Swedish Press Sample Apr 2016 Vol 87:03

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April 2016 Vol 87:03 $4.95

Retracing the colourful paths of our ancestors

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Allt Fรถr Sverige Interview with Thomas Gradin Historic Birka ArkivDigital

Lundsbergs Skola tradition – style – education

Sweden’s foremost and oldest boarding school, founded in 1896, offers something quite out of the ordinary – a modern pedagogical approach based on a more than 100 years old tradition. We are very proud of the confidence placed upon the school by generations of parents over all these years. We are also especially honored to count several members of the Swedish Royal Family among the graduates from our school.

During the first week of May, our representative Mr. Jonas Grönberg will be in New York in order to inform about all the advantages a future education at Lundsbergs skola has to offer. For time and venue please check our website:

www.lundsbergsskola.se Hållsjön – the battlefield of our regattas – also offers opportunities for swimming as well as studies connected to our natural science programme. t

Kulturdagarna – our annual culture event, when parents are invited to enjoy our students performance in art, dance, music and theater – the highlight of the spring semester. q

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.

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4 Letters to the Editor

5 From the Editor’s Desk

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Swedish Headlines Headline News: Sweden’s real lessons – it’s not all wefare and social justice News at a Glance Swedes in the News

Business 8 Business News: Fastighetsbubblan – finns den?

9 Company File: ArkivDigital

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Reproduction in whole or in part without written consent of Swedish Press is strictly prohibited. Unsolicited material is welcome, but never the publishers responsibility. Enclose stamped self-addressed envelope for return. Statements and opinions expressed by the writers and claims in the advertising are their own and do not necessarily represent Swedish Press.

Global Swedes 16 Putting Sweden on the Map – Abroad: Thomas Gradin Lifestyle 18 Top Sju 19 Book: The Father – inspired by the incredible true story

‘Wind’ room dividers by Offecct. Photo © Offecct

Interview 12 Anders Lundin – Allt För Sverige 14 2015 Reader Survey Summary

Hemma hos 20 Design: Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair – 2016 21 Treats à la Elinor 22 Lär Dig Svenska 23 Road to Community: Arriving in Sweden and seeking asylum In the Loop 24 Landskapsnyheterna 27 Canada, US & Beyond 28 Calendar and Events 29 Ads and Info 30 Sista Ordet Keeping the family together

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Heritage 15 Birka – Vikingstaden

Feature 10 Tracing your Swedish roots online – Interview with Erland Ringborg

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CONTENTS ( April 2016 )

ADVISORY COMMITTEE Björn Bayley, Peter Ladner, Brian Antonson, Christer Garell, Anders & Hamida Neumuller

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Allt för Sverige host Anders Lundin.

Photo: Knut Koivisto/SVT

Cover image: Evening summer scenery of the Old Town (Gamla Stan) in Stockholm, Sweden.

Photo: Scanrail

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Tracing Your Swedish Roots Online Interview with Erland Ringborg, President for Sweden’s Genealogy Association.

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enealogy has become a popular activity in Sweden, much thanks, in large part, to the internet. Sweden’s central organization of Swedish genealogical societies, Sveriges Släktforskarförbund (Sweden’s Genealogy Association), offers help and support for those interested in tracing their Swedish heritage.

Sveriges Släktforskarförbund, founded in 1986, consists of approximately 170 Swedish societies.

“We represent the interests of genealogists with respect to the Government and public authorities,” said Erland Ringborg, President for Sveriges Släktforskarförbund.

“We promote and support our genealogists with publications, CDs and DVDs, our website Rötter, databases, and a forum called Anbytarforum for discussion and exchange of experiences and results.”

By Sofie Kinnefors

Erland Ringborg, President for Sveriges Släktforskarförbund.

According to Ringborg, the digital revolution has played an essential part in making genealogy so popular.

“The tendency is that more and more information can be sought on the net,” Ringborg said. “The

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number of visitors in the Swedish public archives is decreasing, which affects its opening hours.”

