell; they simply make you happy!”

Cecelia’s jewellery has travelled far, with stockists in Japan, Spain and other Scandinavian countries “We are currently selling our jewellery in more than 30 stores, and it’s something I could not have dreamt of in the early days. It has taken a long time for me to acknowledge my artistic identity, but today, I’m proud to call myself an artist, and I’m looking forward to carrying on developing my collections and the potential of becoming established in the UK as well as other countries.”

The name KILA was inspired by a friend’s daughter who couldn’t quite pronounce Cecilia, in particular the letter ‘C’. Cecilia had always liked this sweet and simple nickname, and decided it would be the perfect name for her business.

Sometimes Cecilia receives unusual requests where clients would like a particular plate, bowl or cup turned into jewellery in a curious shape. In fact, brides-to-be often contact Cecilia asking for a special piece of jewellery to celebrate the day, with matching cufflinks and a tie clip for the groom. “Our clients are

For more information, please visit: www.kila.nu

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 47

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Inspiration from Sweden

From Sweden with love Handmade, individually picked from the baking tray and carefully placed into pastelcoloured retro tin boxes, gingersnaps from Arbrå Ångbageri bakery in Bollnäs, Sweden, are made with love.

By Malin Wiander | Photos: Katarina Hansson

Bakers have made bread and pastries at the bakery for over a century, but from the 1980s the focus changed to their delicious bestseller: gingersnaps. When Petra Abrahamsson and Camilla Erlandsson took over in 2010, they kept that focus, adding only a few other biscuits to their selection.

“The secret to that is something we keep well locked up in our safe along with our other recipes,” Abrahamsson says.

Last year, another person was employed to work full time alongside the two owners, and next autumn one more member will be added to the team.

“The future looks very bright and we see a lot of potential,” Abrahamsson says. “We

Treat yourself to a cinnamon bun with a good conscience What started out as an ambition to create colourful toys that children would want to play with went on to become a collection with a wide range of products. With a constantly present playful charm and tasteful design, not even adults can keep their hands off Bombadill’s soft pastry-shaped products.

By Elin Berta | Photo: Ola Gustafsson

”My son and his friend used to love to pretend they were at a cafe. One of their favourite toys was a wooden cake that easily got thrown, hurting both each other and the walls. So I decided to make my own soft pastries,” explains

Birgitta Sjöberg, owner and designer of Bombadill.

Starting with a couple of toys in 2007, for instance the traditional Swedish princess cake, the collection soon expanded. Today, you will find pillows in the shape of a traditional Swedish cinnamon bun and the classic intense green punch roll, a cupcake stool and duvet covers with doughnuts, just to mention a few.

It is not only the lack of calories in Bombadill’s pastries that will keep your conscience clean: to make sure their products are made under good working

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For more information, please visit: www.arbraangbageri.se

conditions, they only cooperate with manufacturers working according to guidelines set by the International Council of Toy Industries.

And Bombadill will keep growing. “For the very small ones we have rattles in the shape of ice cream cones, and later this year I am hoping to introduce playsuits to go with them.” Playsuits that of course will come in fabrics with delicious patterns.

To find out more about Bombadill and where to find your closest retailer, please visit: www.bombadill.com

Photo: Linn Fransson

During the months before Christmas, when production rises to a hundred thousand gingersnaps a day, five or six people are hired to keep up with the demand.

What makes biscuits from Arbrå Ångbageri special is the care put into the production. Also, rumour has it that that their gingersnaps make you nice. For some, one might be enough, others might need a whole box.

Photo: Fredrik Welander

“We took over a company that already sold quality products, and we wanted to keep it that way,” Abrahamsson explains. “That is why our products are made entirely of fresh ingredients, free from any additives.”

have built up a brand that reflects our personalities, and our aim is to make people happy through the company and our products.”

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Inspiration from Sweden

On a mission to create happy homes Berit is an independent woman with a passion for colour and details. With the inspirational designs of Berit STHLM, she encourages people to be brave when it comes to interior design.

By Elin Berta | Photos: Sally Osbeck

“Everyone gets happier when surrounded by colourful things,” says Cattis Emneryd, one of the designers and owners at Berit STHLM. With her sister and colleague Anna-Carin Rosencrantz, she created the imaginary Berit to help express the essence of their design. With focus on individuality, they produce detailed products to make home decoration joyful.

“We get many requests concerning styling from different companies, wanting our help and unique touch to visualise their brands, and we love doing it,” Emneryd explains. ”Our products are not only unique in their appearance but are also produced in limited editions.

That, and the fact that it is very important for us to create products that will

last, is something our customers really appreciate.”

After many years of experience from retail and design, they decided to leave their jobs and take the leap to follow their dream – a decision they never regretted.

Today, they have an expanding list of retailers and run a web shop. In their collection, you will find cushions, carpets, tablecloths and wooden furniture, just to mention a few things. ”We have so many ideas lined up,” Emneryd says “And even if the size and shape change, our customers will always be able to tell when it is a Berit STHLM design.”

THØR: T HØR: LÖVES LÖVES CRISPBREAD C RISP PBREAD HE H E JJUST US T D DÖESN’T ÖESN LIKE L IKE T TØ Ø SH SHØW Ø W IT. Crispbread: o Crispbread: one ne o off o over ver 6 600 00 d delicious elicious Swedish, S wedish, Danish Danish and and Norwegian Norwegian foods foods online aavailable vailable across across the the UK UK from from our our o nline sshop hop and and in in our our London London store. store.

SCANDIKITCHEN.CO.UK S CANDIKITCHEN.CO.UK GOOD G OOD FOOD FOOD W WITH ITH L LOVE OVE F FROM ROM SCANDINAVIA SCANDINAVIA

For more information, please visit: www.beritsthlm.com

: ME ARK E TH NM

E L CIA S IN D E SP NES

LL WE

Wellness in Denmark In recent years, spa breaks and beauty treatments have been gaining in popularity in Denmark, with plenty of high-quality facilities opening up all around the country, as well as older wellness centres embracing both traditional and modern concepts. With their own health and physical and mental wellbeing in mind, the Danes are taking a well-deserved break and a timeout from their hectic everyday lives. Why not join them?

By Nia Kajastie | Photo: Niclas Jessen, VisitDenmark

Spas and wellness centres are not a new development in Denmark by any means, but perhaps today people are more aware than ever of how important it is to make some time for yourself and your family – to pamper yourself once in a while. And Scandinavia surely knows a little bit about saunas and a healthy way of living, and

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Denmark, in particular, is known for its high-quality retreats in tranquil settings by the water or in lush landscapes, offering plenty of fresh air.

So for a treat for both body and soul, Danish spas are a great choice sure to invigorate you, whether you choose a longer

break, a weekend stay or just a few hours’ worth of treatments. From traditional saunas and your essential treatments, including massages and facials, to outdoor Jacuzzis and cold-water pools, the spas and wellness centres in Denmark offer a wide range of facilities and services, and some even take care of your fitness and diet at the same time. Accordingly, you can feel healthy and refreshed both inside and out.

Continue reading for a list of first-rate health resorts around Denmark.

Above left: A massage pool is one of the spa’s many offerings. Right: The Diamond Spa of Bornholm’s outdoor Jacuzzi offers amazing views of the Baltic Sea.

Experience Bornholm through its most exclusive spa If you like Bornholm, you will definitely love The Diamond Spa of Bornholm at Hotel Griffen. Overlooking the Baltic Sea, the spa's concept is based on the rocky island’s unique geology and popular craftsmanship.

The spa also offers a range of massages and treatments in which therapists use Bornholm's local skincare products.

By Signe Hansen | Photos: The Diamond Spa of Bornholm

With its 1,000 square metres, The Diamond Spa of Bornholm is indisputably the island’s largest and most exclusive spa. It is also a showcase for the area’s famous craftsmanship and natural beauty. “What we wanted to create was a spa that, at one and the same time, oozes of luxury and of Bornholm,” director Birte Jensen explains. “By naming the different spa experiences after our island's special places, full of legend, mystery and natural forces, and utilising different variations of Bornholm’s granite and art, we have strived to fuse the island into the spa.”

Guests can enjoy a visit to the spa on its own or as part of a weekend or holiday package at Hotel Griffen or the nearby Radisson Blu Fredensborg Hotel.

Art, diamonds and wellness Founded in 2010, The Diamond Spa of Bornholm is named after the island’s characteristic quartz crystals known as

the ‘diamonds of Bornholm'. The diamonds, which have been widely used for making precious jewellery, are today protected, but guests can enjoy a display of their splendour at the spa entrance.

Just like the diamonds, the high-quality experience at The Diamond Spa of Bornholm has grown to be very popular with local islanders and visitors alike. Guests can enjoy a variety of offerings, including four saunas, a Turkish Hamam, massage pool, infrared light therapy room, outdoor Jacuzzi, sea salt bath and footbath, as well as several relaxation areas.

“The best reasons to visit us are really the relaxing atmosphere and the many wellness experiences, like hot and warm water pools, which will leave you with a reinvigorated feeling throughout the body.

And, with outside loungers and pools, the spa can add something extra to a visit any time of the year,” stresses Jensen.

Facts: The Diamond Spa of Bornholm is located at Hotel Griffen in Rønne.

Address: Nordre Kystvej 34, 3700 Rønne, Denmark.

The spa is open Tuesday to Sunday year round.

Entrance fee to The Diamond Spa of Bornholm: DKK 225 Guests at Hotel Griffen and Radisson Blu Fredensborg Hotel have free access to the spa.

For more information, please visit: www.bornholmhotels.dk

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 51

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Wellness in Denmark

Pampering and family fun on the Danish west coast Whether you prefer an oceanic view from a warm outdoor saltwater pool, a large granite Jacuzzi or a Finnish sauna, Blåvand Spa and Wellness in West Jutland is the place to go. The spa and adjoining five-star campsite, Hvidbjerg Strand, offer a unique combination of family fun and stylish pampering.

By Signe Hansen | Photos: Blåvand Spa and Wellness

Located in western Jutland, just 45 minutes from Esbjerg, the 1400-squaremetre Blåvand Spa and Wellness is one of Denmark’s largest and, with its unique setting, concept and design, most attractive spas. The spa was opened in 2009 by Steen Slaikjær. He and his family have

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owned and run the Hvidbjerg Strand campsite since 1976. “We got the idea for a spa when we were travelling around Europe. Seeing all the beautiful spas we just thought something like that would be perfect for our guests – just because you choose to stay in a tent or cottage on a

campsite there is no reason to think you would not appreciate a luxurious spa,” says Slaikjær.

Blåvand Spa and Wellness offers a choice of four different saunas, three different steam baths, a whirlpool, hot- and coldwater pools, salt bath, and wellness and beauty treatments.

International luxury in Scandinavian settings Though inspired by some of Europe’s best spas, the clean, minimalistic design of

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Wellness in Denmark

Blåvand Spa and Wellness is unequivocally Scandinavian, while the atmosphere is warm, welcoming and, most of all, calming.

The Scandinavian mindset also dominates the spa’s environmental profile as a great part of the spa’s heat and energy is generated through huge solar panels and a geothermal heating system. Actually, Blåvand Spa and Wellness has won several environmental prizes, and at a very reasonable price a visit can almost be considered one of life’s rare guiltless pleasures.

“Most people haven’t experienced anything like this on a campsite before, but almost everyone loves the idea that you can stay on a campsite with the entire family and still have the possibility of taking a couple of hours off to indulge with a soothing facial or a sauna visit,” explains Slaikjær.

Among the spa’s most popular features are the large outdoor Jacuzzi and the warm saltwater pool, which both provide stunning views of the North Sea, the passing ships and the beautiful nature. On top of regular spa treatments like facials, manicures and massages, Blåvand Spa and Wellness also offers physiotherapy,

sport massages and advice on stretching exercises.

Family fun and pampering Surrounded by beautiful nature and adjoining a tranquil, shielded stretch of the North Sea with beautiful white sand beaches, Hvidbjerg Strand has always been an obvious destination for families with children, and facilities and activities such as huge in- and outdoor playgrounds and horseback treks have added to the natural attraction.

Among other tremendously popular attractions on the campsite is a huge indoor tropical water park, great for both kids and their parents. With four water slides, a whirlpool, sauna and an underground cave, the heated area provides watersplashing fun for hours, even on rainy days.

“Combined, the campsite and the spa provide a fantastic way of holidaying with your family because, no matter whether you want to spend all your time with the family and the kids or whether you want some ‘you’ time, there are plenty of activities.

The kids can visit the tropical water world while mom can enjoy the ocean view from the outdoor Jacuzzi – or perhaps dad

wants to take them on an exhilarating mountain bike ride through the landscape, or on a guided hike into the Wadden Sea where they can investigate the nature and sea creatures or collect oysters,” suggests Slaikjær.

The Danish seaside, rainproof family activities, outdoor adventures and relaxed indulgence: Blåvand Hvidbjerg Strand Campsite and Wellness has it all.

Facts: Blåvand Spa and Wellness and Hvidbjerg Strand Campsite are open from March to October.

Entrance to the spa is free for campsite guests (once per day) for three hours Monday to Thursday in the low season.

Guests staying in a cottage have free entrance (once per day) three hours all week.

Entrance for tent and caravan guests in the high season: 80 DKKR Entrance for non-campsite guests: 200 DKKR Entrance to the tropical water park is free (once per day) for campsite guests.

Entrance for other guests is 80 DKKR.

