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In line with tradition, the annual Nobel Prize ceremonies will take place in Stockholm on 10 December. It was on the same day in 1896 that Alfred Nobel died at the age of 63 in San Remo, Italy. He bequeathed an endowment of 33.2 million Swedish kronor and spelt out in his will exactly which areas should be covered by the prizes. Apart from Nobel's reputation as an inventor – his best-known discovery was dynamite, patented in 1867 – he was also an industrial magnate and an accomplished linguist, and ran several companies in different countries. Apart from his mother tongue, Swedish, he also mastered written and spoken Russian, English, French and German. The Nobel Prizes – each is worth 7.6 million kronor – are awarded each year to the individual or team (maximum of three people) who have made significant contributions towards the development of the following areas: physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, peace and economic science. The winners are selected by the Nobel committees at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Karolinska Institute, the Swedish Academy and the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which decides the winner(s) of the peace prize. This year's Nobel laureates come from eight different countries: Austria and Great Britain (chemistry ), China (physics), Germany (physics), Ireland (peace), Portugal (literature), India (economic science) and USA (physics and medicine). The ceremony takes place in Stockholm's Concert Hall, followed by a banquet with 1,200 invited guests in the Blue Hall at the Stockholm City Hall. On the guest list are previous Nobel Prize laureates as well as politicians and royalty from all over the world. Every laureate is seated next to a member of the Swedish royal family. The preparations for the banquet are meticulous, and the event is given huge coverage by the media in many different countries, especially the native countries of the year's award winners.

Christina Tillfors, Nobel Foundation, + 46 (0)8-663 14 83

Nobel centenary exhibition

In 2001 it will be 100 years since the first Nobel Prizes were awarded. To mark the centenary the Nobel Foundation is planning an exhibition which will be inaugurated on 1 April that year. It will be staged under the name The Culture of Creativity: Individuals and Milieus. The Centennial Exhibition of the Nobel Prize 1901-2001. The aim is to highlight the creativity of the 20th century which has generated a number of Nobel Prizes. The programme will also include debates and lectures. The exhibition will run in Stockholm for about 18 months, and the plan is that it will then tour the world. In addition to this centenary activity the Nobel Foundation also has a project for a Nobel Museum in Stockholm.

Sven Lorentzi, Stockholm Information Service, +46 (0)8-789 24 72

New Viking race for long-distance skaters!

The first Viking Race will take place on 13 February 1999. It is a brand-new event for long-distance skaters and could become the skating equivalent of the traditional Vasaloppet long-distance cross-country skiing race. The course covers 50 miles and follows the old Viking trail between Uppsala and Stockholm. The organisers – the Outdoor Activities Association and the Swedish Skating Federation – aim to promote skating as a sport and an ideal recreational exercise and hope to create another Swedish classic sporting event. The aim is to include the Viking Race in the European Cup for long-distance skating. The first year's race is expected to attract about 3,000-5,000 skaters, who will be split into three categories: a competition class, a "fun run" class and a team competition. The elite skaters will start first at 08.00 hrs and are expected to reach the finishing line about 2½ hours later, while the "fun run" skaters will probably make a whole day of it. The course has four stages, starting in Uppsala and finishing at Riddarfjärden in Stockholm. Sweden already has about 50,000 active long-distance skaters. There is a lot of overseas interest in the Viking Race, particularly in the Netherlands, which has no less than 3 million active skaters. The race will also highlight the clean water of Lake Mälaren, which supplies large areas of the Stockholm region with drinking water.

Anders Tysk, Viking Race, tel +46 (0)705-14 01 80

Major investment in camping tourism for 1999

Despite this year's bad summer weather, Stockholm remained just as attractive a destination for camping enthusiasts as in 1997, although Sweden as a whole showed a drop of 4% in camping business. Statistics from Stockholm Information Service also show that the number of campers using tents in the Stockholm region accounted for no less than 16% of overnight stays, compared with 10% for the country as a whole. Motor homes are also popular in the Stockholm region, with a share of 14% compared with 4.5% for the whole of Sweden. One explanation for Stockholm's popularity among motor-home owners is its investment in a special motor-home camping site at Långholmen in the Södermalm area which recorded 100% occupancies for much of the summer. German visitors, who make up the biggest proportion of foreign tourists, accounted for about 16% of the camping bed-nights. Camping tourism now accounts for 10% of all tourism in the Stockholm region, so Stockholm Information Service is to make a major investment to attract even more campers to the capital and surrounding area. One aim is to encourage more foreign camping tourists to Stockholm and extend the season for the region's 30-odd camping sites.

