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Swedish Press N Y A
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Gotland – Island of Hidden Treasures
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April 2020 Vol 91:03 $5.95
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Medeltidsveckan Gotland History Interview with Håkan Loob Almedalen
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Cough and sneeze into the bend of your arm When you cough and sneeze millions of drops containing airborne germs will spread. By coughing and sneezing into the bend of your arm or in a disposable tissue, you prevent germs from spreading in the surrounding area and from contaminating your hands.
Stay at home when you are ill
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Swedish Press is the world’s leading magazine on all good things Swedish. An authority on design, business, culture and travel since 1929, Swedish Press delivers insightful news and commentary in a visually striking format. With a nod to the past, and a peek to the future, Swedish Press is your go-to source for updates and inspiration from Sweden. SWEDISH PRESS (ISSN 0839-2323) is published ten times per year (Feb, Mar, Apr, May, June, July/Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec/Jan) by Swedish Press Inc, 862 Peace Portal Drive, Suite #101, Blaine WA 98230 for $45 per year. Periodical postage paid at Blaine, WA 98230-9998 (No. USPS 005544). US POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Swedish Press, PO Box 420404, San Diego, CA 92142-0404 OFFICE: 9040 Shaughnessy Street, Vancouver, BC V6P 6E5 Canada US MAILING ADDRESS: PO Box 420404, San Diego, CA 92142-0404 WEBSITE www.swedishpress.com E-MAIL info@swedishpress.com TEL +1 360 450 5858 TOLL FREE +1 866 882 0088 PUBLISHER Claes Fredriksson Claes@swedishpress.com EDITOR Peter Berlin Peter@swedishpress.com ART DIRECTOR Joan Law Joan@swedishpress.com
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4 Letters to the Editor 5 From the Editor’s Desk Swedish Headlines 6 Headline News 7 Swedes in the News 8 Landskapsnyheterna Business 9 Business News 10 Company File: Ryftes Farm Heritage 11 An Insider’s Look at Swedish Culture: Vilket språk talar man på Gotland?
Road to 2045 26 The 2020 Almedalen Week to Break New Records
29 Ads and Info Jousting during the Medieval Week in Visby in 2009. Photo: Aske Holst
Feature 12 Gotland Goes Medieval
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Interview 14 Susanne Thedéen, Director of the Gotland Museum – Sweden’s Island of Culture
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Global Swedes 16 Håkan Per Loob – veteran Swedish hockey player and head of European Scouting for the Calgary Flames.
NE X T I S S U E D E A D L I N E : A P R IL 10, 2020
Hemma Hos 24 Design: Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair 2020 – 70 Years of Design 25 Treats à la Christina Wallin
In the Loop 28 Calendar and Events
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Swedish Press
Heritage 18 Gotland Through the Ages
30 Sista Ordet The Swedish Canadian Rest Home Association Celebrates 75 Years
Cover images: 1. Town Wall in Visby, Gotland. Photo: 1 Emmoth | 2. Fårö. 4 5 Photo: Per-Erik Skramstad © Webkommunikasjon.no 7 6 3. Bildstenshallen. Photo: The Gotland Museum | 4. Coin from the period of Christian III, 1535-1559. | 5. A Gute ram. Photo: Oskari Löytynoja | 6. Photo: Stephan Andersson/ Medeltidsveckan | 7. Limestone monoliths on the island of Gotland. Photo: Lucas Günther/ imagebank.sweden.se
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Letters to the Editor Need a Dala Horse or Tomte? Check out the great selection of Scandinavian gifts, imports and goodies in our catalog or at:
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Enjoy reading Swedish Press? Email us your pictures along with your name and comments to info@swedishpress.com and we’ll be happy to publish them. Dear Joan, I especially enjoyed the Treats à la Amy von Sydow Green in the March 2020 issue of the Swedish Press. Today I baked the Red Currant Cardamom Cake and it is wonderful!!! I am wondering if you would send me the link for that page so that I can save it in my recipe file. I can’t seem to figure out how to do it. My husband, Curtis, and I were thrilled to be featured on that page last year. We love the magazine. Thank you, Marian Olson Easton, Pennsylvania Dear Joan, I would like to thank you for taking the time to find me and to mail me the article “Québec is Swedish”. I got it. It was delivered yesterday, on Friday the 28th. The post office stamp in Sweden is 2020-02-17, so it took 11 days to come to Québec City! The hypothesis I had conceived is wrong. It does not talk about what I thought. But I could [have] left this stone unturned. I had to check. It does not change the fact that I was delighted to get it. I got confirmation of a rumour. Too bad I can’t quote the author because his name is not written.
Thank you for your dedication and for having “le coeur à l’ouvrage”. It is a French expression when translated word by word means “the heart at work”. There should be more persons like you in the world. What I learned by reading this article is invaluable knowledge. Have a nice day, Danielle Boulanger Québec City, Quebec Hej Claes, Först vill jag gratulera till dina framgångar med Swedish Press. Vi läser den entusiastiskt varje månad. Jättebra artiklar av varierande innehåll. Först var jag lite fundersam till det ny formatet, men har insett att det var genialiskt. Jag skulle gärna ha fler artiklar på svenska men inser att ni har väldigt många engelsktalande prenumeranter. Med vänlig hälsning Mats Gerschman Vancouver, British Columbia Joan at Swedish Press, I absolutely love Swedish Press magazine. It is so important now more than ever for people in the USA to know what is going on in Sweden. I only hope that my friend and myself can fly to Sweden in May 2020, now with the Corona virus going on in China. Maria Jönsson The Gift Box-Scandinavian Imports, Geneva, IL
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from the Editor’s Desk
Gotland, Island of Hidden Treasures We need your support!
Swedish Press strives to create a high quality magazine for you, but the costs are considerable and ever-increasing. Please consider making a generous donation to help keep your publication, and Swedish heritage, alive. You’ll find a form on page 29. Tack!
Whether your Swedish is fluent or rusty, we hone your language skills by publishing some articles in Swedish. But never despair: you will find English translations online thanks to our valiant team of volunteer translators. Simply go to http://biolson. atspace.cc/swemail/ and you will find translations of all Swedish articles going as far back as to August 2007.
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y “hidden treasures” we are not only referring to the intriguing troves of ancient silver coins hidden in the “Gutish” ground, but also to the many architectural, cultural, political and industrial resources which make Gotland so special even today. Under Heritage we focus on aspects of life on Gotland, beginning with a historic summary (page 18). Other Gotland themes include a profile of Ryftes Farm (page 10); Marcus Andersson’s retrospective on the Medeltidsveckan (The Week of the Middle Ages) (page 12); Sofie Kinnefors’ interview with the head of the Gotland Museum (page 14); my own interview with the Gotland-born hockey player Håkan Loob formerly of NHL fame (page 16); and Jacob Lagercrantz’ treatise on the annual Almedalen Week (page 26) when voters get to meet political leaders in an informal setting. It was the late 1940s when I first travelled to Gotland together with my parents and with our dachshund on my lap. As a young airplane enthusiast, the flight from the Swedish mainland to Gotland made a deeper impression on me than all the attractions in Visby combined. The old, rickety DC-3 belonging to the domestic airline ABA took off from Norrköping on a hot summer’s day. Even at the short-haul cruising altitude of 10,000 feet, the heat inside the cabin was stifling, and the noise from the engines was terrible. All the passengers were panting with thirst and fidgeting with general discomfort. There was a stewardess onboard who sat on a folding seat behind the cockpit staring listlessly down the aisle. Half-way to Visby she showed signs of life, got up from her seat, filled a small bowl with water and presented it to … our dog! Such was ABA’s premium service in Animal Class. In her report on page 11 about a family visit to Gotland, Yvonne Gossner is stymied by the thick local dialect and has to control herself not to switch to English. For those of you who know Swedish, here is a sample of the dialect: I fystringene skop Gud Himmel u jård. U jårdi var oide u tomb, u myrkur war yvar djaupi, u Guds Ande flakrede yvar watnet. U Gud sägde: “Ware ljaus till,” u ljaus blaif till. U Gud sag ljauset, att häd war gudt. Da skilde Gud ljausee fran myrkret u kallede liauset Dagur u myrkret Nat u wart qveld u morgen hin fyrste dagen. If you are unable to decode the text, send me an email and I will explain – but also be aware that we might include your message under Letters to the Editor! Not surprisingly, the arrival of the coronavirus in Sweden and its effects take centre stage in our Headline News and Business News. It is difficult to stay abreast with the rapid development – rather like trying to change the wheel of a moving car – but we included updates practically up until the moment when the magazine was sent to the printers. Peter Berlin Editor Peter@Swedishpress.com April 2020 Map courtesy of Medeltidsveckan på Gotland AB
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Quarantine, Isolation & Mothballing on the Rise Covid-19: Welcome to Sweden By Peter Berlin
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t was of course only a matter of time before the coronavirus would come knocking on Sweden’s door. In late January the city of Jönköping was the first to “welcome” the new virus-visitor which under the microscope looks like a naval mine and manifests the same explosive temper. Other viruses quickly followed suit; at the time of writing there were 1623 victims of Covid-19, about 600 in Stockholm, and the number keeps growing. By European standards, the Swedish numbers are not very high, but are still the highest in Scandinavia. As in most other affected countries, government ministers have been sending out contradictory signals
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How to battle loneliness
or all the social welfare possibilities at their disposal, Swedes are an exceptionally lonely tribe. More than half of all homes have only one occupant. Most susceptible to loneliness are the aged and, surprisingly, young people under 25 years of age. A housing company funded by the city council in Helsingborg has come up with an innovative approach to alleviate loneliness. One of their apartment blocks is reserved for lonely retirees and under 25’s. The rental agreement obliges tenants to socialize with each other at least two hours per week. The apartment block contains a large number of communal areas such as lounges, kitchens, gyms, and rooms for playing games and doing
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about the effect of the virus – on the one hand stoking up quarantine panic, and on the other hand issuing reassurances about the high level of preparedness within the health care system. Curiously, these politicians seem more concerned about the
disruptive effect the virus will have on the economy than about the discomfort of the sufferers. Perhaps this is a smart attitude if it is really true that the symptoms in most cases are no worse than those of the common annual influenza.
arts and crafts – all of which are meant to encourage and facilitate mingling. An interesting development is that much of the socializing happens not just between contemporaries, but also between the old and the young. Retirees find that the youngsters add some energy to their otherwise sedate existence, not to mention helping out with computers and smartphones. Similarly, the young people learn a great deal from the retirees about history and life in days gone by. Some 70 tenants now live in the apartment block. Everybody agrees that they feel happier and less lonely than before, and one positive consequence is that they pay fewer visits to the doctor. Managers at the housing company are hoping to repeat the experiment elsewhere in Sweden.