For more information, please visit: www.blaavandwellness.dk

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 53

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Wellness in Denmark

Skodsborg’s new Scandinavian spa, designed by Henning Larsen Architects, opened just last year.

Regain your strength with an invigorating spa stay Whether you want to train for a marathon run, find that extra energy needed for a straining business trip, or just relax and rejuvenate, Skodsborg Kurhotel & Spa is the place to go. With a newly opened Scandinavian spa, the historic health resort on North Zealand’s beautiful coastline is fusing modern and traditional wellness concepts into a uniquely revitalizing recipe.

are, put very simply, light, air, diet, water, exercise and rest. These are the basic elements which we use in our spa and health resort stays because it is exactly what humans need to recover and remain in the best possible physical health.”

By Signe Hansen | Photos: Skodsborg Kurhotel & Spa

For more than a century, Skodsborg has, with its beautiful views of Oresund and green surroundings, been a haven for people longing for peace and restoration for the soul and body. Today, the health resort has reinvented, redesigned and reinvigorated the wellness experience with a brand new spa, designed by Henning Larsen Architects, and a mix of new and traditional approaches.

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At the heart of the spa are, however, still the principles of Dr. Carl Ottosen, the doctor who, in 1898, introduced the sanatorium concept to Denmark and founded Denmark’s first physiotherapy school, Skodsborg’s CEO Mai Kappenberger explains.

“The original sanatorium here was founded

by Dr. Carl Ottosen, and it is also his principles which we wish to reintroduce; they

The purpose and application of the principles have, however, been reinvented to fit the needs and demands of a modern lifestyle. A health resort stay is, for instance, no longer a necessity undertaken to cure an ailment, but rather something used to obtain and maintain a top level physique.

“Ten years ago if a young man was promoted, he would buy himself a new car;

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Wellness in Denmark

today, he will run a marathon. Our physical health is the only thing we cannot buy and that is why we believe that the more hardcore sort of wellness, which includes lots of fitness and outdoor activities, is gaining in popularity,” says Kappenberger.

Fit as a Viking At the time of Skodsborg’s foundation, a health resort stay was something which lasted for weeks; today, however, few of us have time for such time-consuming indulgence. “What we aim to create is a short but compact stay during which you can have a health check and choose from different programmes; maybe you want to try out a specific diet or exercise programme, prepare for a marathon or have a specific issue treated. Then, ideally, you would come back three or four times during the next year or so to check up on your progress and ensure that you reach your goals,” explains Kappenberger.

The practical approach and the numerous brisk indoor and outdoor activities on offer at Skodsborg make the spa and health resort an ideal choice for busy people looking for a little more than the usual wellness experience. Especially a lot of men find the methods appealing, says Kappenberger. “Today, most men realise that if you have to perform professionally at an executive level, you also need to maintain your physical fitness. And with activities such as mountain biking, spinning, forest runs, sea bathing and really efficient sports massages and physiotherapy treatments, our kind of wellness is something that most men can relate to.”

Fitness and outdoor activities constitute a big part of Skodsborg’s spa and health resort concept.

healthy diet, but you will always have the choice. We are not here to lecture people but to give them an experience; we just make it easy to choose the good life. You can have your cucumber cocktail with or without a splash of vodka,” jokes Kappenberger.

The same goes for pretty much everything else at Skodsborg; no one will force you to go mountain biking, swimming in cold seawater or to diet; you might as well just go for a relaxing facial, a yoga

lesson and a drink at the bar – all options are open.

Facts: Skodsborg Kurhotel & Spa is located 18 kilometres from the centre of Copenhagen.

The hotel has 85 rooms and 23 conference and meeting facilities.

Address: Skodsborg Strandvej 139

For more information, please visit: www.skodsborg.dk

The healthy option While countries such as Switzerland and Austria have long been renowned for their healthy mountain air, Scandinavia has in recent years developed its own attraction for health-conscious travellers – its kitchen. At Skodsborg, all the goodness of local sourcing, modern Nordic cuisine and organic produce is combined to ensure that a healthy option is always available.

“It is our aim that, when you come to stay with us, your first choice should be a

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 55

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Wellness in Denmark

The hotel that makes your business a pleasure A business meeting at a conference hotel can be a dull experience for the participants, but at Hotel Vejlefjord in Denmark caring for the visitors has been taken to a new level with many options for combining business with the pleasure of a thermal spa or a scenic walk near the beach.

By Julie Bauer Larsen | Photos: Hotel Vejlefjord

Ever since the foundation of Hotel Vejlefjord around the year 1900, the prime focus has been on pampering, tranquillity, room for contemplation, exercise and fresh air. With time, these principles have been renewed and refined into a modern hotel offering both fully professional conference facilities and the largest thermal spa in the Nordic region.

“The hotel is set on 42 hectares of park, forest and beach. It is one of the most beautiful areas in the country, and we make use of the unique surroundings with panoramic views from the rooms and restaurant, and paths for running and walking,” explains marketing manager Anders Martin Larsen.

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“For the business guests it can be difficult to find the time for a long walk, so for this group we offer a mid-day break where the usual coffee and snacks are served by the seashore. You walk through the park to the beach for a breath of fresh air and bring back your drink in a thermo-mug. This way you get back to your meeting in time but much more refreshed than had you just been in another room during the break.”

buildings, you will find 113 rooms, a restaurant, café and bar, and a total of 1800 square metres of spa facilities.

“Our thermal baths offer a calm, serene and quiet retreat in the middle of the forest. Seven pools, sensory showers, saunas and steam baths provide a treat for your senses, and you can combine a visit to the spa with a massage or a number of other treatments for your body and soul. It is the perfect way to end your work day – or to treat yourself for the weekend,” says Anders Martin Larsen.

From work to complete relaxation in less than a minute Besides providing six large meetings rooms, 11 group rooms, delicious food and room for team activities in the park, Hotel Vejlefjord is also a state-of-the-art wellness hotel. In the hotel’s atmospheric

For more information, please visit: www.hotelvejlefjord.dk/en

Scan Magazine | Hotel of the Month | Iceland

Hotel of the Month, Iceland

Explore the beauty of western Iceland from a comfortable base West Iceland is a region known for its natural beauty and an abundance of fascinating sights. Set close to the Snæfellsnes peninsula and the Langjökull glacier, and only an hour’s drive from Reykjavík, you will find Icelandair Hotel Hamar, a retreat-style hotel set on an 18-hole golf course.

By Nia Kajastie | Photos: Icelandair Hotel Hamar

Located in the charming town of Borgarnes, the hotel was opened in 2006 and offers modern and comfortable accommodation with excellent features, including under-floor heating, high-speed wireless internet and direct access to the hotel’s grounds from each room.

Icelandair Hotel Hamar is suitable for both business and leisure travellers; this summer, the hotel will be expanding, adding more guestrooms and a bigger conference room equipped with everything you need for a meeting or smaller conference.

The hotel includes an on-site restaurant that serves high-quality cuisine made with locally sourced produce, and while you enjoy your dinner, you can let your eyes rest on the beautiful Borgarfjord. In the morning, guests are treated to a rich buffet breakfast at the restaurant, while in the evening they can retire to the comfortable hotel bar for a drink or two.

Whether you are there for work or pleasure, you should not miss out on all the attractions and activities that are available in the surrounding area. Depending on the season, visitors can choose between whale watching, snowmobiling, sea angling, hiking, bird watching or a visit to a historical site nearby; and nature itself offers plenty to see on its own as well, in-

cluding hot springs, waterfalls, volcanos and glaciers. It is no wonder that the area is also the main setting for an Icelandic saga as it is so full of magical landscapes.

You do not actually have to move much at all for some fun leisure activities or relaxation as the hotel is built on a golf course and also offers geothermally heated outdoor hot tubs. So after a long day of sightseeing or meetings, guests are welcome to soak in the warm water and take in the stunning views.

For more information, please visit: icelandairhotels.com/hotels/hamar

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 57

Scan Magazine | Hotel of the Month | Denmark

Hotel of the Month, Denmark

Take a break at Vejle Fjord Beautifully located at Vejle Fjord, the four-starred Munkebjerg Hotel offers its guests an ideal weekend getaway with home-cooked food, warm settings and friendly smiles.

By Signe Hansen | Photos: Munkebjerg Hotel

Whether you are planning a professional meeting, a holiday with the family or a romantic weekend, Munkebjerg Hotel’s green surroundings, stunning views and inviting facilities are sure to make you feel at home.

“We have all sorts of guests throughout the year, and what attracts them is our service level, our location and our gastronomy – we cook and prepare everything ourselves; we have our own butcher, baker and confectioner, and smoke our own salami and salmon,” explains marketing coordinator Majbritt Lückstädt.

Another major attraction is the hotel’s five-starred conference facilities, which can house meetings of everything from two to 700 people.

Family fun With three restaurants, a night club, casino, tennis court, free fitness and spa

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area, and Vejle Golf Club practically in the hotel’s backyard, Munkebjerg Hotel has something to offer for the entire family.

“The main attraction for families is our location, which offers plenty of opportunities for walks along the shore or in the forest, but, of course, the indoor pool is also a hit with most kids,” says Lückstädt, adding: “We have a very warm and relaxed atmosphere here; in the winter and on cold nights we light up a fire in the fireplace lounge and serve Irish coffee and hot chocolate.”

Home-cooked delicacies and treetop views Munkebjerg Hotel provides a choice of no less than three restaurants: the Panorama Restaurant, which offers impressive views, an extensive breakfast buffet and a refined version of the Danish kitchen; the Jackpot Restaurant, set

above Casino Munkebjerg Vejle, which presents a relaxed Las Vegas-style experience; and finally the acclaimed Tree-Top gourmet restaurant, which has been named among the best restaurants in the provinces by food critics.

“We serve gourmet food with inspiration from French and Nordic cuisines and a lot of focus on the wine; we have around 600 bottles and our sommelier, who has been here for more than 25 years, knows them all very well,” says Lückstädt.

Facts: Munkebjerg Hotel has existed for more than 40 years. It was built by master builder S.A. Geschwendtner and is still run by his family.

The hotel has 29 luxury rooms, two suites, two junior suites, one luxurious honeymoon suite and 124 newly renovated standard rooms

For more information, please visit: www.munkebjerg.dk

Nordfyns Museum The history of the town of Bogense and North Funen, in words, artifacts, paintings and pictures.

Nordfyns Museum Vestergade 16, DK-5400 Bogense, Denmark Phone: +45 6481 1884 E-mail: nordmus@mail.tele.dk www.nordfynsmuseum.dk

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Scan Magazine | Attraction of the Month | Norway

Attraction of the Month, Norway

Take a stand in the energy discussion at the Norwegian Petroleum Museum Do not miss out on the upcoming exhibition Energy – the problem or the solution? In late April, the Norwegian Petroleum Museum unveils the exhibition that aims to provoke and excite by discussing one of the most contentious topics of our time. As a visitor you are guaranteed to leave with a broadened mind and with more questions than when you entered the doors.

By Anne Line Kaxrud | Photos: Norwegian Petroleum Museum

Located in Stavanger, the oil capital of Norway, the Norwegian Petroleum Museum continues to be a window into the incredible Norwegian oil adventure. The museum is renowned for innovative exhibitions, and the latest addition is the upcoming permanent exhibition Energy – the problem or the solution? The title illustrates the difficult issues the exhibition incorporates, and with exciting visuals and intriguing questions, the museum hopes

60 | Issue 50 | March 2013

to provoke and engage people in one of society’s biggest challenges. “With this exhibition we hope to encourage more interest in the pressing issues of energy usage and climate challenges,” head of exhibition Geir Mossige Johannesen says.

A peek into the Norwegian oil adventure The museum is a popular spot for locals and visitors alike and offers a unique insight into the development of the Norwe-

gian oil industry since the 1960s. With interactive methods and activities, it explains how oil and gas are created, discovered and produced. The outdoor Geo Park is particularly popular, while others are excited about dressing up like true oil workers.

A global topic that concerns everyone While the museum illustrates the everyday life of offshore workers with dramatic incidents and original objects, it also brings up controversial and difficult topics related to the oil industry. The upcoming exhibition is a brilliant example of how the museum identifies issues and challenges visitors with interactive methods and difficult questions. “This exhibition will be a part of our permanent exhibition

Scan Magazine | Attraction of the Month | Norway

from late April. It brings up the difficulty of a continuous increase in energy use and demand, as well as climate challenges.

We know that we cannot continue with the way we do things today, but how do we solve it? The exhibition aims to challenge and encourage visitors to think about this, and while we do not, and cannot, give answers, we aim to ask good questions,” Mossige Johannesen says.

Climate considerations at the expense of increased welfare?

The oil and energy industry has long been regarded as one of the climate crooks, and it is thus a highly contentious and current topic. Sustainable development is one of the most talked about topics of our time, and the energy issue remains much discussed. “Being a national museum in a country where the energy sector is so dominant, it was natural to bring this up.

While we take no sides, we try to balance the different arguments and ask relevant questions,” Mossige Johannesen says.

“The exhibition is divided into three main areas, where we discuss the dilemmas between climate considerations and oil, welfare and nature conservation. By this, we want to provoke and engage our visitors to think about how energy impacts our society, and what the consequences would be of changing the current state of things.”

The exhibition continues in the museum’s interactive tradition and uses technical methods, light, and images to reach its audience. “We wish to talk to the head, heart and tummy,” Mossige Johannesen says.