As you cannot search for your relatives directly on Rötter, Ringborg suggests starting by subscribing to church records and other basic sources, such as scanned newspapers, court records and censuses available on the net. Much to the surprise of those searching for their heritage, there is a lot of material out there to explore, shares Ringborg.

Using a genealogy program is usually advised when registering your findings online. Instead of trying to keep track of your relatives with pen and paper, you can automatically receive information about the relationships and connections between them. However, these findings are usually found in databases that have been reported by other researchers and so there is no guarantee that these data are based on reliable research. Your family tree will grow exponentially as you do your research. With a doubling in each generation, and with siblings and their potential families included, you need an organized system for registration.

Luckily, Sweden has kept excellent records of its citizens since the 17th century.

“Because the structure of our national state administration, created in the 17th century, and the conditions for keeping the material have been favorable – no wars on Swedish soil – we have been able to keep good records” Ringborg said.

From the mid 1800s to the early 1920s approximately 1.5 million Swedes emigrated from Sweden to North America. Swedish emigration reached its peak after the American Civil War (1861-1865), when Sweden

suffered several years of crop failure.

The US census estimated the number of Swedish Americans to be nearly 800 000 in 1890.

Some of Sveriges Släktforskarförbunds societies have American and Canadian members.

“We have edited a handbook for genealogists in the area of emigrant research, which of course treats questions concerning Americans with Swedish origin,” said Ringborg.

Erland Ringborg, who grew up in Lidingö, Stockholm, studied history at the University of Stockholm. He served as President of the Swedish National Union of Students and was later recruited to the public administration in the educational field. During his 30 years there, he served as Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Education and Director-General of the National Board of Education.

Ringborg’s last public post was in the Foreign Affairs area, as DirectorGeneral of the Swedish Institute, with the task of promoting Swedish interests by presenting Swedish culture and society abroad.

When Ringborg retired in 2009 he started to engage himself in Genealogiska Föreningen, where he became president in 2010. In 2014 he was elected president of Sveriges Släktforskarförbund.

Historical documents such as church records are useful tools for uncovering your Swedish roots. Photo: Arkivverket.

“The post implies, as presidential posts normally do, to represent the field and the members in speaking and writing and to lead the work of the Executive Board and the staff – for the moment six full-time and some part-time employees,” Ringborg added. “The function of publishing house and bookshop dominates in the daily life.”

Ringborg finds inspiration in the people engaged in Sveriges Släktforskarförbund.

“My ambition to respond to the expectations of those who have elected me – and the many ‘fiery spirits’ engaged in this field inspires me,” Ringborg said.

Ringborg’s general interest in history combined with his interest in family led him to start seeking his own roots already as a teenager.

Once retired he took up the search for his family heritage.

“I was quite happy some years ago, when I managed to trace my oldest ancestor on the direct paternal line another three generations back by combining information from

judgment books and tax pay rolls from the 16th century.”

Even though it can be difficult and even discouraging to trace ancestors far back in history, Ringborg encourages people to take advantage of each others experiences and knowledge.

“I know, from personal experience, that when you have exhausted all possibilities to find a missing ancestor, using the church records available online, you can often get answers or advice for further research by putting a question on Anbytarforum.” Ringborg said.

“Genealogists are, perhaps in contrast to academic researchers, normally very open to sharing their results and experiences with other.”

For more information on how to begin your family search see www.genealogi.se

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An Adventure of a Lifetime on Realtime TV

By Birgitta Lauren

Allt för Sverige host Anders Lundin.

Photo: Knut Koivisto/SVT

Anders Lundin, the host of Allt För Sverige, was initially fascinated by the idea of hosting a show created to help Americans with Swedish heritage discover their Swedish ancestry. After the first season, Anders and the production team started developing and polishing the concept into a show so exciting, emotional, and “real” that 1.5 million Swedes now tune in every week. One contestant even moved to Norrköping after falling in love with Sweden during his season. It is difficult to watch any one Allt för Sverige episode without shedding a tear.

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What surprised you the most about how the Swedish public has received the show?