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Västerås Airport to close
n March 10 it was announced that the airport in Västerås will close. Västerås lies halfway between Stockholm and Gothenburg and counts, among others, the Irish low-cost airline Ryanair as its customer. The airport, formerly a Swedish Air Force base, has been running at an operating loss for several years. This is a dilemma facing many of Sweden’s smaller airports which see only a few arrivals and departures every day, yet are obliged to maintain full air traffic control and emergency rescue services.
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Swedes in the News
A Sad Loss and a Few Happy Gains Max von Sydow passed away
From left to right: Loulou Lamotte, Ashley Haynes and Dinah Yonas Manna of The Mamas. Photo: Patrik Jonsson/Nordic Media
writer who reported from a war-torn Germany after World War II. Gad, born in 1975, also has received several awards for her reportage, including the European Newspaper Award for best War Journalism in 2018; Swedish TV Award Kristallen in 2018; and The Swedish Grand Prize for Journalism in 2017. “I feel very, very honored and will do my best to continue to spread the word about a world that is not black and white,” Gad said about winning the Stig Dagerman prize in a post on her Twitter account.
A noble prize for Gad
Korsgren’s big race
competition took place over a six-week period between 1 February and 7 March. As the winner, The Mamas will represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest 2020.
Max von Sydow. Photo: AFP Photo/ Anne-Christine Poujoulat
Legendary Swedish movie actor Max von Sydow passed away on March 8 at the age of 90. His acting career dates back to 1948 with the film Only a Mother, but the eleven movies he made with director Ingmar Bergman starting in 1957 rank as the most memorable. These include The Seventh Seal, Through A Glass Darkly, Hour of the Wolf, … and, lastly, The Touch in 1971. Later in the 1970s he assumed both leading and marginal roles in Swedish as well as foreign films, notably in the United States. For a while, he and his family lived in Los Angeles. In 2002 he became a French citizen, and he passed away in Provence, France. Melodifestivalen Winner The Mamas are a SwedishAmerican soul and gospel group. On March 7 they won the hotly contested Melodifestivalen, a Swedish annual music competition organized by Sveriges Television (SVT). This year the
to Mora in 4h 41m 02s – more than six minutes ahead of Britta Johansson Norgren, who finished second in the race. “I had an amazing day and amazing skis,” said Korsgren in a statement on Vasaloppet’s website. Korsgren also won the women’s class in crosscountry skiing competition Nordenskiöldsloppet in 2016 and Vasaloppet in 2018. Stay strong with Mia
Mia Törnblom’s Sårbar & Superstark
Magda Gad. Photo: Magnus Bergström
Expressen’s war correspondent and Middle East analyst Magda Gad was recently honored with “The Stig Dagerman Prize” for her stories from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. The award and 50,000 SEK prize money are awarded to a Swedish journalist who best represents the professional spirit of Stig Dagerman, a journalist and
Lina Korsgren received her congratulatory kiss from kransmasen Daniel Duhlbo. Photo: Henrik Hansson/Vasaloppet
Swedish cross-country skier Lina Korsgren, 32, won the women’s class in Sweden’s annual Vasaloppet long-distance cross-country ski race, which is the oldest cross-country ski race in the world. The Falun native defeated all competition when she finished the 90 km (56 mi) course from Sälen
Swedish author and speaker Mia Törnblom’s inspirational show Sårbar & Superstark kicks off in Gävle on April 21, followed by performances in Gothenburg, Stockholm and Norrköping. During the show, Törnblom, 52, encourages audience members to take power over their own lives. Using humor and distinct methods, Törnblom educates her audience on how to improve their mental strength, gain more energy, setting boundaries and become more confident in themselves by reconciling with the past.
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[Landskapsnyheterna] BLEKINGE Trafikverket planerar att sätta upp 11 nya fartkameror utöver de 16 kameror som redan finns i Blekinge län. Det rör sig främst om två sträckor i västra Blekinge där man registrerat en hel del fortkörning. – Antingen får vi upp dem i år eller nästa år, sa Kristina Johansson på Trafikverket. Fyra kameror kommer att sättas upp på riksväg 29 och sex stycken på riksväg 15. – Vi har automatisk mätning dygnet runt på alla bilar. Så med hänsyn till trafikmängd och hastighet ser vi det som en trafikvinst att bevaka sträckorna, sa Johansson. Till våren sätts kamera nummer 11 upp på väg 29 i höjd med Tostarp i Asarum, Karlshamn.
Här är kameran som fångar flest fartsyndare i Sverige. Foto: Marcus Palmgren
– Trafiksäkerhetskameror räddar närmare 30 liv per år och fler än 70 personer per år från att bli allvarligt skadade i trafiken. Vi vill inte att någon ska behöva åka fast för fortkörning, men vi gör allt vi kan för att människor inte ska dödas eller skadas allvarligt i trafiken, sa Johansson. DALARNA Glada nyheter för läshungriga äldre boende i Borlänge! Borlänge bibliotek är ett av länets bibliotek som lånar ut och skickar hem böcker till äldre, sjuka och funktionshindrade kunder. Servicen ”Boken kommer” är kostnadsfri och innebär att man kan beställda biblioteksböcker som sedan levereras till ens hem av en
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vaktmästare. Alla som uppfyller bibliotekets kriterier kan beställa och få sina böcker hemlevererade. – De som får böckerna blir jätteglada, och vaktmästaren kan vara den enda personen som de pratar med just den dagen, sa Ing-Marie Brunk, biblioteksassistent på Borlänge bibliotek.
LAPPLAND NORRBOTTEN
VÄSTERBOTTEN
GÄSTRIKLAND LÄN När William Moén, som har en autistisk diagnos, för fyra år sedan satt hemma i Gästrike-Hammarby med drömmar om ett stort kalas, annonserade hans mamma Renée Moén efter gäster på sociala medier. – Vi hade en stor tårta hemma men varken släkt eller vänner kunde komma. Så vi satt med den stora fina tårtan och jag sa till min man att hur ska vi lösa det nu när William sitter här och vill ha kalas, sa Renée Moén. Lyckligtvis var det många på Facebook som ville komma på kalas. Både tidigare skolfröknar och främmande människor dök upp. I år var det dags igen, och inför Williams 12-års kalas annonserade hans mamma för fjärde året efter glada kalasgäster. På årets födelsedagsfest bjöds gästerna på fika, uppträdande av en trollkarl och diskotek. Renée Moén tycker att det är fördelaktigt att bjuda in till kalas på sociala medier. – Det finns barn som har svårt att ha kompisar, så jag rekommenderar alla föräldrar att göra det här. William är mycket nöjd och vill gärna ha kalas igen nästa år. LAPPLAND Polisen i Arjeplog, Lappland ska med hjälp av drönare stoppa tjuvjägare i Arjeplogfjällen mellan den 9 mars och 30 april. Med kamerabevakningen hoppas polisen upptäcka, förhindra och avslöja illegal jakt. – Det är nytt för oss att använda drönare i ett sådant här sammanhang. Tidigare har vi använt helikopter men med drönare får vi större flexibilitet.
JÄMTLAND
HÄRJEDALEN
ÅNGERMANLAND
MEDELPAD HÄLSINGLAND
DALARNA GÄSTRIKLAND VÄSTMANLAND VÄRMLAND
NÄRKE
UPPLAND
SÖDERMANLAND
DALSLAND ÖSTERGÖTLAND BOHUSLAND VÄSTERGöteborg GÖTLAND SMÅLAND HALLAND SKÅNE
Stockholm
GOTLAND ÖLAND
BLEKINGE
Malmö
Vi vill berätta för medborgarna att vi har fått ett nytt verktyg som vi kommer att använda, sa Anderas Nyberg, lokalpolisområdeschef i Piteå älvdal. Illegal jakt förekommer på flera ställen i Sverige. – Det förekommer illegal jakt i fjällkedjan, men det är inte unikt för Arjeplog, utan problemet finns på många håll. Det handlar främst om jakt från fordon. Nu när vi kan använda drönare och bevaka ett stort område så ska det hjälpa oss att upptäcka jaktbrott, säger Andreas Nyberg. Summary in English: Speeders are in trouble in Blekinge County as the Swedish Transport Administration plans to set up 11 new traffic cameras in addition to the 16 cameras already in place. A library in Borlänge, Dalarna delivers borrowed books to the homes of elderly, sick and disabled customers. The mother of an autistic boy in Gästrike-Hammarby, Gästrikland uses social media to invite guests to her son’s birthday party. The police in Arjeplog, a small town in Lapland, are using drones to detect illegal hunting.
[Business] News Swedish “Lagom” At Work COVID-19 Main Topic in Swedish News Media By Peter Berlin
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SAS lays off 90% of staff
Swedish economy bumping along
ike several other European airlines, Scandinavian Airlines suspended all flights to Northern Italy from March 4 until at least March 16 due to the severe spread of the corona virus in the northern provinces. The cancellations affected some 9,000 passengers who had already booked flights to Milan, Bologna, Venice and Turin. The airline was offering these passengers either their money back or an opportunity to rebook their flights to a later date at no extra cost. The temporary suspension turned out to be short-lived, as the Italian government soon afterwards imposed a lockdown on the entire country. SAS, like many other airlines, has since extended its suspension of flights to Italy indefinitely. The corona virus scare and the associated drop in flight bookings comes at a particularly bad time for SAS, an airline which emerged rather bruised after a lengthy strike among its pilots a year ago. The airline is now Stock market index Index, Jan 2019 = 100
laying off 90 percent of its staff due to the slow-down in flight bookings not only to Italy but also to many other afflicted destinations in the world.
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OVID-19 has so far not adversely impacted the Swedish economy, despite international warnings of a possible global recession. A few Swedish companies with a manufacturing base in China – notably IKEA, Volvo Cars, Sandvik and H&M – saw a drop in activities during the peak of the pandemic, but their business shows signs of recovery now that the spread of the virus in China seems to have abated. On the other hand, Swedish companies that rely on deliveries of components from China are facing an uncertain future. Foreign travel is likely to diminish significantly due to fear of virus infection – a development, however short-lived, which may reassure climate change activists.