Do not miss out on the Newton room While visitors of all ages are bound to be fascinated, there is no doubt that it is particularly popular among teenagers and young adults. Thus, the museum has, in cooperation with the local authorities and oil company Statoil, created a science room which they have appropriately named the Newton Room. Together with

the Energy – the problem or the solution? exhibition, this is an excellent teaching environment where pupils from the area get to come and explore fossil fuels and renewable energy. “We focus on the synergy of the two and offer a powerful package, and thus hope to encourage and amuse children from a young age,” Mossige Johannesen says, and welcomes visitors from near and far to the new exhibition.

For more information, please visit: www.norskolje.museum.no

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 61

Scan Magazine | Attraction of the Month | Iceland

The modernist Kópavogur Church with Gerðarsafn art museum in the foreground.

Attraction of the Month, Iceland

Explore music, art and natural history in Kópavogur A short bus journey south from downtown Reykjavík will take you to Kópavogur, the second largest community in Iceland, which is home to delightful high-quality cultural attractions and leisure opportunities. Come spend your day in this compact town, where you can reach everything by foot, including the impressive modernist Kópavogur Church, Salurinn Concert Hall, the Gerðarsafn art museum and the Natural History Museum of Kópavogur.

By Nia Kajastie | Photos: Salurinn/Gerðarsafn/Natural History Museum of Kópavogur

In Kópavogur, which is part of the Greater Reykjavik Area, visitors can experience culture, art, music, science, sport, excellent food and shopping – all in one easyto-reach spot. When you arrive in the town, you cannot miss the large dome of Kópavogskirkja, a modernist church built between 1958-1962, which is set on Borgarholt hill and is also represented on the town seal.

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On the same hilltop, you can also find Gerðarsafn, the art museum of Kópavogur. Gerðarsafn’s beautiful building was built in the memory of sculptor and glass artist Gerður Helgadóttir, who also created the stained glass windows for the town’s church. While the museum features work by Helgadóttir as well as painter and sculptor Magnús Árnason and his wife Barbara, it also puts on fre-

quent exhibitions by modern Icelandic artists.

First-class musical experiences at Salurinn The same site is also home to Salurinn, Iceland’s first purpose-built concert hall, which opened its doors in January 1999. “It’s the first concert building in Iceland that was built with the music and acoustics in mind; before then concerts were all held in churches and theatres,” explains Aino Freyja Järvelä, the director of Salurinn. “For the first 10 years of its existence, the concert hall concentrated mainly on classical music with some pop music as well, but the repertoire has changed over the years.

Today, there is a large variety of con-

Scan Magazine | Attraction of the Month | Iceland

certs on offer – all performed by firstclass musicians.”

Highly praised for its acoustics by both performers and guests, the concert hall seats 300 people, creating an intimate atmosphere for both musicians and the audience. “The audience looks small from the stage, while the audience feels like they’re almost on the stage themselves; it adds to the uniqueness of Salurinn,” adds Järvelä.

Since its opening, the concert hall has hosted an average of three concerts a week, ranging in genre from jazz to chamber music, by both Icelandic and foreign musicians. It also offers excellent facilities for meetings, lectures and smaller conferences.

In the near future, music lovers are to be treated to concerts by, among others, Icelandic pop band Mannakorn, who will be playing some of their best-known songs; four musical theatre actors interpreting songs from some of the best-loved musicals; and pianist Nina Margret Grímsdóttir, who will be performing a selection of solo works by Japanese composer Karen Tanaka.

Make the most out of your visit to Kópavogur Visitors should not miss out on the Natural History Museum of Kópavogur, with

The Natural History Museum of Kópavogur (and Salurinn)

its geological and zoological collections.

With rocks, invertebrates, mammals and birds on display, as well as tanks with live fish and marine life, the whole family can learn more about Iceland’s natural history.

For a more active way to experience Kópavogur, you could go for walk along the shoreline, and the area also offers some great spots for hiking. Afterwards, you can

treat yourself with a plunge into one of the town’s open-air thermal pools, or perhaps a spending spree in the largest shopping mall in Iceland, Smaralind, sounds more appealing. Whether you visit Kópavogur for culture, art, music, science, shopping, relaxation or sport – or all at once – you will not be disappointed.

Salurinn Concert Hall. Photo: Thorsten Henn

For more information, please visit: www.salurinn.is www.gerdarsafn.is www.natkop.is

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 63

Scan Magazine | Attraction of the Month | Denmark

Attraction of the Month, Denmark

Discover life in the Co-operative Village Nyvang Have you ever wanted to step into a different time period? This is exactly what happens when you visit the Co-operative Village Nyvang on Zealand. You will come across men harvesting fields with horses and women washing clothes on washboards. You will meet farmers’ wives offering you samples of their cooking while you can hear the ringing sound of the blacksmith shaping red-hot iron into horseshoes in the background.

By Rikke Oberlin Flarup | Photos: Andelslandsbyen Nyvang

At the Co-operative Village, 24 houses and buildings create the framework for how life was lived in Denmark 100 years ago.

The village is a museum of cultural history covering the period from 1870-1950, the years when the co-operative movement had its heyday in Denmark. The spreading of the movement was of great importance to the democratic development in Denmark, and despite its heyday being over, the co-operative movement is still a strong part of Danish society today. Influences can be found in everything from the production and distribution of dairy products to co-housing and the use of windmills.

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Unlike most other similar attractions, the Co-operative Village Nyvang is buzzing with life and activities for most of the year.

Every spring there is an outdoor market with a wide variety of clothes, jewellery, food and tools from the era, and when the winter arrives, you can participate in one of the many indoor activities from a time when no TVs or computers were around. A visit to the village will speak to all of your senses. You can enjoy the smell of freshly ground coffee, have a taste of Rich’s pancakes or try one of the dishes of the area.

The shops offer a lively trade. At the dairy a bell rings every time a new milk delivery

is ready, and the 1940s-inspired bakery sells old-fashioned bread made with bolted rye and wheat flour; or if you prefer sweet stuff, maybe you’d like to try one of their apple fritters? At the bike shop, you will see how bikes were produced and mended in Denmark back in the 1930s.

Different exhibitions can also be found in the village. The Red Barn holds a selection of steamrollers and the largest collection of carriages in northern Europe.

When you have seen everything you wish to see, coffee or dinner at Restaurant Madam Blå is the perfect way to end your day.

For more information, please visit: www.andelslandsbyen.dk

Scan Magazine | Restaurant of the Month | Sweden

here. But it’s also very much a family restaurant where generations have gathered for birthday celebrations, for example.”

The menu features classic dishes such as hjortsadel (venison steak), pyttipanna (the Swedish equivalent to bubble and squeak) and a traditional Swedish sausage called falukorv served with stewed cabbage. A few exotic and seasonal surprises such as crow served with a cognac sauce and cranberry jelly can be enjoyed in the spring time. Beaver is served in May, and surströmming (fermented herring), which has been a tradition at Tennstopet since 1972 attracting hundreds of guests, in late summer.

Restaurant of the Month, Sweden

Tennstopet – a treasure amongst Stockholm’s restaurants Restaurants tend to come and go, but Tennstopet has been around since 1867. This treasure amongst Stockholm's restaurants has attracted artists, writers and many others who have sought a public living room throughout the years. Today, you can still sense history permeating the establishment.

By Emelie Krugly Hill | Photos: Tennstopet

There is always a pleasant and comforting murmur when you step into Tennstopet.

For decades, the wholesome chatter has never been broken by background music or live entertainment. This really is a place where people from all walks of life meet, greet, debate and enjoy soulfully and lovingly prepared hearty traditional Swedish cuisine.

“Tennstopet has a history and an interior to match. It would be a sacrilege not to take advantage of its authentic beauty as our clients really appreciate that,” says managing director Christian Olsson.

Last year, he and business partners Kristofer Sandström and Robin Moderato took over the tavern that had been run by its previous owner since 1976. This adoption had been a dream ever since they began working in the industry. Despite being experienced restaurateurs, having successfully run Vassa Eggen, Albert & Jacks and Boqueria in the Swedish capital, they admit they were humbled by the project.

“It’s quite a responsibility to be at the helm,” says Olsson. “But naturally it’s an honour and a privilege to run Tennstopet.

We have a lot of regulars, many artists, actors and journalists, who tend to eat

The restaurant has original 19th-century interiors and the dining room boasts a beautiful old tiled stove from this era. It was founded as Rosenbads Schweizeri in 1867. In 1891, tin engraver Axel Santesson took over. He decorated the tavern with many beautiful pewter pieces, and the restaurant was nicknamed Tennstopet in 1965.

Tennstopet’s first location was at Fredsgatan in central Stockholm, but it then moved to the so-called Klara district where most Stockholm newspapers have their base. Since the mid-60s, it has been established at its current address, Dalagatan in the district of Vasastan.

“Due to its former location in a newspaper district, it naturally became a popular meeting point for journalists,” says Christian Olsson.

Tennstopet’s traditional connection to the press and journalism is manifested in the hallway where a large number of front pages from newspapers through the decades adorn the walls.

Prices at Tennstopet are around 95-325 SEK depending on your choices.

For more information, please visit: www.tennstopet.se

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 65

Scan Magazine | Restaurant of the Month | Norway

Cornelius Restaurant on the islet of Bjorøy. Photo: Truls J Lotvedt

Restaurant of the Month, Norway

Seafood and storytelling Every restaurant has a story, but few have a story like Cornelius Restaurant on the islet of Bjorøy, a 20-minute boat trip from Bergen in Norway. As Owner Alf Roald Sætre tells Scan Magazine, it contains all the themes a good story needs: love, death, dramatic fjords, aphrodisiacs – and resounding success.

By Linnea Dunne | Photos: Cornelius Restaurant

As a third-generation oyster farmer, Sætre had fallen in love. He had set eyes on an islet owned by an old man, and as he could not afford to buy it, he went after the daughter who would inherit the land.

“Unfortunately she married a friend of mine instead, a cool guy with a motorcycle,” he says and explains how he decided to venture out to Seattle to explore ideal fish farming conditions that had so far been ignored. Seventeen years later, drained of his enthusiasm for a project

66 | Issue 50 | March 2013

that had been a great success, with Sætre becoming co-owner, he returned to his homeland only to discover that his childhood sweetheart was widowed. “So I started feeding her lots of sea urchins, known for their aphrodisiac effect on women. And it worked!”

Cornelius Restaurant, named after Sætre’s grandfather, was finally set up in 2003 and has been a real success story.

Situated on the five-acre islet of Bjorøy in

a beautiful fjord, it offers not only magnificent views but also dream conditions for an aquaculture enthusiast. Here, nothing has been left to fate: a lot of effort has gone into the architecturally admirable main building with modern, stylish décor throughout, and a small platform has been built to accommodate guests who arrive by helicopter.

A meteorological concept Purpose-built tanks of constantly pumping salt water have been installed so that guests can watch scallops and shellfish in action, picking exactly what tickles their fancy that particular moment, and big widescreen projectors in the restaurant allow the diners to watch staff dive for the seafood that will shortly be served – absolutely fresh.

Scan Magazine | Restaurant of the Month | Norway

Cornelius Restaurant serves fresh fish and seafood caught on the day and according to the season.

“We call it ‘a meteorological concept’,” Sætre explains. “The weather and natural conditions are in charge, and we always serve up the very best fish we can get that day. On a cold and windy day, we make sure that the food is particularly hearty, with hot, warming sauces, and on warmer summer’s days, we keep it light and fresh.”

With a wine cellar of over 7,000 bottles of wine, it promises to be an impressive allround gastronomic experience.

aquaculture tradition first-hand. “We’ll tell them about the local fishing culture and show them exactly how the fish is smoked. They get to taste cod or salmon straight from the smoking oven, as well as our special fish chowder,” says Sætre.

During two hours of walking and talking, with treats for the eyes as well as the taste buds, the guests get a refreshing break from the fine dining environment of the cruises to soak up the real deal of aquaculture.

Walking and talking A recent development is a collaboration with local cruise companies, offering a package deal that gives cruise guests the opportunity to experience the Norwegian

“I also keep some cages of a type of small hake fish unique to the local area, which, upon the cruises’ arrivals, we cook in front of the visitors and serve with butter and a

special Norwegian flatbread.” And with each food sample comes a story or two from the founder himself.

Sætre’s love of and knack for storytelling permeates the entire experience of Bjorøy and Cornelius Restaurant, from the moment visitors step off the boat from Bergen on the mainland and are told the story of how the little island was first acquired, to the high-technological devices that show how the food reaches the plate, every step of the way, and the food itself, which tells a tale not only about Sætre’s passion for fish farming but also about local history and culture. Every restaurant has a story – but why settle for just one?

Facts: How to get here: Boats leave Dreggen Quay in Bergen city centre every evening at 6pm and return at 10.30pm or 11.30 pm.

Package deals: Boat return ticket plus meteorological three-course meal: 795 NOK per person; or ‘Holmen Spesial’, including boat return ticket, a talk about seafood, food samples from the tanks and aquariums, and meteorological three-course meal: 995 NOK per person.

Sail-away menu: Available upon request, including lobster, crayfish, shrimps, mussels, crab etc. Prices vary.

For more information, please visit: cornelius-restaurant.no

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 67

Scan Magazine | Restaurant of the Month | Denmark

Moored next to Langebro bridge, the restaurant boat Viva has become a familiar and beautiful part of Copenhagen’s waterfront.

