Highlights of Sweden

Content

Alfred Nobel
Dalhalla
Gothenburg
Lakes and rivers
Stockholm
Power Big Meet
Car Manufactures
Sport Events
World Heritage Sites
Way up north
South of Sweden

Alfred Nobel

Alfred Nobel was a Swedish inventor. Born in December 1833. The most famous invent was to blend dynamite of a very explosive component with another component so it could be used without danger. By time he become extremely rich, he donated his means to a found. This now result in the annual Nobel Prize.

Link to:Alfred Nobel e-museum

Dalhalla

Many millions years ago a 4 km big meteor fell from space. The result we can see today as the lake Siljan and its beautiful surroundings. Dalhalla is one of three places in the world where you clearly can see how the impact has influenced the nature. The Festival stage Dalhalla has been built in Draggängarna, a former limestone quarry. The mining created a natural amphitheater - 400 m long, 175 m wide and 60 m deep. In summer 1991 Dalhalla was waken from its slumber.

Margareta Dellefors, a former opera singer, who had been looking for a place for summer festivals, "found" it. The vision was born. With Dalhalla, Sweden has got a unique festivity stage of international luminosity and exceptional acoustical qualities. Dalhalla is fully comparable to the best outdoor stages in Europe.

Link to:Dalhalla outdoor concert hall.

Gothenburg

Harbor town on the Swedish west cost. Founded of King Gustav II Adolf in year 1621. 100 year later, an important harbor for trading with Far East. Last century important shipyard town, today main area for Volvo, SKF, ESAB, Hasselblad and other large manufacturing companies. Gothenburg is the only town in Sweden that got a international name "Gothenburg" because of all trading with international harbors. Gothenburg got a university and a beautiful amusement park called Liseberg.

Link to:Gothenburg

Link to:Gothenburg University

Link to:Universeum

Link to:Gothenburg the reconstruction of an old sailing ship.

Link to:Liseberg

Lakes and rivers

Sweden got thousands of lakes and many rivers. Before railroads was established the community tried to use canals for transportation. Still today they offer nice quiet transportation with steamships or other vessels. One of them Götakanal makes it possible to travel from east to west across Swedish land. Another way of using rivers is for fishing, several rivers got nice salmon fishing.

Link to:Götakanal

Link to:Rafting on Klarälven
Link to:örekilsälven

Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. The population is around 1.000.000 people. Stockholm is situated on many islands and surrounded by water. The water is so clean it´s possible to fish and bath in it. In the very center you find the old town with houses from medieval time and the royal castle from around 1750, it took many decades to build this castle.

Stockholm is also famous for the Vasa Museum, the war ship that sunk even before her maiden voyage. Skansen the outdoor museum that offers ancient buildings from all of Sweden to bee seen in one place.

Link to:Royal Court

Link to:Royal Festivals

Link to:Stockholm

Link to:Skansen

Link to:Cosmonova

Link to:NK large department store.

Link to:Stockholm International Film Festival

Link to:Vasa

Power Big Meet

Surprisingly the largest american car show you find in Sweden. The name of the town is Västerås situated west of Stockholm. More cars, more people, more swap meet vendors than you can believe. A friendly carnival atmosphere makes Power Big Meet the ideal vacation spot! 10.000 cars. Street Rods, Customs, 50's cruisers, 60's muscle cars, Corvettes, Mustangs, Camaros – you name it and it, and they all will be at Power Big Meet. Last year we had visitors from 19 countries including the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan and Europe.

Link to:Power Big Meet

Link to:Swedish Street Rod Association

Car manufactures

Volvo and Saab are two well known brands. Volvo started in 1927 at a small factory in Gothenburg. Today Volvo car division are one of the brands in the Ford family. Volvo also produce trucks, diggers, dumpers, buses and airplane motors.

SAAB first started as an airplane manufacturer and in 1949 come the first car model for the market. Today SAAB is own by General Motors, that has been a platform for increased market over the world. In fact SAAB was so small manufacturer, it took to much of economic effort to develop new models, before joining the GM family.

The only 100% Swedish car is a sport car manufacturer called Koeningsegg. The build cars with hi-tech technologies and with extreme performance. 0-60 mph acceleration in 3,1 seconds top speed 245 mph or 390 km/h.

Link to:Volvo

Link to:Volvo P1800 club

Link to:Volvo PV Club

Link to:SAAB

Link to:Koeningsegg

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Sport events

There are some differences in interests of sport, from other countries view, comparing with Sweden. It changes also over time. When Ingemar Stenmark was no.1 in world ranking in the 70's , he made young people enthusiastic to ski in downhill. Likewise when Björn Borg won Wimbelton he inspired young people to start playing tennis.