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Thinking outside the box
he Swedish government freely admits that the social integration and job-market assimilation of the many immigrants and asylum-seekers
has been far from satisfactory. The resultant sense of isolation, especially among young people, has resulted in a doubling of gun-related crimes since 2008. Instead of relying on bureaucratic remedies, perhaps Sweden should follow the example of Canada, where the government rewards companies which excel in hiring newcomers from abroad. The winners of this year’s Employer Awards for Newcomer Employment include a care home in Nova Scotia, a financial institution also in Nova Scotia, an accountancy firm in Ontario, and a laundry facility in British Columbia. Cost savings or personal safety
T
o help stop the spread of COVID19, the Swedish government has banned all assemblies of more than 500 persons. This follows similar edicts by the Norwegian and Danish governments. The ban will have consequences not only for upcoming social, political and sports events, but also for business conferences. The aim of the measure is to slow down the spread of the virus, with attendant cost savings for the national health service. This may seem like a curious application of ‘lagom’.
Reaction of the major stock markets to COVID-19 and the ensuing uncertainties
Euro zone
Sweden
USA
China
Source: Macrobond
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Company File
Ryftes Farm, a Major Player in Gotland’s Economy By Peter Berlin
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ow do you define a vegetable? Strictly speaking, the category includes all edible plants – roots, seeds, leaves, stems, and even fruits and flowers. So the question whether a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable is a debate left to dinner parties. However, let us not get hung up on semantics but move straight to Ryftes Farm on Gotland where almost every kind of temperate vegetable is grown on an industrial scale.
Erika and Karin Andersson ( from left to right) munching on twisted carrots.
Ryftes Grönsaker AB is a family enterprise which cultivates, packages and sells a wide range of vegetables. Their website www.ryftes.se lists 12 varieties of root vegetables, 10 of onions, 10 of potatoes, 9 of leafy vegetables, 8 of berries, 5 of beans, 3 of carrots, as well as green and white asparagus … well, you get the picture. The particulars of each product are described in terms of origin, appearance, and flavour. The website goes on to propose
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eighteen different recipes for making gratins, soups, sauces, pies, and cakes based on their veggies. The farm occupies close to 1000 hectares (2500 acres). The vegetables are grown on 165 hectares, while the remaining acreage is used for growing cereals. The website features two impressive videos that show harvesting using ultramodern equipment. Ryftes Farm was founded in 1964, when Yngve and Inga Andersson started their agricultural business on nine hectares of farmland. The business now employs 45 staff on a permanent basis plus a great many seasonal workers. Today, the farm is managed primarily by their daughters Karin and Erika, but Yngve and Inga still participate in the background. The Anderssons are environmentally conscious in everything they do and adapt their working methods and investments accordingly. The farm owns three wind turbines in the vicinity, two more in a nearby community, and a onequarter share in a constellation of
Ryftes Farm bathing in a sea of rapeseed.
10 wind turbines elsewhere on Gotland. In addition, 960 m2 (10,300 sq.ft) of solar panels are mounted on the roof of outbuildings. The output is used in part to process and refrigerate the farm’s products. (Corollary: The Anderssons use the sun to cool their carrots!) The total wind and sun power generated exceeds the needs of the farm, so the remainder is fed into the national grid for distribution to other households across Gotland. Ryftes Farm has no direct business connections with North America, but Yngve’s aunt emigrated to the United States a long time ago. More recently, Karin and her partner and son made a study visit to Bolthouse Farms located in the
Erika and Karin Andersson in a maze of sunflowers. Anyone can come and pick the flowers for free and are then encouraged to make a charitable donation to the Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation. All photos courtesy of Ryftes Grönsaker AB.
San Joaquin Valley in California. Bolthouse is one of the biggest carrot growers in the world. Some day, Yngve and Inga’s small grandchildren will perhaps take over the responsibility of managing Ryftes Farm. One might wonder if they ever hear their parents say: “You can’t have ice cream until you finish your veggies!”
H E RI TAG E
An Insider’s Look at Swedish Culture Vilket språk talar man på Gotland? Av Yvonne Gossner
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fter att ha spenderat några timmar på den här fantastiska svenska ön, kom frågan från vår skånska dotter som jag bara hade väntat på. I tider där det inte är alls populärt att nämna att vi flugit inrikes från Malmö till Gotland ( ja, vi klimatkompenserade genom att traska från flygplatsen till vårt hotell i Visby…), så kan det utifrån vår dotters synsätt verka som om vi flugit till ett annat land. Att dialekten kändes mer annorlunda än danska är kanske inte så konstigt eftersom vi bor så nära danska gränsen att vi faktiskt har utsikt över Öresundsbron från vårt hus. Även jag, som har en benägenhet att övergå till engelska direkt om jag inte förstår ett ord, fick därmed hejda mig att inte börja prata engelska på Gotland. Således hade jag full förståelse för att vår dotter ställde denna fråga som till synes först verkade lite väl obildad.
Det var dock inte bara den vackra dialekten som var helt annorlunda; det fanns ett engagemang hos befolkningen på denna ö som jag aldrig har skådat innan. Det kändes
som vi var efterlängtade – och inte bara för att vi skulle spendera våra pengar på ön. Den stolthet som vi mötte var fascinerande, för här var man enad om att turisterna skulle få det bästa intrycket av Gotland, och det fick vi onekligen. Tankar som snurrade runt i mitt huvud under dessa ljuva sommardagar på ön kunde inte undgås. Har man egentligen samhällsproblem på Gotland? Finns det överhuvudtaget någon kriminalitet på denna rofyllda ö? Det kan hända att, eftersom vår närmsta stad på hemmafronten är Malmö, skillnaden blev större för oss än för övriga svenskar. Den harmoniska stämningen och avstressande miljön (nu var vi ej på Almedalsveckan, vill jag tillägga) är för mig något jag minns väldigt starkt från i somras. Gotland återspeglade nämligen ett enormt obekymrat lugn, och svaren på mina frågor utföll till Gotlands fördel. När vår familj reser är vi alltid ute efter att få uppleva de lokala smakerna, och Gotland hade mitt i sommaren ett stort utbud. Vad sägs om smaken av nyskördad sparris, ramslök och kajp (skogslök), och att till efterrätt få äta saffranspannkaka med glass i olika varianter av rambär, salmbär och tryffel? Att få prova på dessa lokala aromer samtidigt som naturen var sagolikt
vacker, blandat med gotländska röster i bakgrunden, blev en genuin upplevelse på Sveriges största ö. Att Visbys skönhet med sin historia och den berömda ringmuren blivit utsedd att ingå i UNESCOs världsarv går inte någon obemärkt förbi. Det var dock tryggheten, stämningen, stoltheten och smakerna som fascinerade oss mest. Upplevelsen att vårt svenska språk kan låta så annorlunda, trots att gotländskan är den dialekt som troligen är mest lik ursvenskan, är häftig i sig. Under resan på Gotland hade det varit mer befogat om gotländska barn istället hade frågat oss: ”Vilket språk talar man i Skåne?” Summary in English: During a family visit to Gotland, the author’s daughter listened to the local dialect and asked her mother in all innocence: “What language do they speak on Gotland?” Since the family lives in Skåne, Gotlanders could be equally forgiven for asking: “What language do they speak in Skåne?” The family was impressed by the welcome they received from the islanders, as well as by their relaxed lifestyle and fine cuisine.