Restaurant of the Month, Denmark

A shipload of superb food and welcoming smiles An unrivalled maritime location, delicious seafood and an intimate atmosphere add up to an out-of-the-ordinary experience at Copenhagen’s only restaurant boat, Restaurant Viva.

By Signe Hansen | Photos: Restaurant Viva

The stylish boat is, as the only restaurant of its kind in Copenhagen, moored in the capital’s harbour (right next to the Langebro bridge), providing it with a unique view and atmosphere. Moreover, guests are treated to a delicious menu with all the best from the French kitchen, Danish farmland and Nordic seawaters. Owner and restaurant manager Buster Schmidt explains: “We are very involved in the sourcing of our ingredients and base the menu on the best of seasonal Nordic produce. Fish and seafood are especially in focus, but we always have at least two

68 | Issue 50 | March 2013

meat dishes on the menu as well. Apart from that our menus always change; we like to play around with the ingredients.”

Prices on Restaurant Viva’s variable à la carte menu range from 95 DKKR to 165 DKKR per course, with two courses amounting to a full dinner.

From barge to stylish restaurant Opened in October 2004, Restaurant Viva, as the capital’s only restaurant boat, provided Copenhageners with an entirely new dining experience. The stylish ship was cre-

ated on the foundation of an old barge, with Schmidt, a trained shipbuilder, hired as a consultant on the project. Soon the shipbuilder, whose interest in food had been awoken by a friend years before, got more involved in the project, and, in 2007, he took over the management of the restaurant.

With large oval windows, the boat’s interior deck presents amazing views of the canal and the beautiful buildings opposite, including the characteristic Black Diamond. From the top sundeck, open in the summer months, an even more magical view of the canal, the city and, on summer nights, the Tivoli fireworks greets guests.

“A great part of our charm is our location, the view that comes with it and the intimate maritime atmosphere. I am almost always on the boat, and with a glint in my

Scan Magazine | Restaurant of the Month | Denmark

eye and a friendly remark, I strive to create a welcoming atmosphere for all our guests,” says Schmidt, who before taking over Viva ran a cafe in the Christianshavn quarter of Copenhagen.

French cuisine and Nordic produce Viva’s menus and wine menus are created by the ship’s recognized head chef Jesper Myrup, who has formerly worked at some of Denmark’s top restaurants, including Dragsholm castle. “Our kitchen is based on French cuisine, and another important factor is the very close relationship with our suppliers in the local area. We talk to our fish purveyor in Rungsted every second day to see what the catch of the next day is going to be, and, from his time at Dragsholm castle, Jesper has a close relationship to a farmer from that area, from whom we get most of our greens and vegetables, and our butcher is my personal golf buddy. In that way we always know what good things are available at the moment and can adjust our menu accordingly,” explains Schmidt.

This means that the menu at Viva is constantly changing; the only unchangeable factors are the focus on seafood and the inclusion of some meat on the menu as well.

“We have run a Nordic kitchen with a focus on seafood for many years, but to be sure not to put off any guests, we always have meat on the menu as well. Recently we have boosted the menu with a highquality Boeuf Béarnaise, so we are sure there is always something for the blokes as well,” jokes Schmidt.

The unique setting and delicious menu have also made Viva a highly popular location for company gatherings, birthdays and weddings. For those who want to add a little extra to such a festive event, Schmidt offers cruises around the canals on his yacht Moby Dick, one of Copenhagen’s finest and most exclusive yachts.

The ship has room for up to 12 people and is perfect for meetings, lunch, dinner and champagne cruises, which can, of course, be combined with dinner at Viva.

Facts: Restaurant Viva can cater for parties of up to 90 people.

You will find Restaurant Viva on the Amager side of Langebro.

Address: Langebrogade Kaj 570, 1411 Copenhagen K

For more information, please visit: www.restaurantviva.dk

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 69

Scan Magazine | Restaurant of the Month | Iceland

Restaurant of the Month, Iceland

A taste of Iceland in the heart of Reykjavik Set close to the harbour in the heart of the city, Restaurant Reykjavik specialises in characteristically Icelandic dishes, especially seafood and lamb. Its à la carte menu and seafood buffet offer guests the finest in local produce, from both sea and land, and guests are invited to relax in comfortable surroundings while observing the hustle and bustle of life in Reykjavik.

By Nia Kajastie | Photos: Restaurant Reykjavik

Restaurant Reykjavik is located in the oldest part of the city and surrounded by beautiful old buildings. From its groundfloor restaurant, the establishment serves a seafood buffet every evening, which includes 35 delicious dishes, including smoked and cured salmon, blue mussels, seafood salad, shrimp, monkfish and traditional Icelandic haddock stew. There is, of course, an à la carte option as well, with the menu offering some more great seafood gems and Icelandic favourites.

“Guests interested in experiencing the essence of modern Icelandic cuisine are at the right spot in Restaurant Reykjavik.

We specialise in Icelandic seafood and

70 | Issue 50 | March 2013

lamb. Our menu is built around these traditional Icelandic themes. Most of our ingredients are sourced locally, and our dishes are presented in a rustic style and prepared in an Icelandic way with a modern twist,” explains owner Þórður Bachmann, who together with his partner took over the restaurant’s operation last year.

The restaurant is set in a building from 1863 that was originally used as a warehouse for goods arriving from abroad, and while part of the building still retains original features, it has been modernised to accommodate the restaurant’s facilities.

Restaurant Reykjavik has been in operation since 2000 and can seat up to 180

people altogether in the restaurant and another 350 people in the private rooms upstairs that are suitable for conferences, banquets and other events.

The restaurant’s focus on Icelandic cuisine and traditions continues to attract both tourists and locals. “We keep very loyal to several Icelandic traditions. Before Christmas, starting in mid-November, we serve a traditional Icelandic Christmas buffet, which is very popular. We also offer a lot of specialties throughout the year.

In the winter, we serve Icelandic food in an old-fashioned style as it is a period when we celebrate the old Viking gods. So we eat shark and all kinds of lamb dishes. We adjust our menu so it reflects the seasons of the year,” adds Bachmann.

For more information, please visit: www.restaurantreykjavik.is

Scan Magazine seeks Freelance Journalists We are currently looking for qualified journalists on a freelance basis. We are looking for journalists with Danish, Swedish, Norwegian or Finnish background.

You need to be confident in English as well as at least one of the Nordic languages.

To apply, please email your CV to Nia Kajastie at nia@scanmagazine.co.uk

Scan Business | Key Note | Education pays

Scan Business Key Note 72 | Business Column 74 | Business Theme 75 | Conferences of the Month 84 | Business Calendar 90

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Education pays

By Allan Luplau, Chairman for privately employed members of the Danish Association of Lawyers and Economists, DJØF

The entire western world is presently in the grip of a severe crisis characterised by low, or falling, growth and massive unemployment. In all these countries, an intense debate is raging over how to reverse this trend and reduce government deficits.

One of the ways to regenerate growth and employment is to promote education. In Denmark, many studies and analyses have been carried out on the performance of enterprises that hire the graduates of an academic institution. And the conclusion is crystal clear: enterprises that employ highly educated staff do much better than those that do not.

We know for sure that in small- and medium-sized enterprises, higher education has a positive effect on the competitiveness and valuation growth of an enterprise. Today, 8 out of 10 enterprises in Denmark do not have on staff a single employee with advanced education. From the time an enterprise hires its first graduate, it can count on seeing results within 3 years. The enterprise will have an employment development that is 7.2% greater than workplaces that have not

72 | Issue 50 | March 2013

hired graduates. A graduate creates jobs for 1.2 skilled, unskilled or lesser educated colleagues.

When an enterprise hires highly educated people, revenue, competitiveness and employment all increase – and thus also the enterprise’s growth.

There is also a clear correlation between higher education and increased productivity. Every time we train one per cent more young people with a long advanced education, GNP rises by one per cent.

The above experiences deal only with the Danish situation, but I am convinced that identical tendencies are found in other European countries. So the way out of the crisis in Europe does not revolve around cutting off opportunities for youth to obtain higher education or around limiting such education options.

On the contrary, good education is the way to a future marked by growth and well-being.

Allan Luplau, Chairman for privately employed members of the Danish Association of Lawyers and Economists, DJØF

For more information, please visit: www.djoef.dk

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Scan Business | Column | Helena Whitmore

The Statutory Residence Test: Clearer rules to help decide who is in or out of the UK tax net

By Helena Whitmore, Senior Wealth Structuring Adviser, SEB Private Banking UK

Tax quickly becomes complicated for individuals who move from one country to another or who make frequent overseas visits. It can be difficult to leave the tax system of the first country when setting up a new home elsewhere. It can also be surprisingly easy to become caught in the tax net of a new country inadvertently. If the tax residence status is uncertain, this can lead to underpayment in one country and overpayment in another. Uncertainty also makes it difficult to select suitable investments because what is tax efficient in one country may be the opposite elsewhere.

The UK government is now planning to introduce a statutory residence test ("SRT") to make it easier for taxpayers to judge if they should be treated as resident in the UK or not. The SRT is intended to come into effect on 6 April 2013, so anyone whose residency status is unclear should

consult their professional advisers.

The intention of the SRT is that visitors who have few connections to the UK should be able to spend more time in the UK without becoming UK resident, compared to individuals who have lived in the UK before but want to become non-resident. To achieve this, the rules differentiate between "arrivers" (people who have not been UK resident during the previous three tax years) and "leavers" (people who have been UK resident in one or more of the previous three tax years). The test consists of three parts: automatic overseas tests, automatic residence tests and a sufficient ties test. Details are available on HMRC's website www.hmrc.gov.uk.

It is possible to be resident in more than one country, so completing the analysis in the UK is often just one step of many, but for anyone connected with the

London gains its first Danish-English school The idea behind Dania – The Danish School in London – was first born when founders Eva and Mike Papesch became parents and could not find a suitable bilingual school option for their children. Accordingly, as London was lacking a school with a Danish ethos and an educational institution that could offer the best parts of the Danish and British school systems, the founding of a new school seemed to be the natural conclusion.

UK it is a fundamental building block before any other tax questions can be answered.

Helena Whitmore

For more information, email: privatebanking@seb.co.uk or call 020 7246 4307

from reception up to year 11, and we envisage this happening with the help of a sponsor from the Danish business community. In about five years’ time, we hope to be running a successful school with happy children, who can easily join and contribute to English and Danish society.

We hope it will be a new central gathering point in London for Danes – not in competition but in conjunction with those that already exist.”

By Nia Kajastie | Photo: Sanna Halmekoski

“Before we started out, we did a survey to see what the Danish community in southeast England thought of the idea,” explains Danish-born Eva Papesch. With her husband, she handed out the survey around Scandinavian hotspots, and the positive results and feedback eventually cemented the idea.

The non-selective independent school, which will open for reception, year 1 and year 2 classes in September 2013, will offer a blend of the English and Danish national syllabuses, as well as being a fi-

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nancially viable and more flexible alternative to other private schools.

“It’s very important for children to understand their background and to give them a place to learn the language properly and embrace the culture,” says Papesch. “Danes who come to London and stay for a long time wish for their children to be part of English society and integrated into a multicultural society; that is why we offer an integrated English-Danish curriculum.

“Our future vision is to offer education

For more information, please visit: daniaschool.com

Scan Business | Theme | Nordic Technology & Business Innovation

BUSINESS THEME: NORDIC TECHNOLOGY & BUSINESS INNOVATION

How technology helps industry meet the future Technology has thrilled and challenged us ever since we tamed fire – through the breakthroughs of the 18th century with the combustion engine, electricity and the assembly line to our global modern society with cognitive robotics and mobile devices. In Denmark, we have a fine tradition of contributing to this journey with great inventions such as electromagnetism, the loudspeaker, insulin, Lego and sound films ... to name a few.

By Søren Stjernqvist, President, Danish Technological Institute

The Danish Technological Institute is a selfowned and not-for-profit institution. We have more than 100 years of history supporting industry. Technology is our raison d'être. Our own activities and cooperation with international knowledge centres enables us to inspire customers to develop their businesses through the latest technologies.

Now, in order to support industry, we have to always look ahead for new innovations, new trends and potential that will allow industry to perform optimally. With industry in good shape, we stand a good chance of keeping and developing jobs and progress. Technology is the key factor for this. We have to put emphasis on two

very important things: we must combine and use new technologies, and we must make sure to bring science closer to industry. This is how industry can actually meet the future needs for products and growth industries.

If we, for example, make greater use of advanced materials and processes such as microand nanotechnologies, we can make it possible to develop products and systems that exert less strain on our economy and climate as a result of reduced materials and energy consumption.

In this way we can hope to accommodate a completely new generation of products with new functionalities, which in turn can increase the value for industry – and thus for all of us.

Norwegian Technology – Modernizing Norway together

By Norsk Teknologi | Photo: John Petter Reinertsen

Modern technology contributes to solving climate change and at the same time turns Norway into a competitive and stimulating country to live in. In this connection, we contribute to the changing and implementation of new, modern technology. The effect of our trade on the development of our society is undisputed. Take for instance our biggest sector organization, NELFO, which through a period of one hundred years has contributed to the emergence of a modern society through electrical installations which have become daily necessities. If there is a power failure, Norway literally comes to a standstill.

