SIS: Newsletters

Lighting the Christmas tree
The ceremonial lighting of the Christmas tree is a traditional event in London, Hamburg and New York every year. Stockholm will be launching a similar tradition on Sunday 1 December, with the lighting of a 22 metre high tree at 16.00 in Kungsträdgården, along with music, speeches, and Christmas songs by the Stockholm Chamber Choir.

Christmas markets
Sweden's largest Christmas market takes place at Skansen, with stalls, music, entertainment, food, open house in the various old buildings and workshops, and much more. The market is open on Sundays 1, 8 and 15 December.
The traditional Christmas market in the Old Town is open daily between 11.00 and 18.00 from 30 November till 22 December. Handicraft items, Christmas decorations, food and much more are on sale in old-fashioned shops.

Christmas music on Advent Sunday (1 December)
Advent concert at Högalid Church (Högalidskyrkan), 16.00
Advent concerts at Oscar Church (Oscarskyrkan) with the church choirs,15.00 and 17.00
Advent concert at Engelbrekt Church (Engelbrektskyrka), 19.00
"Hosianna" - psalms and Advent hymns in St John's Church (S:t Johannes kyrka), 19.00

Children's events, second Sunday in Advent (8 December)
Christmas at the Postal Museum. Activities include Christmas stamping, sealing Christmas letters, making Christmas cards, visit by Post Office's own Santa Claus, 11.00-16.00
Christmas card workshop - print your own card in the children's section at the Museum of Science and Technology (Tekniska Museet), 12.00-16.00
Nature workshop with Christmas present puzzles in Nature's House (Naturens Hus), 11.00-15.30

Lucia celebrations with music 13 December
Lucia at Gustav Vasa Church, 07.30
Lucia service at Högalid Church (Högalidskyrkan), 19.00
Lucia ceremony at Engelbrekt Church (Engelbrektskyrkan) with Engelbrekt girls' and children's choir, 18.30
Lucia concert with the Radio Choir and Nacka music-school students, BerwaldnConcert Hall, 17.00 and 19.00
Lucia concert at Oscar Church (Oscarskyrkan), with the church girls' choir and chamber choir, 20.00
Lucia procession and concert with choirs from the Adolf Fredrik music school, Stockholm Cathedral (Storkyrkan),18.00 and 20.00

Exhibitions with a Christmas theme
Spices, flowers and nuts
Christmas exhibition with spices, flowers, fruit and nuts in Bergius botanical gardens. 11.00-16.00, 6-8 December.
Krakow Christmas cribs
Cribs and Nativity scenes with moving dolls are on show at the Museum of National Antiquities (Historiska Museet) from 30 November till 2 February.
Christmas card illustrations
Jenny Nyström, the painter and illustrator, is always associated with Christmas cards and their illustrations of the Swedish Santa Claus, sledges and snow. An exhibition of her works at the National Museum, which runs until 19 January, shows not just her well-known Christmas scenes but also some unique illustrations which give a new perspective on her artistic skills and on her distinctive contribution to Swedish artistic tradition.
World championship in Christmas tree decoration
Christmas tree exhibition. Entries for this year's world championship in Christmas tree decoration, in which embassies, national tourist offices and companies decorate their own tree, will be on show to the public at the Scandic Crown Hotel from 9-31 December.
Christmas chemistry
Christmas is marked in the "technology in the home" section at the
Museum of Science and Technology (Tekniska Museet) from 24 December till 12 January.
The chemistry of Christmas food, confectionery, sparkling decorations and fireworks will
be explained in an easily-understood way.

Nobel joins the Internet
Every year since 1901, the Nobel Prizes have been presented on 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death. Prizes are awarded for literature and scientific achievements in physics, chemistry and medicine/physiology, as well as for peace. The Swedish State Bank also awards a prize for economic science. Now the Royal Scientific Academy is issuing press releases in Swedish and English about the Nobel Prizes when the names of the laureates are announced in October each year.
The adress is: www.nobel.se
Solgerd Björn-Rasmussen, Royal Scientific Academy (Vetenskapsakademin) information department
tel +46 8 673 95 25

Discover Stockholm all year round
A smart Christmas present this year is the guidebook Discover Stockholm All Year Round, published by the Swedish Touring Club (STF) in conjunction with Stockholm Information Service. The book is an updated version of the previous guide which was published in 1993. Stockholm is developing so quickly as a major city for tourism that a lot of the information in the old guide is already out of date. The new guidebook takes a look at Stockholm throughout the year with tips on restaurants, department stores, shops, pubs, museums, the major sights and some of the city's hidden secrets, along with suggestions for excursions into the surrounding areas and countryside. Descriptions of the various areas of the city and information on hotels and youth hostels are complemented with details of special events, maps, a detailed index and many beautiful photographs.
The book is on sale at Sweden House and other outlets, and is published in both English and Swedish.
Stockholm Information Service
tel +46 8 789 24 00

Stockholm looks after overwintering birds
Anyone who enjoys a winter stroll alongside the fast-flowing Strömmen channel in the centre of Stockholm will be familiar with the large number of birds like mallard ducks and swans which are attracted by the open water and by the food with which they are provided. Feeding the birds in Strömmen has been a favourite Sunday entertainment for Stockholmers ever since the 1930s. Staff from the city's parks department start to fill up floating bird-feeders just before Christmas, and they continue to feed the birds with about 100 kilos of stale bread, seed and maize every day for about three months until the ice starts to break up in the spring. The best time to see a variety of birds around Stockholm is towards the end of February and the beginning of March. Among the species to be spotted are sea eagles, eider ducks, gulls, herons and occasionally great crested grebes.
Stockholm Ornithological Society (Stockholms ornitologiska förening)
tel +46 8 39 44 02

