Sweden is divided into 290 municipalities. The largest municipality is Kiruna at 19.447 km², while the smallest is Sundbyberg with only 9 km². The municipality with the largest population is Stockholm with 750.348 people, while the smallest is Bjurholm with 2.639.

Two thirds of the population live in urban areas with more than 10.000 inhabitants.

“Norrbotten” county has the highest density of lakes in Sweden with 30.730 lakes larger than one hectare. “Arjeplog” is the municipality with the largest number of lakes at 8.727.

The Right to Public Access is unique to Sweden. In no other country do people have as much freedom to roam freely. However, it is your duty to use your common sense and respect a few common rules so that generations of tomorrow will also be able to enjoy the same freedom.

In short, do not disturb the countryside. Don’t harm the animal or plant life. Don’t disturb animals or people, or destroy other people’s property. Basically, show consideration!

Foreigners visiting Sweden do have to take into account the special military protected zones where public access is not allowed.

Stockholm is one of the nordic countries most beautiful cities. Situated on a number of islands in between Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea it shines with its spectacular Swedish architecture. Especially the Old Town with the magnificent Royal Castle is a cultural and historical treasure.

Stockholm’s culture life is especially flourishing. Swedish theatre tradition reaches its pinnacle at Dramaten’s stage, and there are always art galleries and other exhibits available. Many of the major museums are now completely free of charge to visit. Other popular sites in the capital is the “Skansen Zoo” and the theme park “Gröna Lund”  both situated on the beautiful island of Djurgården.

But Stockholm is of course not the only city in Sweden. Cities like Uppsala, Lund, and Umeå are characterized by its large universities and student life, while Göteborg, with Sweden’s largest port, has a strong international profile.

The Swedish food culture is very diverse. In the far north, raindeer are in abundance, and an important ingredience. A little bit south, the moose is a popular alternative. The northerner always puts at least one week aside to participate in the annual moose hunt. If you don’t have your own hunting grounds there is always the possibilty to join a hunting club. A successful hunting season could mean a full years supply of meat in the freezer.

One long lasting summer tradition is the crayfish party. Like its name implies, the guests of honour at this party are the crayfish, which are devoured by the dozens. This tradition began in the late 19th century, when heavy exportation threatened Sweden's crayfish populations. A ban on harvesting was instituted that lasted until August - when the locals celebrated its end by throwing big crayfish feasts. Later, a disease annihilated virtually all of Sweden's rare crayfish, and today Sweden is the largest crayfish importer in the world (although the Swedish crayfish is still the most sought after because of its taste). The crayfish party is usually decorated with colourful hats and lanterns, and wouldn’t be complete without the pure Swedish “snaps”.

The Swedes love to eat fish, which can be prepared in many different ways. “Surströmming”, or fermented herring, is a Swedish speciality that is either loved or hated. The fermentation process causes the fish to produce a foul smell and a very special taste.

The traditional food on the annual midsummer holiday is herring and fresh potatoes, usually finished off with fresh strawberries and ice cream for dessert.

Wine, beer, and spirits are comparatively expensive in Sweden. Light beer and ordinary pilsner can be purchased in any standard convenience store, but anything stronger has to be bought at “Systembolaget”, which is a state-run store for alcoholic beverages. 

The tradition of the popular “Polkagris” started in 1859 when the widow Amalia Eriksson received the town council's permission to support herself and her daughter by making pastries and the so called polkagris, or peppermint rock (candy cane). The name polkagris is said to originate from the polka dance that was popular around 1840. It soon became the number one symbol of Gränna and one of Sweden's most popular souvenirs.
Aunt Amalia was for a long time the sole manufacturer, but to meet the increasing demand more peppermint rock makers opened shop in Gränna. For the classic red and white peppermint rock, sugar, water and vinegar are mixed and boiled. The paste is then put on a baking table. A minor part is put aside and coloured red. The rest is flavoured with peppermint oil and then the kneading and pulling begins. After the kneading is done the dough is formed into a loaf and the red paste is put on top in a stripe. Then it's just to pull and wring until the peppermint rock get the right size and twist. There's nothing as tasty as a freshly baked polkagris!
Today there are rocks of many colours and flavours. But remember: a genuine Gränna polkagris is always striped red and white!

The Nobel Prizes have been awarded since 1901, when instituted by the will of Alfred Nobel, and are anually awarded to people (and also to organizations in the case of the Nobel Peace Prize) who have done outstanding research, invented groundbreaking techniques or equipment, or made outstanding contributions to society. The Nobel Prizes are widely regarded as the supreme commendation in the world today.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is decided by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is decided by Karolinska Institutet.
The Nobel Prize for Literature is decided by the Swedish Academy.
The Nobel Peace Prize is decided by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and appointed by the Norwegian Parliament, Stortinget.