Technological solutions are becoming safer, faster and more integrated. This is true whether we talk about infrastructure for electricity, telephone and computer communications or traffic systems. Smart House Technology makes buildings and homes safer, more environmentally friendly and more comfortable through the controlling of lights, heating and

cooling, which can lower the total consumption of energy by 50 per cent. Welfare Technology makes it possible for elderly people to stay home for a longer time, and supports and enhances the safety and security of users. The technology makes an increased level of independence possible and adds to the quality of life and comfort.

Automation solutions in the industry keep energy consumption at a minimum, and at the same time work routines are made simpler and better. By viewing all needs within a context and adapting the technology to varied and defined needs, potential for efficiency in all areas is created.

A thriving technological development of tasks that may be carried out and controlled by modern technological solutions at the same

Søren Stjernqvist

To succeed in doing so, we have the privilege of living in a time of globalization where knowledge, to a great extent, is shared. We need to cooperate across borders – which is, by the way, something that we also have a fine tradition of in Denmark.

For more information, please visit: www.dti.dk

Facts: Norwegian Technology is a branch organization in NHO and comprises the sector organizations NELFO (electrical and ICT companies), Integra (system integrators), VKE (ventilation, cooling and energy companies) and HLF (elevator companies). The 1,700 member companies have 33,000 employees and a total turnover of 40 billion Norwegian crowns.

time creates a greater need for increased userfriendliness. Therefore, much of the development over the last few years has been about making complicated and far-reaching solutions accessible for an increasing number of users and levels.

We work continuously with modernizing and implementing technological solutions in order to reduce energy consumption, lower emissions and increase the comfort and competitiveness of enterprises and the population. Our technological enterprises are continuously carrying out the task of modernizing Norway.

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 75

Scan Business | Theme | Nordic Technology & Business Innovation

One of the pillars of Future Solutions is interaction between technology and office facilities.

Above: Future Solution’s management team consist of (L-R) Ingvald Grindheim, Are Pedersen, John Levi Jørgensen and Johannes Grindheim. Photo: Nils Tore Sele

Say yes to more efficient and cheaper implementations with Future Solutions Future Solutions is true to its name, offering project services and integrated solutions for tomorrow. This is the place to go for increased efficiency and knowledge while decreasing expenditure.

By Anne Line Kaxrud | Photos: Future Solutions

Located between Stavanger and Bergen, close to the major contributors of Kvaerner, Apply and Aibel, Future Solutions is a competence house offering consultants to make your on- and offshore projects as efficient and safe as possible.

This is the place to go if you need expertise with general oil and gas issues, construction and integrated solutions. “We emphasise rapid implementations, and our consultants go wherever they are needed,” says Are Pedersen, director of the subdivision Integrated Operations.

Efficiency at its best As renowned leaders within the industry, they specialise in project services, mainly within the oil, gas and construction in-

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dustries, and integrated solutions. Additionally, they offer expertise within project solutions and engineering. Offering such a broad range of expertise, their strength is to come up with and implement efficient solutions. While working within the oil and gas industry, they experienced a massive growth in other industries where their skills could be transferred from one area to another.

Knowing the market and easing the work One of their pillars is integrated solutions, meaning interaction between technology and office facilities. With focus on design, ICT solutions and infrastructure, they allow for more efficiency. Forget about the days when an employee in London had to

fly to Bergen to attend a meeting; instead, imagine sitting in your own office while participating as if you were right there.

Future Solutions supply solutions that anyone can use, which allows for more efficiency and higher quality throughout all phases, including the financial aspects.

Other pillars are project services and solutions, working extensively within project management. Future Solutions is a global supplier of consultants who know the industry, particularly Norwegian rules and regulations for Norwegian offshore projects. This can be crucial knowledge for foreign companies who provide services for the Norwegian oil and gas industry.

Future Solutions contributes towards an effective and safe project implementation, from engineering to commissioning.

For more information, please visit: futuresolutions.no

Scan Business | Theme | Nordic Technology & Business Innovation

Self-service software leads the way to more efficiency “Imagine having to create new software every time you wanted to use Word. That is basically what many companies and organisations do when they need new forms. With our self-service software, you can say bye-bye to inefficient solutions and welcome a model that you can copy and change accordingly time after time,” Ettesvoll explains. With clients ranging from banks and insurance companies to local constituencies, they have transformed the way people provide information. “A normal life insurance company inhabits 200 variations, and with our software, they only need one software solution to incorporate all the variations.”

Integrated processes

Transforming your usage of mobile phones and computers Are you one of many who have welcomed the transformation from filling out forms on paper to filling them out online? Imagine doing that but without having to create new software every time you add or make amendments to the form. That is what More Software Solutions offers, and banks and insurance companies are already going wild about it.

More is currently working on an integrated process that will allow for different methods working together. Ettesvoll uses the example of a car crash, where the owner could initiate the process with the insurance company already at the scene by entering a few details onto the phone, while continuing the process at home. “It allows for a faster process, and we could register all the underlying conditions, like difficult weather conditions and pictures from the scene,” Ettesvoll says.

For more information, please visit: www.more.no

By Anne Line Kaxrud | Photos: More Software Solutions

The company is a market leader due to their innovative self-service software, which allows their clients to add and change the product without having to create wholly new software every time. While this in itself is a splendid idea, what makes them truly stand out is their integrated context, where they are involved from production to maintenance and implementation. “The main strength of the software is that anyone can add things to the programme, which allows customers to adapt the software to their needs. Thus, we constantly think of usability,” CEO Frode Ettesvoll says.

Frode Ettesvoll , CEO of More Software Solutions

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 77

Scan Business | Theme | Nordic Technology & Business Innovation

Various sensor cables, all containing at least two fibers, to incorporate in designs from plastic tubes enforced by aramid yarn to cables with steel armouring or stainless steel tubes.

Lighting up the unseen with optical fibers Through collaborations with world-leading universities and decades of know-how, the NKT high-tech business branch, Photonics Group, is successfully introducing its R&D technologies to the industrial market. Scan Magazine talked to Søren Isaksen, CTO of the NKT Group, and as such responsible for the Photonics Group, about the many exciting opportunities embedded in the appliance of the patented optical fiber technologies.

By Signe Hansen | Photos: NKT

As part of the Danish industrial conglomerate NKT, the three companies that make up the Photonics Group, NKT Photonics, Lios Technology and Vytran, hold decades of experience within optical fiber technologies. Photonics Group is engaged in three application areas: Imaging, Sensing and Fiber Processing equipment. The product range spans from photonic crystal fibers, new fiber laser light sources, laser-based sensor systems to processing

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equipment enabling manufacturing of advanced fiber-based components.

This expertise has in recent years been developed and tested in a number of very different applications. Søren Isaksen explains: “The reason we are seeing significant growth right now stems from the fact that after we, at an earlier stage, primarily were seeding the ground by developing and demonstrating new applications by ad-

dressing R&D markets, we can now harvest from this investment, seeing some prospects turn into real potential for leading industrial customers and applications.”

Multiple opportunities The opportunities embedded in the fiberoptic-based products are numerous. “We are addressing a number of sectors but, if I were to mention two or three where our main potentials lie today, I would say Life Sciences and Oil & Gas. I see a lot of potential for the use of our SuperK laser; its broad light spectrum can be exploited in numerous ways in the Life Sciences; for instance, it can be used in equipment for detecting early phases of severe diseases either in cardiovascular endoscopes or at the retina of the eye,” says Søren Isaksen.

Photonics Group also provides fiber splic-

Scan Business | Theme | Nordic Technology & Business Innovation

ing equipment for creating the fiber probes used in certain types of endoscopes. The equipment attaches microscopic lenses and mirrors to the fibers inside the endoscope, making it possible to show high resolution 3D images of the findings.

In the oil and gas sector, Photonics Group’s fiber-based lasers or sensor systems offer several advantages over traditional technologies based on electrical transducers, either by offering better performance or the ability to run in very harsh environments. When locating new oil reservoirs or enhancing the amount of extracted oil from such reservoirs, fibre optical sensors relying on Photonics Group’s lasers can listen to an “acoustic signature” from the sea floor, and thus provide means to identify and locate oil “pockets” otherwise difficult to access. It is also possible to measure the temperature in an oil well using an optical fiber cable to detect steam leaks. This technology is used, for example, to improve the efficiency in exploiting tar sands oil.

As major industrial players have now begun to realise the potential of Photonics Group’s products, it is partly thanks to the close cooperation with leading research environments all over the world. “For instance within Imaging, numerous universities in the US, such as Harvard University, MIT, Duke and Stanford, have begun to exploit our broadband light sources. As they start to demonstrate that they can see something with our light sources that was previously invisible, it becomes interesting for major industrial players to approach us as well,” explains Søren Isaksen.

Decades of experience Photonics Group’s broad recognition and extensive expertise within the optical industry can, to a significant extent, be attributed to its mother company NKT as the Group has its roots in NKT’s substantial involvement in optical communications from the 1980s until the turn of the century, including the company GIGA which was sold for 10 billion DKK. “Around 2004 we started focusing our activities on industrial sectors,” explains Søren Isaksen and finishes: “Now our belief in the industrial potential of our products and the technology on which they are based has been confirmed. In the years ahead, we expect to see this translate into tangible breakthroughs in various industries, and we look forward to realising significant growth in the coming years.”

Facts about Photonics Group Photonics Group is part of the Danish industrial conglomerate NKT, which also comprises: - NKT Cables, which produces and markets power cable solutions to the energy sector - Nilfisk-Advance, a global provider of professional cleaning equipment Photonics Group comprises three companies: - NKT Photonics located in Denmark - Lios Technology located in Germany - Vytran located in the USA Photonics Group divides its activities into three core segments: Imaging: Light sources and optical equipment that enable viewing of microscopic details. Some of the main application areas are the Life Sciences and semiconductor industries (microchips).

Sensing: Long-range measuring systems based on optical fibers. Main application areas today are fire detection, temperature and seismic measurement in the energy, oil and gas industries.

Fiber Processing: Precision equipment for production of fiber-related assemblies.

Application areas include the above sectors and fiber lasers, defense and telecommunication.

External sensor cable attached to a set of 220kV high voltage cables to ensure seamless power transport between substations.

The Koheras Nautilus multi-laser system is used for seismic monitoring of subsea oilfields and is stateof-art in this area.

For more information, please visit: www.nkt.dk

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 79

Scan Business | Theme | Nordic Technology & Business Innovation

Always up for a challenge With a history dating back to 1955, the ØPD Group has fortified its position as one of Scandinavia's leading marine contractors and PE experts. Now introducing a brand new line of thermoplastic traffic safety barriers, the subsea and PE pipe experts are looking to make the same impact onshore, launching new and innovative PE structures.

By Magnus Nyren Syversen | Photos: Tom Riis

Living up to their slogan “Can't resist the challenge”, the ØPD Group adds hundreds of metres of PE pipes and cables to a growing subsea network every day. This is a task that meets certain challenges as the company may run into several obstacles on the seabed, such as subsea mountain ridges or an old shipwreck. “These are only minor setbacks for our experienced staff who see nothing but solutions when faced with these challenges,” says business developer for the ØPD Group Ann-Iren Haugen.

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Founded in 2006 on proud traditions, which can be traced back to Brødrene Sørensen AS (The Sørensen Brothers) in 1955, the umbrella company has established itself as one of Scandinavia's leading marine contractors and PE experts.

Now offering a wide range of onshore and inshore services, as well as producing a variety of innovative PE products for the infrastructure industry, the ØPD Group's history started in the marine infrastructure sector.

With a skilled staff of about 160, and among Scandinavia’s largest inshore companies for certified professional divers, the company prides itself on pushing the limits of what is possible to achieve underwater. “We are known to be a company that makes the impossible possible.

If someone is working on a project and they are facing a problem that cannot be solved, they can bring it to us and we’ll find a solution,” says Haugen.

“NoHarm” traffic safety barriers One of the cornerstones of the ØPD Group's work has always been to respect the fragile nature in which they are operating, leaving as little impact on the environment as possible. “We are working hard to ensure that our water remains clean,” says Haugen.

Scan Business | Theme | Nordic Technology & Business Innovation

The environmentally minded contractor uses PE (polyethylene), commercially known as a kind of thermoplastic material, as its main material. In addition to being completely weldable and sealed, as well as corrosion and chemical resistant, thermoplastics benefit from being a 100% recyclable, an environmentally friendly alternative to other, more commonly used materials. ØPD Solutions, the ØPD Group's prefab production company is always developing new and innovative products in PE. This is exemplified by their line of “NoHarm” traffic safety barriers. Spearheaded by the NoHarm PolyPig, a durable, environmentally friendly, corrosion-free and flexible traffic safety barrier, the “NoHarm” line aims to revolutionise the industry.

A safer alternative Weighing 95% less than similar products made of concrete, the “PolyPig”, and the second generation “PolyHog”, has a multitude of uses. Serving amongst other things as temporary road blocks, road medians or even roundabouts, the thermoplastic barriers are also being used in parking lots, harbours and at airports. In addition they may be used as solid foundations for noise barriers, construction site fences and outdoor concerts Tested by an independent institute and approved by the Norwegian Public Roads

The NoHarm PolyPig, a durable, environmentally friendly, corrosion-free and flexible traffic safety barrier

Administration, the most appealing aspect of the “NoHarm” line of traffic safety barriers is its documented low values on the Acceleration Severity Index. This means that in the event of a collision, the “NoHarm PolyPig” will cause a less severe impact to the driver and passengers than a barrier made out of the stiffer concrete. The water filled “NoHarm” barrier will absorb the energy and make a smoother crash. It is also easy to remove

the water and move the “NoHarm” barrier to new sites for temporary use.