I always thought that this show would work well, but I was surprised at how dramatically taken and touched people are by the fate of our contestants. There are strong real feelings involved in sharing the experience of learning how hard our ancestors worked for us to live well today. It is very touching.

What has surprised you the most about how the contestants have reacted or experienced the show?

We were taken aback in the first season as we couldn’t believe their reactions.

They were so emotional when they got to see family photos; it was overwhelming to see such strong emotions.

We definitly didn’t count on that.

Throughout the years, we have improved the show. The winner now receives a treasure chest (Skatt), each story is developed, and we have some amazing researchers that find homes and items that the contestants’ ancestors had. The Swedish church has incredibly well-documented data on all of its citizens for centuries. We also do my “school”, in which I teach the participants Swedish language, history and other fun things.

What do the contestants take home with them when they leave?

We realized that it was too mean to send them straight home after losing the first round, so they get to stay for at least 2 weeks. During this time they learn about Sweden. Except for the treasure chest, we give them all the

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information we found about their ancestors, so that once the show has aired, people know who they are and they can contact their families.

Allt För Sverige season one contestants.

We Swedes do travel a lot, much more than Americans do, but we don’t really understand how people live in the USA between New York and Los Angeles. These folks sometimes have never had a passport before they come to Sweden. So it is a very big adventure for them just to travel across the Atlantic, with the awareness that something in their lives is missing. They don’t know what is on the other side. They only have a few stories about Sweden, so when they get here they end up quite emotional both about the hard work their ancestors endured and the adventure as a whole. Those who go on to the finale and end up wining the show are tremendously overwhelmed.

For example, we had a priest here called Brian. He was a likable, smart man with a very interesting way of thinking and reflecting. Despite not being a very competitive person, he ended up winning the show. His story was beautiful and his incredibly insightful reflections about life, himself and his family during his time here made us all so glad.

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What aspect of the show influences the contestants most?

I think some of the off-camera pieces, which don’t end up on the show are sometimes the most influential for the contestants. For example, our Swedish habits, laws, safety, collaborative understanding, paternity leave, vacation time – all these things that we explain to them are very impressive to the contestants and interesting to talk about together.

Allt För Sverige season two contestants.

How do you come up with the activities?

It comes down to being alert to things that most people don’t think about.

We wanted to have lots of competitions involving things one should know how to do as a Swede… like going in reverse with a house trailer, picking kids up at daycare, sorting the trash, using the laundry room, etc… things one must know how to do in order to qualify. It has been a lot of fun.

What is most positive about the show?

That we have managed to create so much real emotion, that the viewers get to think about their own heritage, and that Swedes get to see Sweden through the eyes of Americans. An

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turn around and leave mid-sentence while still holding a cup of coffee.

This often happens as they may find it rather stressful to figure out how to finish a conversation, but Anderson thought he had insulted them.

Allt För Sverige season three contestants.

interesting aspect of this show is that a century ago, it was us who sat in boats leaving our homeland, and now the traffic is in reverse… it is our turn to receive.

What was the most fun that happened on the show?

When someone (off camera) was out on the town in Stockholm and was fascinated to see so many homosexual “mannies”. We had to tell them that those were dads on paternity leave.

Another highlight occured when Mathew Anderson managed to find a cultural difference in how our two countries end conversations. Americans will often say something like: “It was very nice talking to you,” when it’s time to leave. He thought it was very strange how Swedes will literally just

Allt För Sverige season five contestants.

How long will the show keep going?

“I just read somewhere that one should always hold on tight to concepts that work. We have an excellent viewership of 1,5 million for a concept that everyone now knows and understands. It works… so we will keep going for as long as we can.

We who have worked on this show want to continue working with more Americans. To get any information out of a Swede, you must ask 10 questions, but when you ask an American a question, you may get an entire essay for an answer. Americans have a fantastic ability to express themselves and to produce exactly what we need.

It is a joy to work with them. They are such impressive, spontaneous speakers without ever needing scripts.”

Allt För Sverige season four contestants.

Photos: Allt För Sverige

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