The prize for economics was not mentioned in Alfred Nobel’s will, thus it is formally not a true Nobel Prize. It is actually called the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. It was added in 1969 and is decided by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and appointed by the Bank of Sweden.

Midsummer

Midsummer is for most Swedes the highlight of the summer with its traditional dance around the may-pole, given its name from “maja” (to leaf), and the delicious smörgosbord to follow. The true midsummer occurs on the summer solstice on June 21^st, but the holiday is celebrated on the third friday in June.

The midsummer night is a night filled with ancient magic and power. The dew falling that night, the fresh spring water, nature’s flowers, and the leafs on the trees are according to folklore filled with secret powers and magic. The dew for instance is said to be able to cure disease. Mixing the dew in your dough is a sure way to succeed in your baking that night.

The peonies, which should be in full bloom at this time of year, should be avoided as the folklore said there was cancer in the plant. It was important not to smell the flower, unless it was covered with cones of paper.

The tradition of decorating just about everything with flowers around midsummer is as ancient as it is common. Young birches are used for decorating the front porch while bouquets of flowers are used inside the house.

A pleasant custom still applied by girls today is to pick a certain number of flowers and put under your pillow on the night of midsumer’s eve. If your flowers are of the right kind and number, the legend says that you will dream of your future husband.

The background of our Swedish celebration of Lucia on December 13^th is a rich mixture of legends, superstition, folklore…and marketing.

The tradition of the Lucia-celebration spread through Sweden as far back as the nineteenth century in the counties surrounding Lake Vänern. It spread through boarding schools and rural maids to other parts of the country. Our current Lucia tradition started when the newspaper “Stockholms Dagblad” initiated a vote for a Swedish Lucia in 1927. The idea came from one of the paper’s consultants who had been introduced to the tradition by his maid’s daughter.

Our Lucia celebration is unique to Sweden. Out of our nordic neighbours, only Finland has anything similar. Opposite to popular belief, we exported the customs to Syracuse, Italy, and not the other way around.

St. Lucia was a christian maiden who died a martyr’s death in Syracuse, Sicily in the year 304. According to the legend, a heathen youngster fell in love with Lucia. When he lost out on the dowry, which Lucia gave to the poor, he turned her in and she died for her faith.

Why this tragic story is celebrated with lights and candles in Sweden has to do with the calendar used in those days. December 13^th was considered the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice. According to folklore, the light scared off the evil powers living in the dark night. When the calender was adjusted, the celebration of lights still stayed put on December 13^th.

The tradition of a white dressed Lucia bride probably originated from Germany, where young girls with candles in their hair often represented the baby Jesus.

While our forefathers were frightened of Lucia celebrations in the middle of the night, the tradition is today maybe the most beloved in Sweden, celebrated in schools and workplaces all over the country.

To Swedes, Lucia means warmth and a spark of light in the middle of the dark winter, but there are still many unknowing foreigners who wake up startled in the middle of the night at the sight of white dressed people singing with candles in their hair.
 

Back when people lived and died in the same village, traditions changed at a very slow pace. Today, Christmas is a big mixture of religion, heathen traditions…and commercial frenzy. Without a doubt, Christmas is the biggest holiday in Sweden. It is also surrounded by more other traditions than any other holiday.

In Sweden it’s Christmas Eve on which most of the celebration takes place, which is different from most other Christian nations. In the Anglo-Saxon countries Santa Clause is said to arrive on the night before Christmas Day, which is also the day on which the Christmas gifts are handed out.

The person on whom Santa Clause is based, St. Nicholaus, was a Turkish bishop in the 4^th century. He was after his death declared the protective saint of children. “St. Nick” became known in Sweden in the mid- nineteenth century through the import of Christmas decorations and was given his name based on the folklore’s “tomte”.

The Swedish image of Santa Clause is based on the work of artist Jenny Nyström, and carries traits from the folklore character, as well as the saint.

Christmas celebration of the past was surrounded by symbolism, folklore, and religion. At Christmas time, all work was put on hold, food was hoarded, and people allowed themselves luxuries that were not possible on other times of the year. Everything was clean and tidy, the nice clothes were on, everybody ate good food, and the animals were given an extra ration. Christmas spirit was important; it is even said that bird traps were disabled during the holidays.

On Christmas Day morning everybody went to church, even if that meant travelling very long distances, as religion was very important. Moonshine liquor was a common occurrence on this day, possibly to retain some warmth in the ice-cold churches. After church, Christmas Day, was a calm day of rest.

Boxing Day, on the other hand, was a day of pranks and feast. “Staffansryttarna” (The Staffan Riders), which consisted of the young farm workers, rode around the villages begging for food and drinks. Boxing Day nights were usually playful and joyous, almost as a reaction to the calm and quiet of the past few days.
 