Footnote: Yvonne Gossner är en f.d universitetsadjunkt och Swedish influencer, numera ägare av Learn Swedish Culture AB. www. learnswedishculture.com
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Swedish Press | April 2020 11
Gotland Goes
edieval
By Marcus Andersson very year, a quiet island town off the coast of Sweden teleports back in time, rewinding from the present to the 1300s. Medieval tents are pitched over grassy expanses, and everyday people dress in the fashion of their ancestors. This summer, 40,000 guests will gather to experience what life was like when Sweden became a nation, spending an entire week in an escapist world outside of modern life. Medeltidsveckan (Medieval Week) is the largest medieval event in Scandinavia, and the most attended event on Gotland. It happens on the same week every year, and keeps drawing new visitors to its unique milieu. The festival takes place in the ancient town of Visby, whose settlement dates back to the 900s. During my interview with event spokesperson Susanne de Paulis, she provided a brief overview of the history of the site, discussing some of the pivotal moments that changed the course of its development. In 1288, de Paulis explains, “there was a civic war between the city merchants and the historically very rich and powerful Gotlandic people.” The inhabitants of Visby won the war due to their membership of the Hanseatic League, an alliance of mercantile towns spanning from central to northwestern Europe. Later, in 1361, she continues, “the
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Swedish Press | April 2020 12
Danish king Valdemar Atterdag conquered Gotland, killing more than half the male population on the island, but sparing Visby and thereby cementing the differences between the City and the Countryside. When Valdemar won the Battle of Visby, this marked the downfall of Gotland, from which it did not really recover until the late 18th century.” Despite the wars, Visby’s town wall still stands tall, and several church ruins can be found in the city. Visby is such an exceptional example of medieval architecture that, in 1995, the town was added to the UNESCO World Heritage site list. Surrounded daily by the echoes of the past, Gotlandic history enthusiasts wanted to create an event to educate other inhabitants about the time that came before them. So, in 1984, a group of like-minded leaders created the first Medieval Week in an inspirationally DIY fashion. They sought resources like textiles for costumes from local shops and second-hand stores, encouraging as many as possible to dress in period attire. The spirit of re-enactment and immersion that started over thirty years ago grew into a marketing tool for the festival in years to come. “A decade later, the subculture of role players, ‘larpers’ (live action role playing) and re-enactors had established themselves as an important target group. Serendipity, as it turns out, because this group of enthusiasts is now one of our main destinations for tourists and families with children,” explains de Paulis. What started as an event for locals quickly expanded to attract a much wider and diverse audience. On the festival website, the organization includes a demographic breakdown, showing that 79 percent of visitors are returning customers, and 53 percent are women. Although the
majority of attendees are in their 30s, all age groups are welcome, from toddlers to people well above 80. Most participants enjoy the week in groups of 3 – 4, which suggests a family-centered or friend-group-based crowd. While most Medeltidsveckan fans are Swedish, as of 2014 five percent of visitors (2000 guests) travel from abroad, mostly from Germany and the Nordic countries. And people have started traveling from further reaches of the world. “We have up to 20 nationalities in our group of around 70 volunteers, and we know that we have visitors from all corners of the world: Australia, Japan, USA, Russia, and so forth,” says de Paulis. Furthermore, a newly constructed cruise line port in Visby is expected to draw in even more foreign guests in years to come. Clearly, the organization is doing something right, as 8 out of 10 visitors return annually. The program includes a variety of activities for a complete medieval experience. Guests can attend theatrical performances, live music, and fire shows, all offered free of charge. In total, there are 500 events available to festival-goers during their stay in Visby. One of the most popular attractions is the jousting event, in which actors clad in knight’s armor spar on horseback. Another major event is the marketplace, which sells replicas of medieval merchandise. And, finally, The Battle of Wisby Project aims to recreate the battles of Mästerby and Visby, giving voice across the centuries to those who fell in battle. In the words of de Paulis, “At the same time, we wish to highlight the historical trauma that these events became for the locals.” Medieval Week began as a DIY project and has continued in that spirit, relying on its own revenue instead of
depending on outside investors. A very minimal percentage of its budget is a contribution from the Municipality of Gotland, which provides 8 percent of the festival income. Though the organization has been involved in a variety of projects funded by EU and SIDA, it does not receive any cultural funding from the government. Each year, visitors spend 206 million kronor during the week, making it a significant asset for the Gotlandic economy. This summer, Medieval Week will open its gates again, sending people from 2020 back nearly a thousand years. The festival has high hopes for the future, constantly seeking new ways to improve and become more environmentally friendly. De Paulis takes this commitment seriously: “We are changing and adapting every year, trying to make our environmental footprint smaller and smaller, as well as making the festival more secure, more equal and more attractive. It is already regarded as very secure with less than 1 reported offence to the police per year. This at a festival with 40,000 persons over 8 days with a lot of parties going on!” The festival also wants to attract new customers, like “festival visitors” – a category which was recently added to the organization’s target groups – by offering festival camping and an emphasis on interesting musical acts. 2023 will mark the 40th anniversary, which is a massive accomplishment for an independently funded and run festival. Medieval Week in Visby is a fascinating example of local initiative and passion for history evolving into an enterprise that benefits Sweden’s economy and culture. www.medeltidsveckan.se/en/ All photos: Medeltidsveckan på Gotland AB
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Swedish Press | April 2020 13
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I N T E R V I E W
Sweden’s W Island of Culture By Sofie Kinnefors
Susanne Thedéen, Museum Director, The Gotland Museum. Photo: The Gotland Museum
Gotland, Sweden’s biggest Island, attracts visitors from all over the world. The Gotland Museum, one of the island’s most visited tourist destinations, offers insight into Gotland’s art, history and rich heritage. Swedish Press spoke to Susanne Thedéen, Director of the Gotland Museum about what makes the museum attractive, and about future plans.
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Swedish Press | April 2020 14
W I T H
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e caught up with Director Thedéen to talk about The Gotland Museum – an institution hosting more than 300,000 visitors per year. That impressive attendance makes it the most visited county museum in Sweden. She points out that a visit to The Gotland Museum is educational and inspirational. “I would especially recommend visitors to take part in our city walks, available in both Swedish and English by our knowledgeable and dedicated guides in Visby,” says Thedéen. The Gotland Museum is located in Visby, Sweden, a city with ancient Viking and medieval roots that is designated as a World Heritage site. The Island of Gotland sits in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Latvia. The Museum is a collection of several owned buildings, which are used as museum space. It also has a publishing house focused on museum exhibitions and Gotland’s heritage. One of the museum’s main attractions, Fornsalen, offers plenty for those interested in history and archeology. “At Fornsalen in Visby, visitors to our exhibitions are able to study world-unique picture stones (bildstenar), the world’s largest Viking silver treasure (weighing in at 67 kg), as well as well-preserved armor left behind after Denmark’s King Valdemar Atterdag pillaged Gotland and Visby in 1361.”
T H E D É E N
Founded in 1875 by The Friends of Gotland’s Historical Museum, the Gotland Museum today consists of: • Fornsalen (Hall of Antiquities), The Gotland Museum’s main building for cultural history. • Gotlands Konstmuseum (Gotland Art Museum). • Visby ruiner (Visby ruins). • Museigårdar (designated museum courtyards): Norrbys, a cultural reserve, also known as a working farm; Kattlunds, a 14th century estate used for archeological digs; and Petes, a seaside farm showing what life was like along the Baltic coast in the 18th century. Thedéen, director of The Gotland Museum since January 2017, visited Gotland for the first time in her teens while on vacation with her family. Fascinated by the beautiful island, Thedéen and her family returned to Gotland as often as possible during the summer. A few years ago, They invested in their own house on southeast Gotland where they now spend time throughout the year. Thedéen’s background includes university studies in Stockholm. After studying economics at Handelshögskolan (The Stockholm School of Economics) and a few years in the financial sector, Thedéen returned to school for studies in archeology at Stockholm University. Before taking on the role as director of The Gotland Museum she spent many years working at Stockholm University, first as a
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Bildstenshallen, Fornsalen (Hall of Antiquities). Photo: The Gotland Museum
teacher and researcher and later by taking on various other university administration roles. Her responsibilities as director of the museum include a widespread set of tasks. “Managing a museum is more than producing exhibitions and taking care of our collections. We own approximately 30 properties around the island, we manage funds and foundations, and we are involved in the tourism/hospitality industry on the island. We also collaborate with a number of Swedish universities.” Thedéen’s background in archeology comes in handy at the museum. “As an archeologist, it’s a dream job to be museum director of The Gotland Museum with its unique collections – including stone age skeletons, silver treasures, church sculptures, textiles, tools and kitchen utensils – and with a location in the middle of a world heritage site.” The Gotland Museum has developed in significant ways since Thedéen became director three years ago. “Our mission does not only lie in archeology
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and history – art and nature are also very much part of our exhibitions.” She adds, “We have worked both strategically and systematically to become part of Gotland’s hospitality industry. We have succeeded in this in a positive way through board seats in destination companies and extended partnerships. We have, for example, initiated a project with completely new guide training for certified guides.” Even though the Gotland Museum is thriving, future challenges include bringing in enough resources for upkeep, as well as future projects. “We have successfully applied for and received funding for several research and knowledge-building projects (kunskapsuppbyggnadsprojekt) – an area that I was especially assigned to develop as the new director of The Gotland Museum”, says Thedéen. She adds, “We need resources to be able to manage and take responsibility for our collections so that they can be preserved for the afterlife. We also need sufficient resources to show relevant, as well as in-depth, exhibitions that interest and affect our audience.” Long range plans are to become the regional cultural center and the obvious meeting place where national and international visitors, as well as Gotlanders, come to gain in-depth knowledge and have the opportunity to reflect and debate on important issues. “We also strive to work more closely with other sectors of society, such as schools and health care centers.
T H E D É E N
Within such areas, museums can certainly contribute and help make a difference.” A new exhibition is in the works on Gotland’s prehistory from the Stone Age to the Viking Age. Plans also include closer museum-to-museum ties in Canada and the U.S. “One of the museum’s picture stones is lent to Disney World in Florida and can be seen in an exhibition about Norse religion during the Viking era.” In closing, Director Thedéen encourages out-of-towners visiting Gotland this year to contact one of the museum’s knowledgeable guides. “A visit to one of our museum courtyards is also very worthwhile. In addition to taking part in fantastic cultural environments, you can simply enjoy a delicious lunch at one of our wonderful cafés.”
Skattkammaren. Photo: The Gotland Museum
How to get to Gotland Visitors usually arrive from Sweden via a three-hour ferry ride or a half-hour flight by one of several regional airlines. Gotland is about the size of Delaware and Rhode Island in the U.S.
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Swedish Press | April 2020 15
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Putting Sweden on the Map At Home
“At the age of 16 I took a big leap ...
Global S
Håkan Per Loob, veteran Swedish hockey player and head of European Scouting for the Calgary Flames.
Copyright: Håkan Per Loob
Håkan Per Loob played ice hockey professionally for Färjestad Bollklubb (FBK) of the Swedish Elitserien and the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is the head of European Scouting for the Calgary Flames after resigning as president of Hockey Operations for Färjestad. Considered one of the greatest Swedish hockey players of all time, he has won numerous awards, trophies and medals. He was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Swedish Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012. Interviewed by Peter Berlin
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Swedish Press | April 2020 16
Please tell us about your childhood and upbringing. I was born on the island of Gotland and grew up with my two older brothers. The three of us were very close in age. My oldest brother was born in July 1957, my middle brother was born in January 1959, and I was born in July 1960. You can imagine what it was like playing with those guys; we did everything together. Lots of fun! How did you get interested in ice hockey? In my small home town of 2000 inhabitants, many activities were centred around the school and sports. I played all kinds of sports – tennis, table tennis, handball, soccer. Whatever was on the agenda, I got involved. At that time hockey was very big even on Gotland. In 1965, my father became very involved in organizing an outdoor rink using artificial ice – one of the first such rinks on Gotland. When I was 5 years old, ice hockey had already become the “in” thing. Everybody wanted to play hockey, and I found myself playing with my brothers and other older boys. I kept doing 5 or 6 different sports until I was 15 years old. At that point I was advised to make up my mind which of the sports I wanted to pursue in order to become really good at it. Aged 16 I decided to focus exclusively on hockey.