Football (soccer) ice hockey, bandy, indoor hockey, golf, horseback riding, orienteering are sports that a lot of people in Sweden enjoy, not only to watch but also to practice.

When one of the very first Swedish king, Gustav Vasa tried to flee from his enemies to Norway, in year 1521. This event gave inspiration to the longest ski race in the world, 90 km. From 1922 has this been a annual tradition for the Swedish people, some 17.000 people participate.

Link to:AIK soccer team

Link to:Degerfors Football Museum

link to:Göteborgsvarvet The Göteborg Half Marathon

Link to:Lidingöloppet

Link to:Vasaloppet

Link to:Skistar Resorts with ski lift systems

Link to: Swedish Classic Circuit

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World Heritage Sites

Sweden now has 13 different world heritage sites. You find them from south to north in Sweden. They representative different types of culture, industry and nature environments. Here shortly presented from north to south.

Laponia Area

Laponia is the cultural landscape of the Saami people and one of the last great wilderness of Western Europe. Situated way up north in Sweden.

Luleå Gammelstadens Church Town

An exceptional example of a traditional church town in Northern Scandinavia, situated in a unique environment with buildings from the 14th Century. Many of the houses still in use. Also situated in the north of Sweden.

High Coast Area

One of the highest uplifts of land in the world, which has left a dramatic imprint on both nature and human activity.

Falu Great Copper Mountain

This unique cultural landscape reflects centuries of copper mining. This mining also explains why so many old and new houses in Sweden also has red paint. Situated in Dalarna not very far from Stockholm (224 km).

Engelsberg Ironworks

A world-leading ironworks during the 18th century, and to this day buildings and technological equipment remain intact. Also situated in Dalarna.

Birka and Hovgården

One of the best-preserved Viking Age trading sites from the years 700-900, with unusually many valuable artifacts and remains. Not very far from Stockholm in lake Mälaren.

The Royal Domain of Drottningholm

Eighteenth-century Royal residence that was built in a style representative of the period, drawing inspiration from the Versailles of France. Still today a living castle, close to the center of Stockholm.

Skogskyrkogården (Forest Cemetery)

The cemetery reflects an harmonious interplay between the designed landscape and the architecture, which became trend setting for modern architecture. Also close to the center of Stockholm.

Rock Carvings in Tanum

The area is named Vitlycke and 45 km² Extraordinary example of great Bronze Age-art, in surroundings that have been settled since stone age. Situated on the Swedish west cost.

Visby

Typical North European hanseatic town with valuable settlements from the Middle Ages and a well-preserved street system. Visby on the island of öland, situated on the Swedish east coast.

Agriculture Area "Allvaret" on the Island of Öland

Millennia of human exploitation and environmental conditions are mirrored in the cultural landscape.

Naval Port of Karlskrona

The best-preserved European naval town from the 18th century, and it is still used for marine activities today. Situated in the very south of Sweden.

Grimeton

The last one is an very old radio telegraph station using long wave. The radio wave transmitter is mechanical and the very last in its sort in the entire world. It was build in year 1922-24, situated on the Swedish west coast close to Varberg.

Link to:Swedish World Heritage from north to south.

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Way up north

Sweden is narrow, but very long country, 499 km across and 1572 km long. You cross Sweden in 6 - 7 hours drive, but going from south to north takes days. The culture, the shape of landscape, the people, the climate is very different from south to north.

The area in north is called Lappland, and here you find reindeer, the origin people saami, midnight sun in the summer, and ski plants in the wintertime. The wildlife of animals is different too, here you find bear, wolf, lynx and wolverine. Here you find four untouched river (without power plants) but good for fishing and canoeing.

Link to:Inlandsbanan railroad with museum traffic.

Link to:The big four

Link to:Lappland

Link to:Norrbotten

Link to:Nutti

Link to:The Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi

Link to:Souma Camping Salmon fishing

Link to:Svanrek Adventures hunting and fishing

Link to:Wildmeal

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South of Sweden

South of Sweden is mainly good farming land, the exception is the south Swedish highland. Here you find forest quiet small towns and the kingdom of crystal. A large area from the inland behind Kalmar town on the Swedish east cost is named Kingdom of Crystal. Why it´s so is because in ancient time this was a surplus of workers an a lot of forests that was used as fuel to the ovens of melted glass mass. Later on crystal become a specialty of this area and crystal was exported all around the world from here.

Link to:The Kingdom of Crystal

Link to:Malmö the third largest town in Sweden.

Link to:Malmö site 2

Link to:Öresundsbron the bridge between Malmö and Köpenhamn.