Our most important natural resource With the exception of road safety, the core element in almost everything the ØPD Group does, and the driving force behind the company's never-ending quest to push the boundaries of what is possible, is water. “Water is our most important natural resource. It is a source to life, energy and power,” says CEO Nils-Johan Tufte in an official company presentation.

Tufte goes on to say that today's pipelines generally suffer from a large amount of wastage, and that they are not designed for population increase and our ever-growing need for comfort .

“Every day we install hundreds of metres of PE pipes so municipalities, landowners and yourself will have access to fresh water, refreshing showers, working toilets and heat,” says Tufte.

For more information, please visit: www.opd.no

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 81

Scan Business | Theme | Nordic Technology & Business Innovation

With its many unique possibilities, Iceland is a popular destination for companies that want to offer their employees a special experience.

Do something out of the ordinary for your employees If you are looking for a way to kick off a work project or reward your employees, why not think out of the box, do something unexpected, take them away from their everyday settings, and mix up fun and work? This is the thought behind Corporate Travel & Events which has masterminded hundreds of events, individually designed for Danish, Nordic and international companies in all parts of the world.

those which offer a break from the cold weather of the north such as Morocco, Spain and Sicily, but Iceland’s and Greenland’s unique landscapes have also enticed many.

By Signe Hansen | Photos: Corporate Travel & Events

Get down to work

It is approximately six years ago since Jesper Ravn and his business partner Dan Aagaard laid the first seeds for Corporate Travel & Events; and despite a long list of happy clients, the travel organisers have never, says Ravn, organised the same trip twice.

“We are not a major travel agent offering set packages with hotel, flights and entertainment; what we do is we tailor-make each project for our clients – I’ve never

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made two identical trips. That and the fact that the person who arranges and books the trip will also be the one who is there to see it through is what we hope our clients appreciate.”

Corporate Travel & Events arranges everything from board meetings for six people to events for entire companies of several hundred people, and everything in between, in all corners of the world.

Among the most popular destinations are

When Ravn and Aagaard started out as corporate travel and events organisers, before the financial crisis, many companies still booked a trip solely for the purpose of rewarding employees. With the crisis, however, a majority find it hard to justify such luxury, and a greater emphasis is today put on the professional aspects of the event. “What we do with the many professional events we plan is to fit the activities, which take place outside the meeting rooms, into the project’s professional agenda so that the whole event has

Scan Business | Theme | Nordic Technology & Business Innovation

a common thread,” explains Ravn. “Just because you are learning something and gaining new experience, it does not have to be boring. Instead of splitting the day up into work and entertainment, we create activities which exemplify some of the issues discussed in the meeting room.”

The professional agenda can be worked into events of all kinds, whether it be mountain trekking in Sweden, igloo building in Iceland or wine tasting in Italy.

Far away from normal Although every event is tailor-made to meet the needs and wants of the client, a Corporate Travel & Events event also carries the mark of the organisers, who always seek to bring their personal touch to the project. “If someone calls me asking me to arrange a trip to London with flight, hotel and a bus trip around the city, I tell them to contact a larger travel company instead because there is no point in us doing something like that, which we can’t put our personal touch on, and when bigger companies can do it just as well and cheaper. What we want to do is think out of the box, get people out of the cities and away from disturbing elements which take away people’s focus and the project’s connectedness,” stresses Ravn.

During the years Ravn has done just that by setting up events in unexpected locations

Thinking out of the box: Why not set up the next company meeting in a camp in the Moroccan desert?

such as a Moroccan desert camp, a Spanish convent and an Italian country house.

A common denominator for all projects is that Corporate Travel & Events takes care of all practical and logistic elements seamlessly, leaving participants to fully focus and enjoy the professional and social elements.

Hands-on With years of experience within the travel industry, Ravn and Aagaard know most of the world and have numerous contacts which make it possible for them to jump several practical and economical barriers in the booking process. “We never use

large local intermediaries but always work directly with the person or company who owns the hotel, mountain, bike or restaurant,” explains Ravn.

Apart from the economic competitiveness, this approach also means that Ravn and Aagaard are always hands-on with their projects. “The fact that we are always there means that there is nothing that is forgotten; even the smallest things, which are always forgotten when you go through an agent, are 100 per cent certain to be paid attention to. With our presence and high service level, we aim to make sure that the client knows that they are not just one among many.”

Greenland’s beautiful landscape offers plenty of opportunities for adventurous company events.

For more information, please visit: www.cte.dk

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 83

Scan Business | Conference of the Month | Denmark

Conference of the Month, Denmark

A conference fit for a king Previously owned and periodically inhabited by King Christian VIII, Bernstorff Palace, north of Copenhagen, is literally fit for a king. You do not, however, have to have blue blood to be welcomed inside the immaculate white walls, which today house a majestic conference centre.

By Signe Hansen | Photos: Bernstorff Palace

While the beautiful Bernstorff Palace is located just 15 minutes from Copenhagen, the historic palace and its green surroundings are a world away from the city’s noise and stress. The location was one of the many outstanding characteristics which attracted the two entrepreneurial ladies, Kirsten Nielsen and Gitte Jensen, who took over the palace in 2009.

Both well at home in the conference business, they did not hesitate when they saw an advert seeking new tenants for the nearby castle. And it was not long before

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they were well on their way to turning their dream of a modern conference and meeting centre in historic settings into reality.

Royal bric-a-brac and grand halls Months of sweat, tears and, not least, money were spent on transforming the interiors of the castle, which had for decades housed the Danish Emergency Management agency, into a modern conference facility. But, although completely renovated, the palace still bears traces of its royal past.

When entering the main building, guests are met by a string of beautiful highceilinged rooms, old portraits and classic furniture – some from the castle’s original interiors. The crown jewel is probably the palace’s characteristic oval room, which, adorned with a beautiful original table, makes a perfect setting for small exclusive meetings. “We could have made space for 30 people in this room, but we have chosen to maintain it the way it was and have kept the table that was originally here when we took over. It is a unique room with an amazing atmosphere,” explains marketing manager Karin Ruus, who has worked with Kirsten and Gitte from the very beginning.

The two owners have, however, also left their own touch on the place: a silver desk, fresh flowers, and small pieces of royal

Scan Business | Conference of the Month | Denmark

meetings and strategic meetings, which we most often host in the castle’s main building, while Kavalergården is perfect for larger conventions and seminars. It is completely renovated in a modern style with new conference equipment and room for up to 150 people,” says Karin. “The castle itself has a bit of a loftier atmosphere – it is a bit more extravagant, but it does not cost more for that reason.”

Follow in the footsteps of the royals From the castle’s white wooden-framed floor to ceiling windows, conference participants can enjoy a stunning view of the surrounding royal garden. The garden is open to the public and is perfect for a quiet stroll between meetings. For those seeking a more energetic interlude, it can be utilised for all sorts of teamwork or fitness activities like obstacle courses, games, and historic or business-related treasure hunts. bric-a-brac all add to the castle’s unique atmosphere.

Big or small, grand or casual Bernstorff castle was built in 1765 by King Fredrik V’s Foreign Minister Johan Hartvig Ernst Bernstorff, who intended to use it as his summer residence. It remained in the family until 1812, after which it changed hands several times before ending up in the hands of King Christian VIII in 1842. As accommodation for his lifeguard, the king built Kavalergården, three stunning timber-framed buildings in yellow brick. Today, the buildings house the conference centre’s 21 hotel rooms, as well as modern meeting rooms and facilities for larger conventions. “We get a lot of management

You can, of course, also choose to do as the royals used to. “A great way to enjoy the garden can be to have afternoon tea served in Queen Louise’s teahouse in the garden. It is a beautiful thatched house adorned with a rose garden, and the walk there will take you right through the park and give you a bit of fresh air and exercise,” explains Karin.

Likewise the team can arrange for guided tours in the castle, which holds many historic treasures, such as original belongings of the castle’s previous owners, “graffiti” from the 17th century and pencil marks marking the growth of the princes and princesses who used to call it home.

Facts: Bernstorff Palace can house conferences and dinners for up to 150 people.

Address: Bernstorff Slot, Jægersborg Allé 93, 2820 Gentofte.

The palace is easily accessible by Strain and bus Next to the palace guests will find the Yellow Swedish Villa, a classic example of a Swedish timber building, which today houses a cafe and cultural house with changing arts exhibitions.

For more information, please visit: www.bernstorffslot.dk

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Conference of the Month, Norway

An arena of possibilities

By Magnus Nygren Syversen Photos: Bård Gundersen

With a service-minded and friendly staff, top-quality facilities and the best location Oslo has to offer, Felix Conference Centre is the ideal place to hold your next conference.

have turned Tjuvholmen and Aker Brygge into a popular arena for Oslo's cultural elite.

When visiting Oslo, many consider Aker Brygge the place to be. Norway’s most popular pier is a hub for entertainment, dining and shopping, and hosts as many as 12 million yearly visitors. Bordered by the Oslo City Hall on one side and surrounded by the Oslofjord on the other, this fashionable district is a place where both tourists and natives meet to enjoy a nice meal or a couple of drinks.

Situated right in the middle of this vibrant scene is the Felix Conference Centre, a top-quality venue with more than ten years of experience. Felix prides itself on being one of Oslo's largest and bestequipped independent conference centres, offering top-notch facilities and the latest in technology.

Blossoming right next to Aker Brygge is the upcoming arts district Tjuvholmen, ripe with restaurants, museums and art galleries. Venues such as the Astrup Fearnley Museum, Café de Concert, The Thief Hotel and the Pushwagner Gallery

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A wealth of experience Close to everything, the centre is ideal for a wide range of events, including meetings, conferences, courses, kick-offs, art exhibitions, quarterly presentations and press conferences. It offers as many as 25 separate meeting rooms, two modern auditoriums with a capacity of 130 and 220

Scan Business | Conference of the Month | Norway

participants. “Our specialty lies in courses and conferences tailored to each individual customer, a field of expertise in which we have a wealth of experience,” says manager Tone Gulliksen.

A keyword for the Felix Conference Centre is quality, and the centre aims to “set the bar a little bit higher”. Aside from location and facilities these high standards are also reflected in a friendly, serviceminded and eager-to-help staff, whose mission is to provide guests with everything they need. “Our strongest asset is our employees, who are experienced, skilled, committed and enthusiastic. A nice location and great facilities get you

nowhere if your staff does not possess those qualities,” says Gulliksen.

conference with Felix's delicious tapas and finger food,” says Gulliksen.

Enjoy a delicious meal

While there is no overnight accommodation available at the centre, the Felix Conference Centre has agreements set up with several nearby hotels. No further than a short walk away, these partners cater to conferences that run several days, as well as guests who wish to experience Norway’s capital at night.

Another important part of the Felix Conference Centre’s offerings is their inhouse restaurant, Restaurant Bris, housing up to 250 guests at a time. Renowned for its delicious lunch buffet and serving a wide variety of hot and cold dishes, the restaurant also has a dessert buffet, as well as a selection of tapas and finger foods. “After a long day of attending conferences, holding meetings or listening to speakers, guests can sit down in the restaurant and enjoy a two- or threecourse dinner. It is also popular to end a

For more information, please visit: www.felixkonferanse.no/en

Scan Business | Conference of the Month | Iceland

Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre. Photo: Nic Lehoux

Conference of the Month, Iceland

Reykjavík can do it With the recent establishment of Meet in Reykjavík, the city’s new official convention bureau, Iceland’s capital is boosting its image as a leading conference city and incentive destination; and the city certainly has plenty to show off with, from its newly built concert hall and conference centre Harpa to its unremitting “can do attitude”.

By Nia Kajastie | Photos: Meet in Reykjavík

What sets Iceland apart and what is familiar to many are its beautiful and rugged landscape and natural wonders, which can be easily reached from its capital. Within two hours, visitors can be transported to the nearest glacier for a hike or a ride on a snowmobile.

“Iceland has long been a favourite for those in search of the extraordinary,” describes project manager Brynja Laxdal.

“Imagine the value of your event when you

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can include a trip to a glacier with a buffet on a table carved out of ice or culinary treats in a cave where the walls are lit up and reveal mystical shapes and colours.

Where else in the world can you enter a magma chamber of a volcano, like Þríhnúkagígur, only 30 minutes from Reykjavík?

“No trip to Iceland would be complete without visiting the only spot in the world where you can stand on the Mid-Atlantic

ridge without a wetsuit. This is in Thingvellir, only 40 minutes away from Reykjavík.”

Reykjavík is also a modern cosmopolitan city, which is easily accessible, offers functional infrastructure, where everything is within reach and is naturally ecofriendly. Whether you are looking to add some activities in the surrounding nature, a shopping trip, one-of-a-kind culture, culinary adventures or a bit of a party atmosphere to your visit or event, Reykjavík is your destination.

Practical advantages such as an extremely favourable exchange rate, ease of access from both Europe and North America, general efficiency, modern,

Scan Business | Conference of the Month | Iceland

also host to the Reykjavík Summit, where former U.S. President Ronald Reagan met with General Secretary of the Soviet Union's Communist Party Mikhail Gorbachev in 1986 to negotiate arms control.