You eventually became a highly valued player with Färjestad BK in the city of Karlstad. How did the invitation to join Calgary Flames come about? I started playing for Färjestad in 1979. At that time we didn’t know much about the NHL. We didn’t know about their “draft” (i.e. recruitment) methods, but all of a sudden in 1982 I received a parcel in the mail labelled Calgary Flames. I opened it and discovered a jersey inside with the number 9 Loob on the back. There was also a letter saying “Congratulations, you have been drafted by the Calgary Flames.” I didn’t think much about it, since I had no idea what “Calgary Flames” was, so I just put away the parcel. A couple of weeks later I was playing in Gothenburg. Someone from the stand came up to me after the game and introduced himself as the Assistant General Manager of the Calgary Flames. He reminded me that I had been “drafted,” which brought back memories of the parcel with the jersey. “We are seriously interested in you and want to bring you over to Calgary,” he continued. Then things happened very quickly: he helped me find an agent, and in the spring of 1983 I signed an NHL deal. I was married and had a son at that time. The first thing we
l Swedes
.... “and focused exclusively on hockey.”
did after I returned home was to consult a map to look for Calgary. The whole prospect was both scary and exciting. Please tell us about your experience playing for Calgary Flames. After a rocky start socially, things improved for us over time. Our new lifestyle was so much more vibrant than back home in Sweden. As for the sports, playing for Calgary Flames was simply amazing; our team went from success to success and became one of the best teams in the NHL. We reached our first Stanley Cup final in 1986. Being successful makes it so much easier to get along with one’s team mates in the dressing room and while travelling. The team veterans went all out to assimilate me, something you cannot take for granted in North American sports where the law of the jungle prevails. For me it was a very special journey. After 6 years with Calgary Flames, what prompted you to return to Sweden? By now we had two children. At the age of eight, our oldest son was spending winters in his Canadian school and summer holidays in Sweden, drifting in and out of the two languages in the process. In hindsight we could easily have
remained in Canada for several more years without him or his brother suffering any harm, but at the time we felt that he needed the stability to live and learn in one place only. So we chose to return to Sweden, even though it meant I had to take a substantial cut in my income. In fact, my General Manager could not understand why I wanted to leave at the age of 28 when I was in my prime as a hockey player, and he was quite upset with me. Everybody else also thought I was crazy. Upon my return to Sweden, I rejoined Färjestad BK and remained an active player there until 1998. I was Head of Sports for the 1996/1997 season. In 2009, I was honoured as the Athlete of the Century on Gotland during the centennial jubilee of the Gotland Sports Association. Given your expatriate experience, in which areas do you feel Sweden contributes most globally? From the perspective of an athlete, I think the world perceives us as honest and reliable. Our level of education is high, and we show social awareness. Wherever there
is innovation in IT and cutting-edge technology in the world, you find Swedes in the lead. The same applies in sports. For a country with only 10 million inhabitants we are very successful by any yardstick. How do you think the image of Sweden is changing and developing internationally, and particularly in North America? Respect is the key word. When I first arrived in Canada on the hockey scene, people thought of us as “chicken Swedes” who were there just to steal their money and their women. Now that there are 140 Swedes playing hockey in North America, we are really making a difference. I think Swedish companies like Ikea, Volvo and Ericsson have had a similar experience. The more respect you get, the easier it becomes to establish relationships; and the more relationships, the more respect. What current or upcoming projects or events are you working on? I work through my own company which I started here in Karlstad a few years ago. In that context I am still promoting hockey through speeches and lectures, and sometimes as a TV commentator. I also work as a scout for Calgary Flames with a mandate to assess promising players from Scandinavia and countries like the Czech Republic and Russia. At my age, it is wise to concentrate on the field where one has most knowledge and experience.
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Swedish Press | April 2020 17
H ERITAG E
Gotland Through The Ages By Peter Berlin
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otland is Sweden’s largest island, stuck far out in the Baltic Sea between the Swedish mainland and the Baltic States. It is therefore not surprising that its history differs in many aspects from that of the rest of Sweden. Because of the geographical isolation, the local dialect has evolved independently from “the King’s Swedish,” to the point where it is almost incomprehensible to mainland Swedes. On page 12 our contributor Marcus Andersson provides a snapshot of the island’s history, while Yvonne Gossner offers an insight into the dialect as well as the relaxed mindset of the Gotlanders on page 11. A somewhat different take on the early history of Gotland is found in the Gutasagan, a myth written in the Gutnish (i.e. Gotland-ish) dialect of Old Norse around 1350 and preserved in the Swedish National Library in Stockholm. Tjelvar, the discoverer of Gotland, had a son named Havde whose wife was called Vitastjerna. After their first night together, Vitastjerna dreamed that she would give birth to three sons, and that is
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Swedish Press | April 2020 18
The medieval city wall of Visby on the island of Gotland, viewed from north. Watercoloured drawing by Lars Cedergren, from 1816-1830. © The Collection of drawings, watercolours and prints, Archives of the Swedish National Heritage Board
precisely what happened. They were given the very Nordic-sounding names Graip, Gute and Gunfjaun. The myth goes on. The three sons and their descendants multiplied to the point where Gotland became seriously overpopulated. One in three inhabitants was deported from the island. Some of the deportees were wealthy, having done some traveling and trading in faraway lands. Assuming that they would be allowed back to Gotland someday, they buried their treasures in the ground before departing. Fast forward to 1999. Abandoned treasures are regularly unearthed on Gotland, a fact which gives some credence to the Gutasagan. Treasure hunting using metal detectors is prohibited, to prevent looting of
archaeological treasures such as those ostensibly buried by the above-mentioned deportees. The exception is whatever a landowner might detect on his own property. Ironically, during the recording of a documentary about illegal search for treasures for the Swedish TV4
Spillingsskatten (the Spillings Hoard) of ancient silver found on Gotland. Photo © The Gotland Museum
H E RI TAG E television channel, two accompanying professors waited until the end of the filming and the departure of the crew. They set off with metal detectors and stumbled on what was to become known as Spillingsskatten (the Spillings Hoard) of ancient silver. The treasure consisted of some 14,000 coins mostly from Islamic countries, along with a wealth of bronze artefacts and numerous everyday objects such as nails, glass beads, parts of tools, pottery, iron bands and clasps. Given its proximity to the former Soviet Union, it is perhaps not surprising that Gotland has had a taste of the Cold War. In 1952, a DC-3 military transport plane of the Swedish Air Force was patrolling the waters some distance out from the east coast of Gotland. Suddenly all radio contact with the crew was broken, and the plane failed to return to home base. Three days later the Swedish Air Force sent a Catalina sea plane to look for the vanished DC-3 and its crew. Literally out of the blue, it was attacked and brought down by a Soviet MiG-15 fighter aircraft. The crippled plane somersaulted on touchdown in the water; the five crew members survived and were picked up by a passing German freighter. Back in Sweden, the news media stoked up fury among the general public directed against the Soviets who were suspected of having brought down the two neutral aircraft for no apparent
Hanseatic Town of Visby, Gotland.
reason. Well, as it later turned out, both were in fact on assignment on behalf of NATO to eavesdrop on Soviet military radio communications, in clear contravention of Sweden’s proclaimed neutrality. The DC-3 was discovered on the sea floor in 1999 and was recovered in 2003. Close examination of the wreckage indicated that it, too, had been shot down by a Soviet MiG-15. It is now on display at the Air Force Museum in Linköping. The city of Visby is the urban centre of Gotland. Wandering along its narrow, cobblestone streets between quaint little houses creates the sensation of being transplanted to Medieval times. Ruins of ancient churches serve as a reminder of past invasions by a motley collection of Danish kings, Teutonic knights and Baltic pirates. Most of the city is surrounded by a massive stone wall punctuated by watch towers. In between attacks by hostile powers, Visby thrived as
an important trading hub within the Hanseatic League – the Medieval precursor of today’s European Union. In 1999, Visby was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The legendary film-maker Ingmar Bergman settled down on Gotland – or, more accurately, on the small island of Fårö at the northern tip of Gotland. Some of his most memorable films were set there, among them Through a Glass Darkly (1961), Persona (1966), Hour of the Wolf (1968), Shame (1968), The Passion of Anna (1969), and Scenes from a Marriage (1972). Fårö is also where he died in 2007 aged 89. No story about Gotland would be complete without mentioning the annual Almedalen Week, the Medieval Week and the Gotland Museum. Happily, these remarkable institutions are covered in turn by Jakob Lagercrantz on page 26, Marcus Andersson on page 12, and Sofie Kinnefors on page 14.
Limestone monoliths. Photo: Lucas Günther/ imagebank.sweden.se Graphics: Region Gotland.
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Swedish Press | April 2020 19
[Lifestyle]
Top Sju
1 April 1 marks April Fool’s Day – a day to watch out for hoaxes, fake news and practical jokes. The Swedish custom of “Narra April” dates back to the mid-1600s. During the 1900s, however, the media started making fun of themselves, politicians and new technology. A classic April fool’s joke Swedes might remember was on April 1, 1962 when SVT’s technical expert Kjell Stensson advised people to cut a nylon stocking and place it in front of their television screens to experience modern color TV. At the time, television broadcasts were in black and white, and it would take another seven years before color television became available in Sweden.
15 Celebrate Easter at Stockholm’s open-air museum Skansen on April 4 – 13! Children and adults alike are invited to take part in fun filled activities, such as making Easter decorations, pony riding and hotdog barbeque. Visitors may also visit the outdoor museum’s many houses and farms to see what Easter traditions
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Swedish Press | April 2020 20
Parry and Gustav Holst, as well as German composer Felix Mendelssohn. Guests include both former conductors and singers.
Tre påskkärringar på Skansen. Marie Andersson/Skansen
looked like back in the old days, listen to stories, or talk about hens, chickens and eggs. On Maundy Thursday youths (up to 15 years old) dressed as Easter witches (påskkärringar) or Easter geezers (påskgubbar) enjoy free admission to the museum. For more information see www skansen.se.
55 Adolf Fredriks Gosskör (Adolf Fredrik’s Boys Choir), founded in 1965 by Swedish composer, pianist, conductor and music educator Åke Hillerud, turns 55 this year. A celebratory concert in honor of the choir’s anniversary is scheduled in Adolf Fredriks Kyrka on April 24. During the 90-minute performance, Adolf Fredriks Gosskör will perform favorites from their rich repertoire throughout the decades, featuring music by English composers Sir Charles Hubert Hastings
350,000 Swedish furniture company IKEA is investing SEK 1.7 billion ($175m) in four new mini-department stores in the Stockholm area. The new department stores, planned to open in approximately five years, will be smaller than the classic IKEA superstores. The exact location of the new stores is still unclear, but the goal is to make IKEA accessible to an additional 350,000 Stockholm residents. IKEA plans to hire 500 new employees for their new stores. (Source: IKEA)
1022 According to a recent survey by Sifo (Swedish Institute for Opinion Surveys) on behalf of Viktväktarna (Weight Watchers), where 1022 people aged 16-79 were interviewed, more than three in four Swedes worry about their health. When asked what they believed to be most important for improving one’s own health, most –
both men and women – responded that it is to exercise more.