Items set for the Cultural Capital of Europe 1998
Major cultural projects with an international dimension are being planned for 1998, when Stockholm will be Cultural Capital of Europe. Both new and established stages will be used for international exhibitions and guest performances in the fields of drama, dance and music. The city will also host guest companies from some of Europe's best-known national theatres, as well as international ballet and dance and an international circus festival. In 1998 the art of opera will be celebrating its 400th anniversary and Stockholm's Royal Opera House will be celebrating its centenary, so these two events will be marked by an international opera festival. The traditional kite-flying festival at Gärdet will be expanded to include kite enthusiasts from all over the world.
www.kultur98.stockholm.se
Marina Marklund, Cultural Capital of Europe 1998 information department
tel +46 8 698 19 98

New cruise-ship quay for Stockholm
A new cruise-ship terminal at Stadsgården is planned for completion by summer 1998. The quay at the foot of Fjällgatan on the southern side of Stockholm is being enlarged with a 10 metre wide concrete deck along a 340 metre stretch. The water will be deepened alongside the new quay, which will accommodate two cruise ships. In recent years between 120 and 130 cruise ships have called at Stockholm every year, and now it is hoped that more vessels will both start and finish their cruises in Stockholm. Yngve Segerlund, Stockholm Harbour (Stockholms Hamn AB)
tel +46 8 670 26 00

New look for Cultural Centre
A new entrance hall and a roof-terrace restaurant will be new features of the Cultural Centre (Kulturhuset) which are planned to be ready in time for the city's year as Cultural Capital of Europe in 1998. Fourteen new escalators - seven up and seven down - will form a moving zigzag feature and enable the centre to handle some 5,000 visitors every hour. Parts of the Cultural Centre will be closed during summer 1997 but will be reopened in time for a New Year's Eve ball to usher in 1998. A budget of 95 million kronor has been set aside for the entrance hall, escalators, a new children's department and an improved exhibition area. The area immediately surrounding the Cultural Centre will be improved with widened pavements and fewer car lanes around Sergels Torg.
Tommy Esbjörnsson, Stockholm Culture (Kultur Stockholm)
tel +46 8 700 02 32

Facelift for city centre
Large areas in central Stockholm are to have a facelift in time for 1998 and the city's year as Cultural Capital of Europe. The district adjoining Sergels Torg is to be rebuilt, and the area of water around the obelisk will be reduced, providing a larger square and making it easier for pedestrians to walk between Hamngatan and Drottninggatan. The idea is to make Hamngatan more attractive for strollers, both above and below street level. The area under Hamngatan - the so-called "Horseshoe Subway" which links the Gallerian shopping arcade, the NK department store and Sergels Torg - will be glassed in and air-conditioned. The first stage in the refurbishment of Drottninggatan is getting under way during the autumn. The aim is to restore its 1880s character, except for the roadway, which will be asphalted in modern style. Stockholm's most frequently-visited park, Kungsträdgården, is also going to see some changes. The City Council has launched a design competition among five firms of architects with the aim of creating a park which offers all visitors high aesthetic and functional standards, both in the summer and the winter.
Stockholm Information Service
tel +46 8 789 24 00

Room renovation at Grand Hôtel
A warm atmosphere with sober d�cor characterises the 77 newly-renovated rooms at Stockholm's Grand H�tel. The specially-designed furniture in cherry wood, the beautiful bathrooms with their classic marble, and the specially high and wide bedsteads promise an extra-high level of comfort. The number of luxury suites has increased with the opening of a new Flag Suite and Nobel Suite. One of the suites has a recess built into the hotel's tower, big enough for two people, with an excellent view of the Royal Palace, the harbour, the Old Town and the archipelago boats. The suites are designed with state visitors and celebrities in mind, but they are also ideal for anyone celebrating a special occasion, wedding couples, or visitors spending a theatre weekend in the capital who are happy to spend that little bit extra.
Susanne Gissbert, Grand H�tel
tel +46 8 679 35 42

Summer year-round at Junibacken
Only four months after its opening, Junibacken - the museum inspired by Astrid Lindgren's children's stories - has welcomed its 100,000th visitor. Junibacken, which covers an area of 3,000 square metres, is an experience full of fun and fantasy as far removed from the dusty image of the old-fashioned museum as one could imagine. Visitors are guided by Pippi, Madicken, Karlson, Emil and many of the other characters created by Astrid Lindgren. By the end of October, Junibacken had notched up its 117,000th visitor.
Petra Samuelsson, Junibacken
tel +46 8 660 07 66

Water Festival tops the million mark
About a million people visited this year's Stockholm Water Festival. The festival, which pays tribute to Stockholm's clean water, has grown to the extent that it is now Sweden's biggest annual event. The nine-day festival provides a mixture of music, culture, activities for children and the whole family, as well as sport and food from all corners of the world. Music from all over the world is performed on the festival's eight stages, which this year attracted 300 artists. This year's biggest cultural event was "Happenings Street", full of unexpected experiences provided by 120 street performers from 12 countries. The festival also featured an art exhibition which stretched for a kilometre along Stockholm's waterfront. The annual international fireworks competition has become a symbol of the festival, attracting about half a million spectators every evening on the Stockholm quaysides.
The 1997 Stockholm Water Festival takes place between 8-16 August.
Stockholm Water Festival
tel +46 8 459 55 00

Stockholm Information Service wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Editor: Charlotta Lorentz

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