Published by Swedish News. Volume 145 No. 5, April 15, 2017. Price per copy $3.50.
the push for the pole:
Scott vs. Amundsen Last summer I visited the Fram Museum in Oslo, a truly inspiring experience. Here, on display – illuminated by a Northern Light show – was the Fram, most famous of all Polar ships. And through a tunnel you reached the Gjøa building, featuring yet another ship, the first to navigate the whole of the Northwest Passage. From various exhibits, I learned about a number of Norwegian explorers, notably Fridjof Nansen, Otto Svedrup, and Roald Amundsen, and of their various expeditions. The more I got involved, the more fascinated I became, particularly with Amundsen and the Fram – enough to do a little research and write about it myself. continues on p 12
Walpurgis Night
Bonfires are lit all over northern Europe and Scandinavia on April 30, the night of Walpurgis, known as “Valborgsmässoafton” in Sweden. Some might also know it as the night Swedes everywhere sing their hearts out in celebration of the long awaited spring. Everyone makes their voices heard at this popular family event, they all know the spring songs by heart: Vintern rasat ut, Sköna Maj välkommen, Vårvindar friska, Det är våren, and many more. People bring their branches to add to the fire, the more branches the taller the bonfire. And of course they must eat hot dogs (varm korv); hot chocolate is often available, depending on the weather, and for the grown ups there’s plenty of alcohol. Fortunately, the next day, May 1 (Första May), is also a holiday when most people don’t have to work. In Swedish American celebrations, there may not be quite as much singing, but choral groups often perform concerts for the occasion. And so long as spring is celebrated and traditional songs are sung around the bonfire, and there are hotdogs, drinks and maybe some princesstårta and vaniljbullar…. story on p5 The Viking ship Draken will sail the Atlantic coast in the spring of 2017 / p 5
Sustainable Swedish Architecture, from Bollnäs to Kiruna—exhibition opens in Chicago / p7
California based Silicon Vikings offer a Tech Forecast 360 for the U.S. and Nordic in California / p16
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Study in Sweden
There’s much to be said about an educational experience in the university towns of Lund or Uppsala, Sweden but when it comes to available programs, one destination stands apart from the others: Stockholm — the modern, vibrant capital city of Sweden. Stockholm University, on the north side of the city, is a large research university with an impressive number of students and a range of academic programs that consistently ranks it among the top 100 universities in the world and the 50 best in Europe. With more than 75 Master’s programs taught in English within science, social sciences, humanities and law, Stockholm University is Sweden’s largest university. Its campus is located only a few stops away from the city center, in a national city park surrounded by water and a botanic garden as its closest neighbor. continues on p 21