2 Enjoy your popcorn – guilt-free! Not only does popcorn taste good, but it is also considered healthy. According to Hjärt-Lungfonden (Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation), popcorn contains whole grains, lots of fiber and healthy vitamins. Whole grains can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and also help maintain body weight.
44 Swedish hiking event Linnémarschen takes place on the weekend of April 25 – 26 in Borås. During the 44th edition of Linnémarschen, participants are invited to hike in the beautiful nature reserve Rya Åsar, which was visited by Carl von Linné in 1746. Inexperienced and experienced hikers alike are encouraged to sign up for the classic event which offers courses for everyone, including an accessibility route of 3 km and a 2-day hike of 57 km. For more information, see www.linnemarschen.se.
[Lifestyle] Music Swedish Church Brass Band Takes the World By Storm
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inköping Brass Band – or “Brasset” for short – is affiliated with the Ryttargårdskyrkan in Linköping, Sweden. The Ryttargårdskyrkan belongs to the Swedish Evangelical Freechurch, InterAct. The band has about 30 – 35 members aged between 13 and 73. The band maintains a very high musical standard, and many people think it is one of the better church bands in Sweden. The music they play is inspired by Salvation Army marches, old Swedish folk songs and musicals. The band also includes a male choir under the leadership of music director Sten Bäckman. To celebrate its 30th anniversary, the band undertook a tour of the USA at Eastertime in 1990. The band performed in New York, Chicago,
Linköping Brass Band. Photos: Carolina Byrmo
Waukegan, Rockford, Minneapolis, Duluth, Cambridge, St. Paul, Washington DC and Toronto, Canada. In addition to concerts in different churches they also played at the UN in New York. In Washington DC the band performed on the east step outside The Capitol. In Canada they participated in a television program from coast to coast together with Dr. Paul Smith and his People’s Church in Toronto. In 1996 the band did another big tour, this time to Asia. The band first visited Hong Kong and then Japan – Nishinomiya, Kobe, Sakai, Nagaya
and Tokyo. The band also gave a concert at the Swedish Embassy in Tokyo and at various universities. Moreover, the band has done some shorter concert trips to France, Germany, Estonia and Norway. Fast forward to 2005 when the band did the next big tour to Australia and New Zealand. The band first performed in Sydney, followed by Canberra, Melbourne, Auckland (New Zealand), then back to Brisbane, Gladstone and Cairns. Around Easter in 2020 the band intended to celebrate its 60th anniversary with an extensive trip to the USA and Canada. The band’s plan was to start in Seattle and later go on to Vancouver, San Francisco and Palo Alto, Unfortunately, because of the coronavirus and the attendant US travel ban on European nationals, the concert tour has had to be postponed until this fall or next spring. That said, do keep your eyes and mind open for schedule updates!
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Swedish Press | April 2020 21
[Lifestyle]
Art
A Talented Young Canadian Painter With Strong Swedish Artistic Roots – Emma Elisabet Rach-Syslak By Anne-Marie Syslak
Age 17, receiving the Dustin Peers Memorial Award. © Emma Elisabeth Rach-Syslak
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t the age of 18, Emma Elisabet Rach-Syslak is studying drawing and painting at the Florence Academy of Art in New Jersey, an intensive three-year program to become a master in fine art. She is planning on continuing her studies at the Florence Academy in Göteborg this fall.
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Age 14, copy of Sargent portrait. © Emma Elisabeth Rach-Syslak
Emma’s creative spirit was evident from a young age, always finding new ways of doing things and expressing herself in different genres. Everywhere she went, she carried a sketchbook, drawing people in an attempt to capture their essence and movement. At the age of 12 she had completed an entire fashion portfolio, rendered in watercolour. At 13, she began painting in oil, focusing on portraiture and completed a Master Copy of a Sargent portrait. In 2015, Emma was the feature artist for the Breast Cancer Supportive Care Foundation fundraiser. That fall, she was accepted to the Visual Arts Program at Central Memorial High School in Calgary where she studied for three years. In 2019, Emma completed a 12-part portrait series, was the feature artist for the Central Memorial Gala of the Arts and was awarded the Dustin Peers
Arts Scholarship. She graduated with honours, receiving perfect marks for her Advanced Placement art portfolio. In June of 2019, Emma had her first solo art show. Emma’s love and appreciation for art comes from an upbringing that exposed her to art, nature and travel. As an only child, she was privileged to experience some of the great museums and art centers in Canada and around the world. Her passion for natural beauty stems from a strong connection to nature, spending time outdoors hiking and camping, stopping to observe the sunlight dappling through the trees or the intricate details of an alpine wildflower. Emma’s true artistic talent was easily nurtured, as it is strongly woven in her DNA. Emma Elisabet has always felt connected to her Swedish heritage and kindred with its creative culture.
Age 15, portrait of Aurora Aksnes. © Emma Elisabeth Rach-Syslak
[Lifestyle]
Art She was named after her Swedish great grandmother, Frida Elisabet Båth born 1892 in Horndal, Dalarna. Dalarna was the home region of many famous Swedish artists including Carl Larsson and Anders Zorn. Frida’s mother Anna was one of 8 children from Sara Lena and Petter Persson. Four of the children, Anna, Hedda, Otto and Carl immigrated to Canada. Sophia, Gustav, Anders and Axel remained in Sweden. Anders and Gustav were excellent wood carvers. Sophia’s granddaughter May was a Dala painter in the region. Sophia’s great great granddaughter Astrid became a costume designer. All of the women were superb cooks and bakers. Anna worked at Färna Herrgård, a well-known manor using her kitchen skills to serve aristocrats who lived and visited there. Frida, her daughter was a skilled seamstress and cook. Her daughter Elsa was
Age 17, portrait of Heidi, part of 12-part series. © Emma Elisabeth Rach-Syslak
Age 17, portrait of Cam, part of 12-part series. © Emma Elisabeth Rach-Syslak
also very talented with textiles and fashion. Emma’s great great grandmother Anna married Carl Reinhold Båth whose mother was from the famous mining family known as Gevert. The family Gevert came to Sweden in the 17th century from Belgium. This side of the family also resided in Dalarna. Gevert and Båth produced four children, Magnus, Leonard, Carl and Abraham. Magnus’ son John was a professional etcher, painter and sculptor who was well regarded for his work. Magnus’ daughter Gerda produced four children who were all painters. Her daughter Estrid lived in Mora and was a collector of Anders Zorn. Estrid’s daughter Karin studied art in Paris. It is evident that Emma’s Swedish family tree is full of artistic talent. Although Anna and Carl (Frida’s family) immigrated to Canada
in 1893, the Swedish way of life continued as a fundamental tenet, passed down from Frida to her son Walter, to his daughter Anne-Marie and now to her daughter Emma. From traditions like Lucia and straw ornaments on the Christmas tree, to baking, cooking and language, Emma has been exposed to Sweden. She first visited Sweden when she was a toddler, touring the countryside and visiting relatives with her mother, mormor and morfar. She later went back as a young teenager with her mother to spend time with friends on an island near Stockholm. Emma is inspired by great masters like Anders Zorn, John
Age 17, copy of Bouguereau portrait. © Emma Elisabeth Rach-Syslak
Singer Sargent and William-Adolphe Bouguereau. She looks forward to studying art in Sweden, learning the language, experiencing the culture and further connecting with her ancestral roots. Emma’s dream is to paint portraits of the Swedish Royal grandchildren. Emma’s website: https://emmars11890.wixsite.com/emmaersart
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Swedish Press | April 2020 23
Hemma hos
Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair 2020 – 70 Years of Design
[Design]
By Kristi Robinson
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s the Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair enters a new decade, it also celebrates its 70th year. Simple geometric shapes arranged in eye-catching configurations and bright pop-art colors were just some of the visual delights. Natural woods paying homage to Scandinavian culture and sustainability were also in abundance. Each year a ‘guest of honour’ is invited to design the entrance hall. Internationally renowned London design duo Doshi Levien were given the distinction this year. Recognized
The fair’s Design Bar by Frederic Paulsen. Photo © Jonas Lindström
by their trademark style – a blend of culture, technology, and craftsmanship – Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien designed a church-inspired labyrinth type space. In it they showcase their creative process with drawings and reproductions of models they make in their studio. Like the entrance hall, the task of creating the Design Bar is bestowed on a creative visionary each year.
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Part of the entrance hall labyrinth designed by guests of honor Nipa Doshi & Jonathan Levien. Photo © Jonas Lindström.
Stockholm based Frederic Paulsen, who blurs the lines between art and design and is known for his use of colour, designed one of the most joyfilled spaces at the fair. “Stockholm can be bleak in February, so I want to transport visitors to the place of their dreams. I’ve looked at the promenades of the French Riviera, bars on the Balearic Islands, casinos in Las Vegas and amusement parks such as Coney Island,” Paulsen explains. Unexpected materials and processes were much of the flavor
‘Ettore’ coffee table by Åsa Jungnelius. Photo © Gustav Kaiser
of the fair. Take Jenny Nordberg’s limited edition Powder Vases, made by hand in her workshop by folding and welding sheets of steel and powder-coating them to create a beautifully rough and irregular finish. British designer Lewis Power took the Rising Star award for his Material Properties series of objects made from cast iron, aluminium, and borosilicate glass. Swedish Ninja, a group of six collaborating designers including Jenni Nordberg, designed a party-colored Eye Candy sofa table made from up-cycled cosmetics bottles. Åsa Jungnelius received huge praise for her Ettore coffee table. Depending on the light and viewing angle, the table acts like a kaleidoscope with its shapes changing colors. She scored two awards for her design
‘Posture X’ chair by Jenni Inciarte Villaverde. Photo © Sara Urbanski.
– the Born Classic award given to a new product that has the potential to become a classic design piece in the future; and the Form award handed out by the editors of Form Magazine for the best new product at the fair. Finnish design student Jenni Inciarte Villaverde, whose work was described as “impossible to ignore,” was given the award for Best Performance for 2020 with her Posture X seating.