In fact, in May of this year, Michael Douglas and Christoph Waltz will be arriving in Reykjavík to star in a major movie production about these very same events in a production titled, aptly, Reykjavík.

state-of-the-art conference venues and excellent accommodation options all add to Iceland’s standing as a top conference city.

Crazy, classy or somewhere in between An event on a glacier might sound just right for some clients, companies or brands, while others might prefer a more traditional setting. Reykjavík offers both nature at its rawest as well as modern, high-quality venues, including Harpa, the city’s new concert hall and conference centre, which recently won the Best Conference Venue in Northern Europe award at the Annual MICE Report Awards 2012.

“We don’t have castles as our ancestors were more into building turf huts, but we do have unusual sites for events such as the Blue Lagoon, Reykjavík Art Museum and our indoor swimming pool. These are all venues that can be transformed into magical surroundings creating memorable moments. If you are planning an outdoor event, our geothermally heated beach in Reykjavík, Nauthólsvík, is perfect. Imagine posting a picture of you on Instagram or Facebook swimming in the

Hold your event at Reykjavík Art Museum

Atlantic Ocean, with a smile on your face!

Afterwards you can soak in the large hot tub on the beach,” says Laxdal.

“During winter we also have the northern lights during the darkest winter months and the Imagine Peace Tower which was built by Yoko Ono in memory of her late husband John Lennon. It makes Reykjavík a symbolic place for networking and communication events!”

Meet in Reykjavík has also adopted the slogan “Meet in the Middle” as Iceland is located midway between Europe and North America. In addition, the city was

Meet in Reykjavík Founded on 27 January 2012 by the City of Reykjavík, Icelandair Group and Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre, Meet in Reykjavík now works with over 30 associated partners to promote Reykjavík within the meetings industry. The convention bureau’s website was launched in the first operating year and offers detailed information about the different services its partners offer, as well as information on why Reykjavík is indeed an ideal choice for all types of conferences and events.

For more information, please visit: www.meetinreykjavik.is

The official Convention Bureau for Reykjavík City can put interested parties and potential buyers in contact with PCOs and DMCs on the market, assist with communication between the relevant players, venue and accommodation search, arrange site inspections, help during the bidding process and provide information of any kind about the market and service partners. The service of Meet in Reykjavík is free of charge.

Facts: • Iceland is among the top ranking Scandinavian destinations according to the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report in 2012.

• Iceland was voted as one of top ten Best in Travel 2013 by Lonely Planet.

• The capital city Reykjavík was voted top destination 2012 by Lonely Planet and awarded the Travel Reader’s Choice Award.

• National Geographic named Iceland among the best of the world's trips available in 2012.

• In August 2011, The City of Reykjavík was designated as UNESCO City of Literature.

• In 2011, Reykjavík was awarded the World Festival and Event City by the International Festivals & Events Association.

• CNN has nominated Reykjavík as one of the five most interesting Christmas destinations.

Relax at the Blue Lagoon (top), experience glacier hiking (below left) or visit the Imagine Peace Tower (right).

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 89

Scan Magazine | Scan Business | Scandinavian Business Calendar

Scandinavian Business Calendar – Highlights of Scandinavian business events

Lunch O’clock Live at the Trafalgar Hotel Join the Swedish Chamber of Commerce for a casual networking luncheon and get the chance to dine with fellow SCC members in a

relaxed environment.

More information: www.scc.org.uk Date: 20 March Nordic Easter Drinks The Easter Drinks night is a perfect occasion to network with people from the Norwegian, Danish, Finnish and British business communities in an informal atmosphere. Canapés and welcome drinks are generously sponsored for the "early birds" with their names on the guest list.

Venue: Scandinavian Kitchen, 61 Great Titchfield Street, London W1W 7PP Date: 21 March

AGM & Annual Dinner 2013 The Danish-UK Chamber of Commerce cordially invites members and their guests and non-members to this year's annual dinner with guest speaker Allan Leighton, Chairman of Pandora and former Chairman of Royal Mail

Allan Leighton

Dr. Seppo Honkapohja, Bank of Finland: Economic Outlook for Europe and Finland Dr. Seppo Honkapohja, Member of the Board of the Bank of Finland, will give an economic outlook for Europe and Finland. He will first cover the international situation, especially within Europe and the Eurozone, and then move on to the economic situation in Finland. After his presentation, the participants have a unique possibility for a Q&A session with Dr. Honkapohja. This event is free of charge. Register for the event here: www.fbcc.co.uk/events/dr-seppohonkapohja-bank-finland-economic-outlookeurope-and-finland Venue: The Ambassador’s Residence, 14 Kensington Palace Gardens, London W8 4BE Date: 15 March

and former President and CEO of Wal-Mart Europe. More information: www.ducc.co.uk Venue: The Royal Automobile Club, 89-91 Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5HS Date: 18 April

A new Norwegian star on her way to great success

By Cecilia Varricchio | Photo: Hernan Farias

Silje Kjelsrud is the newest Scandinavian songstress to arrive on English shores. She released her first UK single in early March and is making her show debut in London this month as well.

The 21-year-old Silje Kjelsrud may be new for British audiences, but this young

90 | Issue 50 | March 2013

singer, originally from Nannestad in Norway, has years of experience on stage and is expected to have an amazing career ahead of her. With her sweet and soft voice and her Scandinavian pop sound, she is definitely here to stay. Kjelsrud started singing at the age of 12 at a local music school in her hometown. Very soon, thanks to her passion for music, her dedication and a lot of hard work, she started to perform at several local venues. One thing led to another and she met a local music producer who saw her potential

and believed in her. In 2009, she recorded her first single So Many Questions. Since then, she has had the opportunity to perform in Oslo, Stockholm and Los Angeles.

The currently Liverpool-based singer released her debut single Always and Forever on 4 March. The single is followed by her very first shows in London in early March, so make sure to be there to enjoy the newest Scandinavian star in the UK. Upcoming shows: Tuesday, 12 March, The Dublin Castle, Camden Wednesday, 13 March, The George & Vulture, Hoxton

Litsen to Silje Kjelsrud here: soundcloud.com/siljekjelsrud

SEB Private Banking Scandinavia Open G O L F TO U R N A M E N T

SEB and Scan Events would like to invite you to a social day of golf and networking on 10 May 2013 at Malden Golf Club, London.

Golfers at all levels will meet for a day of golf, fun and hospitality. The beautiful parkland course at Malden provides a stern test for golfers of all abilities.

SEB Private Banking Scandinavia Open will have its own tent with entertainment featuring live music, Scandinavian barbecue, food and drinks.

SEB Private Banking Scandinavia Open is a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with your top clients and to network in an exclusive Scandinavia themed setting.

For more information and tickets, please visit www.scanevents.co.uk

Organised by

SEB Tournament Partner SEB have been active in the Private Banking field since 1856 and have now reopened our local office in London with top wealth structuring competence among other bespoke services. If you wish to deal with an international private bank with Scandinavian heritage and values, SEB may be a bank for you.

We have offices in London, Luxembourg, Geneva, Singapore, the Baltics and the Nordic area where we offer both understanding of your needs and boutique banking services with a global reach.

Bloomberg rates SEB among the Top 20 Strongest banks in the World (Bloomberg Markets Magazine 5/2012). Standard & Poors A+ rating (upgraded 12/2011).

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SCAN M A G A Z I N E

Scan Magazine | Columns | Humour

IS IT JUST ME...

By Mette Lisby

Who feels the need to do something? NOW! I can no longer silently watch technology blatantly spreading lies about my friends.

A Facebook app offers a “Personality Test” which you can publish on your profile.

It has hit my friends like a craze, and I can’t log on without seeing several proud postings on the outcome of the “Personality Test”.

At first it was fun. Like when the test declared that my cousin – assuming he was a movie star (!) - would be Bruce Willis.

See? Fun. Room enough for my cousin to think he is as cool as Bruce Willis, still within the realm of the reality, which is that it was not the cool factor but the receding hairline that made him the Bruce Willis of Danish suburbia.

But now the “Personality Test” doesn’t stop at handing out random movie-star identities. It also adds personality traits.

Would you – COULD you - tolerate it if

Spring signs

During my Swedish childhood, spring was that time of the year when seven months' worth of dog poo suddenly resurfaced through the melting drifts of snow. It was when the crisp whiteness of winter turned into a dark grey slush and when all the dead, flattened vegetation of the previous year came back into view. But it was also a time of miracles. The small, delicate

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Mr. Basil Fawlty from Fawlty Towers, was publically told he was “amicable and calm, a real people’s person”? I think not!

So imagine how I feel when I read that “you are a driving force and centre of initiative in your circle of friends and at work” about one of my friends, who is a teacher and, may I say, chose to become one solely based on the lengthy summer vacations.

Let me stress that I don’t find this to be a typical motivation for teachers – just the teachers I know. And before you take that as an insult to teachers, please think about whom this information reveals most about. ME! I’m the one who only knows lazy teachers and none of the hardworking ones.

I do see the fun and charm in a harmless personality test. But when John from

middle school – with red hair and vampire teeth, who was the only one (apart from me) crying when we had physical education – is told that he is “the action-driven George Clooney type”, it simply has to stop. He is neither George nor Clooney!

And he doesn’t need to be. He has 810 friends on Facebook, and we all like him for who he really is.

Mette Lisby is Denmark’s leading female comedian. She invites you to laugh along with her monthly humour columns. Since her stand-up debut in 1992, Mette has hosted the Danish versions of “Have I Got News For You” and “Room 101”.

By Maria Smedstad

hepatica flower raising its blue head above the black slime of fallen leaves has evoked such feelings of euphoria throughout the ages that a special song was written about it in 1895. In this song a mother warns her children of the dangers of taking their shoes and socks off and walking barefoot too early in the year while it’s still deceptively and sickness-inducingly cold. This is a typically sober Scandinavian reminder not to get too excited by something or you might die. Spring in England is a different story. Here it is much more immediate.

One second it’s Christmas, the next you’re in shorts. The markers for spring are different too. I used to help a friend with her smallholding and will always remember a gloriously sunny spring morning in her field. She called me over to one of her sheep shelters and handed over a newly born lamb, like a warm dirty little parcel.

There were no hepatica flowers in sight, but there was no doubt that the wriggling wool-ball that instantly relieved itself all

down my top was as much if not more of a spring miracle. In both countries, spring is an exciting and beautiful season, full of fresh beginnings and new life. Unless of course you take your shoes and socks off too early and end up dead. Always remember that.

Maria Smedstad moved to the UK from Sweden in 1994. She received a degree in Illustration in 2001, before settling in the capital as a freelance cartoonist, creating the autobiographical cartoon Em. She writes a column on the trials and tribulations of life as a Swede in the UK.

Scan Magazine | Culture | Den Norske Club

Opening the doors to the ambassador’s residence The annual highlight of Den Norske Klub in London takes place at the ambassador’s residence. Every year, members of the club are invited to a gourmet dinner out of the ordinary at the grand home of Ambassador Mr Kim Traavik. However, do not despair if you missed out as the club has an exciting schedule of events ahead.

King Harald V Room

By Anne Line Kaxrud | Photos: © John Quintero / www.johnquintero.com

Den Norske Klub (DNK) was established in 1887 and has since been a focal point for Norwegians and friends of Norway in London. Located in the historic and beautiful ‘In & Out’ building on St. James’s Square, the club provides excellent opportunities to mingle and meet new people. “The gourmet dinner in February is an all-time favourite, but you should not miss out on our traditional cod dinner or the 17 May celebration either,” board member Catharina Patjas says.

Kensington Roof Gardens, and discounts on various Scandinavian foods and goods.

“Without our partners we could not host the events that we do. Additionally, we work closely with the Norwegian Seamen’s Church and the Norwegian-British Chamber of Commerce to host traditional events like the Fårikål Dinner, the Financial Evening and the UK Tax Event,” Patjas says, and welcomes current and potential members to the upcoming Friday drinks on 5 April.

The Canning Room

Friday drinks, golf tournaments and the traditional 17 May celebration on the programme While the gourmet dinner at the ambassador’s residence remains many members’ highlight, the calendar is not short of other memorable happenings. The monthly Friday drinks are popular, while the golf tournament and Christmas dinner are other classics throughout the year.

“We offer something for everyone, and it is wonderful to see that people of all ages enjoy themselves,” Patjas says, and notes that while it is important to retain the old and noble traditions, they also emphasise innovation. “We have hosted events with politicians and royalty as well as with fashion designer Kristian Aadnevik.”

Friday drinks. Photo: Millicent Scott The Coffee Room

Numerous member benefits With excellent partners, including Scandinavian private banks DNB, Nordea, SEB and DB, the Club offers a variety of exciting events. DNK also offers hotel discounts, free entrance to the famous

Gourmet Dinner at the Ambassador's Residence in 2012.

Photo: Berit Scott

For further information, please visit: www.dennorskeklub.co.uk

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 93

Scan Magazine | Culture | The National Museum of Denmark

The National Museum’s conservators making the wreck of the longest Viking longship in the world ready for the exhibition VIKING.

Meet the globalised Viking A brutal warrior or a peaceful trader?

The image of the Viking is one of contradictions, and while different points of view have been popular at different times, one thing that can be agreed upon today, as the Danish National Museum’s upcoming special exhibition will emphasise, is that the Vikings lived in a globalised society.

With the wreck of the world’s longest Viking ship at the centre of the exhibition, it becomes even clearer that Scandinavia was in no way an isolated area during the Viking age.