Anders Pers, from Mora, is the father of Vasaloppet (the Vasa Race). Out of his thoughts and ideas came the proposal which saw the birth of the world's longest and biggest cross country ski race. He wrote about the contemporary interest in skiing and linked it to Gustav Eriksson Vasa's flight on skis from Mora towards Norway in 1521.

Vasaloppet's historical background reaches back to the 16th century - more precisely to 1520, when Gustav Eriksson Vasa came to Dalarna (Dalecarlia) seeking help to overthrow the Danish throne for, at that time, Sweden was in a union with Denmark. Discontent with the Danish regime was great, especially from Gustav, whose opposition to Kristian II had resulted in him being taken hostage and imprisoned in Denmark. But the 24-year old freedom fighter and nobleman from Uppsala managed to escape

Gustav urged farmers and villagers to revolt against the Danish authorities, but to no avail. He then set his hopes on Dalarna, where the people were known to be tough and resolute, seldom giving way to decisions of authorities and kings. Gustav was hunted throughout Dalarna by the pursuing Danes, but the people sheltered and protected him from King Kristian's soldiers.
After a month of fleeing through Dalarna, Gustav stood outside the church in Mora and addressed the assembled crowd. Only weeks before, his father and his brother together with some 80 other Swedish noblemen had been beheaded in what came to be known as "Stockholm's bloodbath". Gustav asked how long the people could accept such atrocities and urged them to take up arms. But their reaction was not what the future king expected. They wanted time to confer with the neighbouring villages before deciding on war. The Danes were in close pursuit and, before he could get the answer he wanted, Gustav was forced to take to his skis and continue his flight northwest towards Norway.
A few days later news of King Kristian's brutal ravages throughout Sweden reached Mora, the people regretting then that they had not immediately supported Gustav. Mora's two best skiers, Lars and Engelbrekt, sent in hot pursuit of the fugitive, caught up with him in Sälen ? and this was history's first Vasa Race!

Gustav was persuaded to return with them to Mora to lead the fight against the Danes. 

Carl Emmanuel Berg from Göta in Karlstad was the first to register for Vasaloppet. After his registration on March 10th, there followed a further 135 registrations by telephone and telegram.
119 skiers came to the start, among them some of the foremost in Sweden. At precisely 6.04 am, the race steward, Johan Westling, flagged the skiers off from Olnispagården on the west side of the river in Sälen.
7 hours 32 minutes and 49 seconds later the victor reached the goal in Mora after 90kms skiing in sleet and snow.
Ernst Alm, from Norsjö IF, won, five minutes before Oskar Lindberg, from the same club.

The magic and mystery associated with horses have inspired people to paint, carve and sculpt them throughout the ages. In prehistoric cave paintings and petroglyphs, for example, horses are a common motif.
In 1624 the Bishop of Västerås preached a fiery sermon against the sinful wooden horses he had seen offered for sale in the city’s markets. According to the bishop, the horses were possessed with magical powers and must be considered a source of sin. In the 1660s, many women stood accused of having used the wooden horses for the rituals of witchcraft and from the records of a trial held in Mora, Dalecarlia, we learn that the local children had been presented with magical wooden horses from Blåkulla, where witches would convene at Easter to perform their black magic and consort with the Devil.

The origins of today’s Dalecarlian horses may perhaps be sought in the rural poverty life at the turn of the century. Take, for example, the Olssons, a Nusnäs family with the two sons Nils and Janne. The family was poor, and to help make ends meet the children were obliged to carve horses at the end of each school day. In 1928, when they were just 13 and 15, the brothers started a small factory and set the traditional craft of horse carving on an industrial footing. To purchase a band saw of their own they even took out a loan of 400 kronor. Their mother, on hearing the news, is said to have burst into tears, anxiously inquiring how they intended to repay such a colossal sum of money.
The brothers mixed the colours themselves, making brushes from the fur of squirrels’ tails. Today, Dalecarlian horses are spread all over the world, and many of them come from the company founded by the Olsson brothers in Nusnäs.

It was not until the New York World Fair in 1939 that the horses from Dalecarlia became world famous. The designer of the Swedish exhibition building was struck with an idea that they should place a gigantic Dalecarlian horse at the entrance to the pavilion? It would certainly be eye-catching. It was! The horse was a huge success and was much photographed and written about in the international press. The next year, some 20,000 Dalecarlian horses, an impressive number at the time, were manufactured for export to New York.
Our horse has become a symbol of Sweden. And the children and grandchildren of Nils and Janne Olsson are today carrying on the venerable tradition of woodcarving started many years ago in the deep forests of Dalecarlia.