Hemma hos
Culinary Adventures from Swedish Lapland By Christina Wallin
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grew up on a farm in the 1950s in the small village of Roknäs just outside Piteå. At that time we were totally self-sufficient. Our little village had a doctor, including a nurse called Elna. She came to the school and gave us a check-up – it was included in our health care. We also had a dentist, taxi, bank, hardware store, hairdresser, shoe shops, gas station, fabric crafting store, bakery, and even a movie theatre. Today there is only one grocery store, the hairdresser and the gas station left. My little village and many other things have certainly changed. I graduated as a nurse from the Hospital in Piteå in 1964. After graduation I moved to Lund to assume a position as a nurse at St Lars Hospital. A friend of mine introduced me to a gentleman called Inge. He was in the building industry and had helped many to find a place to live. The outcome of my own encounter with Inge was a lifetime relationship, marriage and two children! 1980 was the year we traveled to Canada and USA on vacation for 4 weeks. This inspired us to start working on possible immigration to Canada. On August 4, 1981, everything we owned was packed into a big container, and off we went with an unknown future ahead of us, including questions, many thoughts, and tears. But we never looked back or regretted our move.
[Treats]
à la Christina Wallin
During my childhood we slaughtered a pig and a calf before Christmas. Everything was taken care of and preserved, except the ham which was salted down and saved for Christmas. I learned a lot by watching my mother do all this, and I am thankful for that.
PitePalt Ingredients: • 1 kg (2.2 lbs) 8 –10 big old potatoes • 4 potatoes to be cooked • 2 tsp salt • 1 litre (4 cups) all-purpose flour • Filling: 1 kg (2.2 lbs) of cured belly of pork
Speaking of food, what is more appropriate than to present the recipes for PitePalt and Salmon with Löjrom from Kalix? Löjrom comes from whitefish roe. It is literally the gold of the sea. Yes, the cost of 500 grams is SEK 995 ($105)!
Preparation: Cut pork into small pieces. Set aside. Peel the 8 – 10 potatoes. Boil just the 4 potatoes, let cool. Grate the uncooked and the cooked potatoes, and mix together. Mix in the flour. Bring to boil a big pot with water and 4 tbs of salt. Wet your hands and form a ball of dough about a size of a tennis ball. Make a hole in the middle and put a teaspoon of the pork in the hole. Roll the ball again to close the hole. Lower the ball slowly into the boiling water. When all the balls are in the water, stir slowly so they don’t get stuck on the bottom. Let simmer for an hour. Serve with lingonberry and butter. If you have leftover PitePalt, cut them up into cubes and fry them up on top of the stove or over open fire when you go camping.
Lax på salt bädd Ingredients: • 1 kg (2.2 lbs) salmon filet • Coarse salt Sauce: • 2 dl (1 cup) sour ream • 2 dl (1 cup) whipping cream • 1 dl (½ cup) mayonnaise
Preparation (Salmon on a bed of salt): Heat oven to 250 deg F. Put foil on the bottom of a baking pan. Fill with coarse salt to 1.5 cm (½ inch). Lay the salmon skin side up on top of the salt. Bake until the thermometer shows 52 degrees. In the meantime make the sauce. When the salmon is done, pick it up gently and scrape off the salt. Sauce: Mix together. Add the roe if you can get hold of it, otherwise you can add chopped fresh dill and shrimp. Serve with pressed potatoes, asparagus, broccoli or any vegetable of your choice. (Pressed potatoes are made by squeezing boiled potatoes through a garlic-style press, but bigger.) For dessert, both dishes go well with cloudberry jam and ice cream. Enjoy!
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Swedish Press | April 2020 25
[
]
Road to 2045
The 2020 Almedalen Week to Break New Records By Jakob Lagercrantz
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ittle did former Prime Minister Olof Palme know that his summer speech in 1968 from a temporary stage – it was actually a truck bed – in the Almedalen Park would develop into the most important and influential power meets in Sweden. Some years as many as 5,000 seminars take place in the course of a week, allowing one day to each political party for a keynote speech. A beautiful summer setting for politics and setting agendas! The inhabitants of Visby, the largest city on the island of Gotland, are used to a huge influx of tourists and, in the case of Almedalsveckan (the Almedalen Week), policymakers. The 52,000 inhabitants on the island receive some 950,000 tourists every summer. During the Almedalen Week there are no hotel rooms to be found, and apartment rents skyrocket. The 2019 Almedalsveckan had 42,000 visitors. Almost 2,000 organizers set up 3,700 seminars, most of
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Road to 2045 them being short. In Almedalen seminars seldom last more than one hour. Ties and formal wear are extremely rare, and CEO’s in short summer pants are not uncommon. About one fifth of all the 2019 seminars dealt with sustainability, making it the most prominent subject discussed. The role of sustainability, and the importance of Almedalen, ensure that this summer week will become one of the most important sustainability events of 2020. At the 2030-secretariat we start planning in early January, setting up seminars, events and informal meeting places. Since the majority of the policymakers are there, it is easy to get the right key actors on stage or around a table to discuss common agendas. But the Almedalsveckan has also been criticized. The costs are ever increasing, and bringing people to the island of Gotland by ferry or plane leads to CO2 emissions. Food catering and getting rid of waste is a challenge. The art of mingling over a glass of rosé wine while talking business is frowned upon in Sweden. Not so in Almedalen, however, and many of the best contacts are developed in informal settings.
On a more serious note, in order to reach the sustainability targets for Sweden and the whole world, we need to network, form alliances and try new approaches. The week at Almedalen is indeed such an opportunity, and the fact that different stakeholders meet in a limited space nurtures the creation of new alliances. The relaxed atmosphere of meeting in a warm (most of the time) week in high summer opens people’s minds to new approaches. This is what we need in order to be able to tackle the climate challenges ahead. This year’s Almedalsveckan takes place June 28 – July 5. The Swedish 2030-secretariat was formed to support the decarbonization of the transport sector in Sweden. The secretariat is independent from political parties and technical solutions. Top row from left to right: Stefan Löfven (S) Photo: Tove Turesson; Ulf Kristersson (M) Photo: Peter Häggbom Norrby; Olof Palme 1982 Photo: Hans Hemlin; Ebba Busch Thor (KD) Photo: Petra Jonsson; Jonas Sjöstedt (V) Photo: Petra Jonsson. Bottom row from left to right: Nyamko Sabuni (L) Photo: Tove Turesson; Per Bolund (MP) Photo: Louise Florin; Jimmie Åkesson (SD) Photo: Petra Jonsson; Annie Lööf (C) Photo: Malin Ericsson. All photos © Region Gotland
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Swedish Press Connects
Svenskar i Världen
Påverkansarbete till nytta för utlandssvenskar Av Cecilia Borglin, generalsekreterare Svenskar i Världen (SVIV)
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vå steg framåt och ett steg tillbaka. Ja, så kan man beskriva strukturen för ett klassiskt påverkansarbete. Framgångsfaktorn stavas uthållighet. Svenskar i Världen har bedrivit påverkansarbete i över 80 år. Vi får alltså vrida klockan tillbaka till andra världskrigets tidiga utbrott för att hitta de första som drämde näven i bordet och krävde en förändring till nytta för alla utlandssvenskar. Idag är Utlandssvenskarnas parlament vårt viktigaste forum då vi samlar utlandssvenskar, experter och representanter från samtliga riksdagspartier för att diskutera lösningar på utmaningar kopplade till svenska regelverk och attityder. Resolutionerna som tas fram ligger till grund för de kommande två årens påverkansarbete. Under åren har vi nått flera framgångar, exempelvis att utlandssvenskarnas rösträtt blev grundlagsfäst, rätt till dubbelt medborgarskap och möjlighet att brevrösta från utlandet. 2019 justerades bedömningen av IB-betyg så att det numera får en rättvis jämförelse med svenska skolbetyg.
Krångel med uppehållstillstånd för medföljande
Under en längre tid utomlands är det inte helt otippat att man träffar sin stora kärlek och bildar familj. När familjen vill flytta till Sverige kompliceras tillvaron eftersom även utlandssvenskar numera har krav på försörjningsplikt, och dessutom måste övriga familjen ansöka om uppehållstillstånd i Sverige. Det var i kölvattnet till flyktingvågen 2015 som reglerna för anhöriginvandring uppdaterades, vilket även slår mot personer födda i Sverige som vill flytta hem med sin familj. Inte sällan behöver därför familjerna dela på sig under en längre tid, och både kostnaderna för boende i två länder och separationen från varandra frestar på. Alla som har sökt jobb inser dessutom svårigheten med att begära tillträde till tjänsten först något år senare. Av den anledningen träffade vi härom veckan Michaela Lööf, politiskt sakkunnig hos justitie- och migrationsministern för en konstruktiv dialog, där våra åsikter noterades och tackades för.
Foto: Bengt Säll
Generalkonsulat på västkusten
I oktober togs den mobila passenheten i USA ur bruk, vilket får till följd att alla svenskar som behöver förnya sitt pass numera måste ta sig till ambassaden i Washington DC, eller alternativt generalkonsulatet i New York. För många blir det dyrt och krångligt med ledighet, och dessutom påverkas klimatet negativt av de tillkommande flygresorna. I ett brev till utrikesminister Ann Linde påtalade vi problemet utifrån utlandssvenskarnas perspektiv. Lösningen vi föreslog, utöver att laga den befintliga passenheten, var ett generalkonsulat på västkusten. Ett permanent generalkonsulat skulle dessutom starkt bidra till främjandet av svenska intressen i området. I sitt svar återkopplade utrikesministern att UD jobbar vidare med frågan. I väntan på en långsiktig lösning hjälper ambassaden och generalkonsulatet till genom att erbjuda extra öppettider. Vi fortsätter dialogen med UD med målet att hitta en bra och långsiktig lösning. I skrivande stund arbetar vi med inte mindre än 29 sakfrågor. Samtliga presenteras på www.sviv.se, och i våra sociala medier kan man följa hur arbetet fortskrider. För en sak är säker, Svenskar i Världen fortsätter att dunka näven i bordet å alla utlandssvenskars räkning! Summary in English: For 80 years, SVIV has been active promoting the interests of Swedish expats through negotiations with the Swedish government. Past victories include the rights for Swedes abroad to participate in parliamentary elections and to maintain dual citizenships. SVIV is now busy attempting to resolve a multitude of problems facing Swedish expats. The issues include how to streamline the procedure for foreign family members to obtain residence permits in Sweden, and to restore the recently withdrawn facility for Swedes in America to renew their passports at consulates on the West Coast.