By Nia Kajastie Photos: The National Museum of Denmark

The Vikings in all their fierce, gory bellicosity, as is their image as popularised by movies and literature, are expectedly a big favourite among museumgoers. Accordingly, the special exhibition VIKING, exhibited at the National Museum in Copenhagen from June until November, is expected to be a great crowd-pleaser as well as an excellent opportunity to display new knowledge and finds from the Viking age.

Bringing back the sword The new exhibition will present visitors with the image of globalised Vikings.

“Above all, we want to stress that Scandinavia was not an isolated area within Europe and within this part of the world,” explains Dr. Peter Pentz, curator at the National Museum. “There has been contact for centuries, millennia actually, down into Europe and the British Isles. In a huge Viking exhibition we had in ’92, the main message was the coming of Christianity to

94 | Issue 50 | March 2013

Scan Magazine | Culture | The National Museum of Denmark

Scandinavia, as well as the introduction of Scandinavia into Europe. But in this year’s exhibition, we show that Scandinavia was already a part of Europe at that time.”

Top: Figure depicting a valkyrie. In Norse mythology the valkyries took fallen warriors to Valhalla.

Middle: Buckle in the form of a Viking ship.

Bottom: Viking sword.

According to Dr. Pentz, another factor that played into the image of the Vikings during the last decade was the emphasis on them as peaceful traders and peasants. “In this exhibition, we will admit that this was in fact a violent period. While the Vikings were peaceful every now and then, violence was definitely part of their culture, ideas and way of living. We’re bringing the sword back to the exhibition,” he says jokingly.

ing for it, which will indicate the outlines of the whole ship. It is a very impressive piece in itself,” says Dr. Pentz. “We have allowed the ship to flow into each theme we’re representing, so to speak. For the international contact theme, the ship played a great role as a means of transport, and as the largest known warship, it naturally fits very well into the warfare theme. Then going into the theme of aristocracy, only a few people were actually able to build a ship of this size, so it was a huge investment. We do not know the owner of the ship, but Canute the Great is a fair suggestion. It was built during the time when Norway, as well as Denmark and England, were part of Cnut’s realm.

From warfare to beliefs An extensive number of impressive new finds will be on show at the VIKING exhibition, including some which have never been exhibited before. From a new hoard of gold and silver from Yorkshire, England, to a reliquary cross discovered only a few months ago and a large number of weapons, the exhibition will touch upon several different themes that were central within Vikings’ lives, such as war and expansion, power and aristocracy, rituals and beliefs, and cultural contact and trade.

“We aim to present new knowledge that we have of the Vikings, including that they had quite a different approach to belief and magic than we have today. There has been some important research into the subject at the beginning of this millennium,” says Dr. Pentz.

Items that will help communicate the Vikings’ beliefs and change in beliefs include a figure of Odin sitting on his throne, a Valkyrie figure as well as the reliquary cross.

The ship at the heart of it all Built in 1025 in Norway, the “Roskilde 6” was a 37-metre-long and 4-metre-wide Viking warship that could carry 100 men.

Forming the very heart of the exhibition and tying together the different themes, the wreck of the longest Viking ship in the world, which was excavated at Roskilde in 1996-97, will be exhibited for the very first time.

“We will have 23 per cent of the total longship on show; we’ve created this scaffold-

“It also fits into the concluding section about belief as a ship was the way the upper class would leave this world after they died, and be transported into another world.”

Their seaworthy vessels were also what created the globalised Vikings, who were able to travel across four continents and bring home goods and knowledge from as far away as China – whether through peaceful or warlike means. “It was a globalised society, which took from the outside as well as the inside, creating mixed cultures, adaptations of foreign habits – inside a framework that was acceptable in Scandinavian countries and societies,” concludes Dr. Pentz.

VIKING special exhibition: 22 June-17 November The National Museum is Denmark’s largest museum of cultural history, located just a stone’s throw from Strøget in the heart of Copenhagen.

Visit the museum at: The Prince’s Palace Ny Vestergade 10 Copenhagen

For further information, please visit: natmus.dk

Issue 50 | March 2013 | 95

rently conducting, Scan Magazine got a chance to talk to Søndergård about his first few months in his new role with BBCNOW. “I couldn’t wish for anything better. It really feels like I found an orchestra that I feel at home with and that I long to get back to. I haven’t had that strong a feeling before, and that’s the kind of relationship you want as a principal conductor,” he enthuses.

Søndergård is looking forward to continuing to develop this relationship, as well as being excited about touring with the orchestra and seeing more of Wales.

He also gives us his thoughts about the upcoming concert at St David’s Hall on 12 April, which will feature Danish composer Nielsen’s Symphony No 5: “Nielsen is not an easy composer for the audience.

I’ve learned this as a musician playing his music and now as a conductor. Nielsen is very honest in his tone; sometimes he stumbles over his own phrases. But I’ve had a good experience with the fifth symphony a year ago, so it’s a good symphony to open with when it comes to Nielsen.”

Concert dates with Thomas Søndergård and BBC National Orchestra of Wales Touring around mid and north Wales

Meet the new principal conductor of BBC National Orchestra of Wales Danish Thomas Søndergård, previously the principal conductor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, took his position as the new principal conductor of BBCNOW at the beginning of the 2012/2013 season. His debut concert in his new role was well received, described by The Guardian as “a joyous night of music-making”.

By Nia Kajastie | Photo: Betina Skovbro

Thomas Søndergård, who was appointed as the principal conductor last summer, started his initial four-year term in October 2012 with a concert at St David's Hall in Cardiff, which included Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg’s EXPO, Richard

96 | Issue 50 | March 2013

Strauss's Till Eulenspiegel and Sibelius's Symphony No 5.

While in the midst of general rehearsals for Royal Swedish Opera’s new production of Puccini's Turandot, which he is cur-

Aberystwyth Arts Centre.

(Thursday 14 March) Prichard-Jones Hall, Bangor.

(Friday 15 March) William Aston Hall, Wrexham.

(Saturday 16 March) Venue Cymru, Llandudno. (Sunday 17 March)

St David’s Hall, Cardiff Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No 3, with pianist Llyr Williams, and Nielsen’s Symphony No 5. (Friday 12 April) Huw Watkins’s Violin Concerto, and Mahler’s Symphony No 5. (Friday 28 June)

For more information, please visit: www.bbc.co.uk/now

Scan Magazine | Music & Culture | Karl Batterbee

Scandinavian Music The best tunes coming out of Scandinavia right now are from the new Scandi pop stars on the block.

Out Of Yourself is the debut single from a new Norwegian artist, Truls. For the sake of comparison, as this is a new artist, let’s call the song a cross between Donkeyboy and Alphabeat. And you could particularly

2

imagine the former coming out with something like this. From start to finish it’s captivatingly good. It’s quite simply brilliant pop music. And as debuts go, mark this one down as one of the more exciting ones.

Critically fancied Swedish singer Noonie Bao has just released a new track from her debut album. Don’t underestimate your listening experience of this new single, The Game. The verses plod along quite nicely, but just as you start thinking “yeah this is alright but where’s the tune“, the amazing chorus hits and sticks. It’s surprisingly sprightly and totally makes the song, elevating it to much higher levels of poptitude than the verses would suggest. Although, just as you start craving more of said chorus, the whole thing cuts out at around the 2-minute-and-45second mark – such a tease.

Nicole Sabouné is another new artist who is one to keep an eye on. Her new single Conquer or Suffer is a pop-rock track with a sublimely catchy chorus. It’s a little

Scan Events specialises in the design, planning and management of corporate entertainments, exhibitions, conferences and meetings.

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Creativity and content Locating venue and vendors Budget planning and development Negotiating rates Invitations Entertainment VIP assistance Arranging speakers Design and production of printed material AV and technical support On-line delegate registration

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CONTACT US TODAY! Phone +44 (0)870 933 0423 Email info@scanevents.co.uk or visit www.scanevents.co.uk

By Karl Batterbee

bit camp, a little bit theatrical, and in actual fact draws a lot of comparisons with the greatest hits of Swedish legendary glam rock band The Ark. And that’s not an unnatural or unsurprising comparison either given that Nicole’s mentor, while she was a contestant on the Swedish edition of The Voice, was actually Ola Salo from The Ark. He has called her the Swedish David Bowie. I'm calling her the female Ola Salo.

Norway has just chosen their entry for this year's Eurovision Song Contest. And it's out with the Europop and in with an industrial electro sound that has more in common with The Knife or Björk. It's I Feed You My Love by Margaret Berger, a beautiful and almost quite magical three minutes of electro pop. Half of its charm lies in Margaret's performance, so seek out on YouTube her winning performance from Norway's Melodi Grand Prix. www.scandipop.co.uk scandipop@googlemail.com

Scan Magazine | Music & Culture | Scandinavian Culture Calendar

Scandinavian Culture Calendar – Where to go, what to see? It’s all happening here!

FORK on UK tour (March) Finnish a cappella group FORK are back in the UK. Expect a show out of the ordinary where various forms of stage art are combined to create a humorous yet elegant show experience. For more info about the band and their tour visit: www.fork.fi Flower and Cigar in Copenhagen (Until 12 May) The exhibition Flower and Cigar – modernism from ARoS presents the most

Vilhelm Lundstrøm, Standing Nude, 1931. ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum. Photo: Ole Hein Pedersen.

innovative of Danish art from the first part of the 20th century – from an entirely new viewpoint. The gender perspective from this period of time forms a continuous thread through the exhibition, where the modernist ideals are confronted with today’s feminine and masculine fantasies and idealizations. Tue-Sun 11am-5pm, Wed-Thu 11am-8pm. GL Strand, Gammel Strand, 1202 Copenhagen. www.glstrand.dk

Karl Isakson, Stillife with Oranges and Dafodils, 1911. ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum. Photo: Ole Hein Pedersen.

By Sara Schedin

A-ha exhibition at Strand Gallery (Until 17 March) Acclaimed Norwegian photographer Stian Andersen is showcasing his a-ha series of stunning black-and-white images of the band’s on- and off-stage moments. 11am6pm daily. Strand Gallery, London, WC2N. thestrandgallery.wordpress.com Fantasy trip to Gothenburg (13-16 and 20-23 March) Popping up in West London four times in 2013, Mile High will take adventure-seeking guests on fantasy ‘city breaks’. On arrival, air hostesses in Pan Am inspired attire will welcome guests to the departure lounge, home of Mile High’s airborne DJ division. Diners can enjoy ‘check in’ Campari cocktails and gourmet bar snacks served with pencil moustaches and a smile before embarking on Mile High’s first foodie destination: Gothenburg, Sweden. For more info and tickets visit: www.dinemilehigh.com Artist in Residence: Ylva Kunze (15-29 March) Swedish artist Ylva Kunze will be showing her large-scale romantic, luminous paintings, which depict and explore her memories from the Swedish province Småland where she grew up. C99 Art Project Gallery, London, NW10. www.ylvakunze.com Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra (21 March) Finnish Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the final concert in the Lutoslawski series, which includes his Symphony No.4, alongside works by Ravel. Royal Festival Hall, London SE1. www.southbankcentre.co.uk

Francisca Clausen, The Vase and the Pibes, 1929. ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum. Photo: Ole Hein Pedersen.

98 | Issue 50 | March 2013

Harald Giersing, Dancers tidying themselves, 1920. ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum. Photo: Ole Hein Pedersen.

Moddi on tour (April) After the success of his 2010 debut album Floriography, Norwegian singer Moddi did not think he would make another one. But luckily for his many fans he did, and he is now touring Europe with

Scan Magazine | Music & Culture | Scandinavian Culture Calendar

Slagsmålsklubben. Photo: Press

the new album Set the House on Fire.

For more info visit: www.moddi.no

Von Hertzen Borthers on UK tour (April) Finnish prog-related rock band Von Hertzen Brothers have recently released their fifth album Nine Lives. Find out more about their upcoming UK tour on

Von Hertzen Brothers

their website: www.vonhertzenbrothers.com Anna von Hausswolff. Photo: Press

Slagsmålsklubben on tour (April) Swedish electronic band Slagsmålsklubben (or SMK for those who find their name too much of a tongue-twister) will be touring Europe this spring.

For more info visit: smk.just.nu

Anna von Hausswolff on tour (April) Swedish artist Anna von Hausswolff’s dramatic music and strong yet fragile voice really get under your skin. See her play on her upcoming European tour.

For more info visit: www.annavonhausswolff.com

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NCE TI CKET

12-13 October

Scandinavia for

you to taste,

inaviashow.

co.uk

test and buy!

12 Octobe r: 10am 6pm 13 Octobe r: 10am 5pm

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for 1 2I

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Return with payment by cheque to: Scan Magazine, 4 Baden Place, Crosby Row, London SE1 1YW or pay online at www.scanmagazine.co.uk/subscribe * You will receive an e-ticket approximately two weeks before the show which is held on 12-13 October 2013. Box office value of ticket £16. The ticket can not be exchanged for cash. T&C’s apply.

We are building the future – over and over again Stockholm’s Hötorget skyscrapers in glass and metal reflect the 1950s’ take on the future.

Office workers were destined to sit and work here on newfangled electric typewriters, despatching post to each other through an elaborate pneumatic tube system. That, too, was IT. Then. Now the new generation has taken over those skyscrapers, taking for granted their tablet computers, smartphones and the world as their workplace.

Our needs change. Ideas and materials are renewed. No-one knows what the future holds.

But we do know that it will still require metals.

Ag Zn Cu

Au

Metals for modern life