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Calendar & Events
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A guide to fun and interesting Swedish events outside Sweden
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BETHANY Bethany College 31 E Campus Dr. Bethany, WY 26032 Tel: 304-829 7000 | www.bethanywv.edu Apr 6 – Mon 7 pm: Bethany College hosts 2020 Pearson Professor Dag Blanck – a lecture on the "Americanization of Sweden" in the Mabee Welcome Center. This is free and open to the public. CHICAGO Swedish American Museum 5211 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60640 Tel: 773-728 8111 | info@samac.org www.swedishamericanmuseum.org Ongoing exhibits – Double-Weave in Sweden, new materials and applications (ends Jun 7); “To Play Is to Live,” the Life of Astrid Lindgren (ends May 24) Apr 14 – Tue 6 to 8 pm: Volunteer Appreciation program and award presentations Apr 24-25 – Fri-Sat 10 am to 4 pm: Tantalizing Treasures sale Apr 24 – Fri 7 pm: Scandinavian comedy piano music with Magnus Martensson Apr 25 – Sat 10 am to 2 pm: Varmarknad Spring Scandinavjan market and café DETROIT Swedish Club of Southeast Michigan 22398 Ruth St, Farmington Hills, MI 48336 Info: 734-459 0596 www.swedishclub.net Apr 5 – Sun 1 to 2:30 pm: Spring Buffet hosted by the Jenny Lind Club MINNEAPOLIS American Swedish Institute 2600 Park Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55407 Tel: 612-871 4907 | www.asimn.org Ongoing exhibit – Extra/ordinary – Discover never-before-displayed artifacts from the American Swedish Institute's collection and the untold stories that make them truly extraordinary in this playful new exhibition at ASI (ends July 5). PHILADEPHIA American Swedish Historical Museum 1900 Pattison Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19145 | Tel: 215-389 1776 | info@americanswedish.org | www.americanswedish.org Ongoing exhibit: New Nordic Cuisine will be on display through August 2020. This 8
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exhibition focuses on a value-driven food system that has captured the attention of world-famous chefs and home cooks alike over the past 15 years. Apr 5 – Sun 2 to 4 pm: Easter Family Fun Day Apr 11 – Sat 2 to 4 pm: Healthy & Nutritious Swedish Food – A Talk and Food Demo with Amy Von Sydow Green PORTLAND Nordic Northwest Nordia House, 8800 SW Oleson Rd., Portland, OR 97223 | Tel: 503-977 0275 www.nordicnorthwest.org Ongoing through May 2020 – Exhibition, “Mind The Earth,” uses satellite imagery to share new vantage points about the global climate crisis. SEATTLE Swedish Cultural Center 1920 Dexter Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109 Tel: 206-283 1090 | www.swedishclubnw.org info@swedishculturalcenter.org Apr 22 – Wed 4:30 pm: Kvinnor Kan! (Women Can!) Dinner. Every year the Swedish Club honors a woman in the community. This year, it’s former Nordic Heritage Museum Director Marianne Forssblad. Chef Christine will make a special dinner of cabbage rolls prepared with reindeer meat. Apr 30 – Thurs: Valborg Celebration at Vasa Park, Issaquah. Nordic Museum 2655 NW Market Street, Seattle, WA 98107 Tel: 206-789 5707 | nordic@nordicmuseum.org www.nordicmuseum.org Apr 16 – Thurs 7 to 9 pm: Folk Costume Fashion Show. Join us for an evening of fashion, music, and fun as we explore the world of traditional Nordic folk costumes. WASHINGTON, DC Embassy of Sweden 2900 K Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20007 Tel: 202-467 2600 | www.swedenabroad.com ambassaden.washington@gov.se Exhibitions on display until Jun 28 – Open Saturdays & Sundays 12 to 5 pm, free admission at House of Sweden Papier by Bea Szenfeld and Stina Wirsén – Papier displays Bea Szenfeld's 18
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handmade paper garments with Stina Wirsén's expressive fashion drawings as a colorful backdrop. Sustain Able Voices – Young Swedish Design – Ever since 1998, the jury for the Young Swedish Design award have been rewarding innovative transdisciplinary design. Sustain Able Voices consist of works from Young Swedish Design from 2004-2020. Smart Mobility - Taking us into the Future – a display of mobility in a Swedish context with a global impact. TORONTO Svenska kyrkan i Toronto 25 Old York Mills Road, Toronto ON M2P 1B5 Tel: 416-486 0466 | toronto@svenskakyrkan.se www.svenskakyrkan.se/toronto Apr 12 – Sun 4 pm: Påskdagen gudstjänst med Pastor Anders Fehn. Högmässa med procession. Efter gudstjänsten severas Påskbuffé i församlingssalen. VANCOUVER Scandinavian Community Centre 6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, BC V5B 4P9 Tel: 604-294 2777 | info@scancentre.org www.scancentre.org Apr 18 & 19 – Sat & Sun 11 am: Nordic Spirit 2020: Immigrant Women – Photos and Stories of Struggle and Achievement. WINNIPEG Swedish Cultural Assn of Manitoba 764 Erin Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3G 2W4 | Tel: 204-774 8047 | Reservations at: svenskclub17@gmail.com Apr 3 – Fri 11:30 am to 1 pm: Svensk Lunch – Enjoy traditional open-faced sandwiches, homemade soup, dessert and coffee with fellow members and friends. Apr 16 – Thurs 7 to 8 pm; Annual General Meeting – All members are welcome to attend. Special guest will be Diana King, Honorary Consul of Sweden. Apr 19 – Sun 10:30 am to 1 pm: Spring Artisan Brunch – Enjoy a delicious meal prepared by Chef Michael, then browse through the showcase of artistic creations, products and delicious confections on sale at the Artisan table. Wear your Spring bonnet or hat for more fun! Reserve tickets through sccreservations@shaw.ca 28
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[Ads] and Info Swedish Press Classified BC Organizations Scandinavian Business Club Monthly meetings feature business speakers. Guests and new members welcome. Call SBC: 604-484-8238. Visit us at www.sbc-bc.ca Scandinavian Community Centre Scandinavian Community Centre Beautiful setting for weddings, parties, birthdays, meetings and seminars. 6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, BC info@scancentre.org Tel: 604-294-2777 www. scancentre.org Svenska Kulturföreningen Ordförande Ellen Petersson 604-970 8708. Kassör är Linda Olofsson, 604-418 7703 www.swedishculturalsociety.ca. Email: swedishculturalsociety.ca @gmail.com Swedish Canadian Village Beautiful Assisted Living Residence & Senior Subsidized Apartment Buildings Located in Burnaby, BC. Tel: 604-420 1124 Fax# 604-420 1175 www.swedishcanadian.ca
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Swedish Heritage in BC 1812 Duthie Ave. Burnaby BC. Laila Axen Tel: 604-526 7464. Visit us at www. swedishheritageinbc.org. E-mail: swedishheritagebc@gmail.com Sweden House Society President: Rebecca Keckman Vice President: Dorothy Carlson Treasurer: Carole Walkinshaw, Email: swedenhousechair@gmail.com Swedish Club of Victoria Dinners, Events and Meetings, for information contact Annabelle Beresford @ 250-656 9586 or Swedish Club of Victoria Facebook. Washington Organizations Nordic Museum has moved to a beautiful, brand-new building! In Seattle, 2655 N.W. Market St., Ballard; 206-789 5707. Swedish Club 1920 Dexter Ave. N, Seattle, WA 98109; Tel: 206-283 1090. Open Wednesday evenings for supper and games, Friday for lunch and
dinner. Pancake breakfasts on first Sundays of the month. Rental venue for meeting, parties, etc. www.swedishclubnw.org Classified
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Swedish Press | April 2020 29
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Sista ordet
‘It's another party!’ The Swedish Canadian Rest Home Association Celebrates 75 Years By Dorothy Carlson
W
e are having a celebration on May 3, 2020 to celebrate the 75 years that the Swedish Canadian Rest Home Association has been active in the lower mainland of BC. We want to commemorate the founders of the society and recognize individuals who have contributed to the success of the society as a care provider to seniors for so long. However, the event may be postponed due to the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) activity levels. Please visit our website for details prior to May 3rd. The early beginnings of this society and its progress have been documented in the Swedish Press through the years, and in the August 1949 issue an article described the first meeting held by Thora Johnson in her home in 1945. Her vision for a clean and safe care home for the old Swedish loggers, when they could no longer work, convinced the seven attendees to contribute. She had described the abysmal living conditions of the loggers and of others who had no family to support them in
Swedish Canadian Rest Home, ca 1949
their failing years. After the two World Wars, people had very little, and the social welfare system was not developed to help. While the timing for building the Rest Home was initially opposed – because a church was also needed – Mrs. Johnson was certain both projects could be built. Fundraising events and the monthly donation list published in the Swedish Press prompted enough donations to purchase a forested lot in North Vancouver. Volunteers cleared the property and did much of the building work, so that in 1947 the cornerstone for the building was laid. In 1949 the Rest Home was completed. The Swedish Park, on the same property, held Midsummer and other events that tenants could attend and enjoy as part of the community. The level of care provided at the home was acknowledged by the health authorities as the standard for other facilities to attain.
Society Patrons at 5th Anniversary of rest home opening (1954).
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Swedish Press | April 2020 30
In 1955 the property was expropriated by the Province to build the second narrows bridge for Highway 1. The building committee found and recommended purchase of the property at the present location in North Burnaby. A new well-appointed 68-bed care home was built with government assistance in 1957, and in 1967 an extension increased occupancy to 114. In 1966 the Swedish Canadian Manor was completed with 56 selfcontained apartments to provide low income seniors housing. The society then constructed the Gustav Vasa Place building with 80 apartments, also to serve as housing for seniors. The Valhalla condominium development opened on the property in 1991. The aging Rest Home had outlived its functionality and was demolished so that the current facility could be built at the same location. The Swedish Assisted Living Residence with 64
The Swedish Assisted Living Residence (today).
one-bedroom apartments, dining room and other activity rooms opened officially in February 2012. Our 75th Anniversary celebration will be at the Swedish Assisted Living Residence. We will also be showing guests to the new Heritage Room archives in the Swedish Canadian Manor building. If you wish to attend, please contact the rest home for details! For more information about the facilities please visit our website at swedishcanadian.ca.
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