Mats Wåhlin, Stockholm Information Service, tel +46 (0)8-789 24 08

Culture amid the Christmas rush

On 19 December – one of the last exciting days of Stockholm's year as Cultural Capital of Europe – all Stockholmers and visitors are invited to take part in a selection of free events included in the "A City Open to Culture" project. Several of Stockholm's museums, theatres and cinemas, as well as some concert and dance venues, will be offering free admission. It's an excellent opportunity for visitors who want to blue their December salaries on Christmas presents but don't want to miss events like the Dramatic Theatre's family performances of "The Mousetrap" or dance the night away at a "Salsa Gala Night" in the München brewery. The fires at the annual Rosendahl Christmas market will add an extra bit of magic to the winter landscape, while the Plaza Theatre will be staging Barrie Keeffe's drama "The Suspect", directed by Thorsten Flinck. And at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) visitors can experience the future free of charge, in the six-sided "Virtual Reality Cube". All this and much more visitors can enjoy on 19 December. More information in English on the Internet: http://www.stockholm98.se

Marina Marklund, Stockholm – Cultural Capital of Europe 1998,

tel +46 (0)8-698 19 18

Karin and Carl Larsson at the Nordiska Museum

An exhibition commemorating the artistic couple Karin and Carl Larsson was inaugurated at the Nordiska Museum on 25 October. It is a new and expanded version of the much-acclaimed exhibition staged last year at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, when the British public – some 130,000 visitors in only three months – met the "Creators of the Swedish Style". The Nordiska Museum is highlighting the couple's joint creation: their home, Lilla Hyttnäs, at Sundborn in Dalarna. The exhibition also focuses on Karin's importance in the creative process, with her textiles and functional furniture. Never before have so many artifacts, pictures and interiors from the lives of the Larssons been put on public display. About 200 of Carl Larsson's pictures are on show, many of them in private ownership but now displayed for the first time to a larger public. And the emphasis is not just on the paintings of "flowers and children" (the hallmark of Larsson's work) but also book illustrations and portraits as well as seven interiors decorated in their original Sundborn style. The exhibition continues until 5 April 1999.

Agneta Johansson, Nordiska Museum, tel +46 (0)8-5195 4608

Busy season for Gröna Lund

Stockholm's famous amusement park, Gröna Lund, has closed its 115th season with its best-ever results. Some 1.2 million people passed through its gates during the 128 days that the park was open. This year's big innovation – the Power Tower – attracted more than 260,000 thrill-loving visitors. It's an exciting ride which offers a fantastic view of Stockholm from a height of 80 metres above the ground. The big attraction for 1999, according to press officer Nadja Bergén, is a windmill-like contraption with gondolas which turn and twist at a great height. Gröna Lund is being enlarged by a further 8,000 square metres in 1999, allowing new investment in the environment and an even wider range of attractions. In terms of the number of visitors per day, the park can now be regarded as Stockholm's biggest tourist attraction. It can also boast Djurgården's oldest house, dating from the end of the 17th century.

Nadja Bergén, Gröna Lund, tel +46 (0)8-587 501 24

Christmas markets

Buy Swedish handicrafts, Christmas decorations, typical Christmas food such as smoked sausages, reindeer meat, ginger biscuits and sweets. And warm yourself with a steaming cup of "glögg", a spiced hot wine with raisins and almonds in it. The market at Stortorget in the Old Town (open daily 11.00-18.00 until 21 December) dates back to the 14th century when trade was dominated mainly by the Germans, Danes and Dutch. In 1523 the Swedish King Gustav Vasa banned all foreign trade, decreeing that only Swedish-manufactured goods could be sold there. Since then, the Christmas market has kept basically the same character and the stalls look much the same now as they did then. The Skansen market (6 and 13 December) is the largest in Sweden with folk music and games around the Christmas tree for the little ones. Houses and farmsteads are open to the public and Swedish Christmas activities such as bread- baking, candle-making, straw-sculpturing etc take place.

News In Brief:

New direct flight Chicago-Stockholm

On 25 October SAS launched its latest direct flight to Sweden from the USA, with a new route from Chicago to Stockholm. The journey time is about 8 hours, and there is a daily flight in each direction throughout the week. SAS expects an increase of 30% in its North American traffic during the first half-year. Since autumn 1997 visitors from both New York and Chicago have been able to fly direct to Stockholm by using the Long Weekend charter package, which includes three nights' hotel accommodation and Miniweek (five nights). Prices are highly competitive at $498 and $769 respectively ($40 supplement for travellers from Chicago). There are also add-on packages, including a stay in the Ice Hotel – a giant igloo at Jukkasjärvi in Lapland – and the Kingdom of Glass in Småland, where the Kosta/Boda and Orrefors glassworks can be visited.

Lennart Häggström, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), +46 (0) 8 797 27 86

More buses to Arlanda Airport

The new stop at St Eriksplan for buses to Arlanda Airport has met with such a positive reaction from travellers that its frequency is being increased to a departure every 10 minutes – exactly the same as from the City Terminal at the Central Station. At the same time, connecting buses from the Haga terminal have been suspended because of poor customer response.

Raymond Hellmark, Flygbussarna AB, tel +46 (0)8-686 10 10

Record at Museum of Modern Art

Even though it is only nine months since the new Museum of Modern Art was inaugurated it has already achieved a record number of visitors. More than 500,000 people have visited the museum since the middle of February this year. The biggest numbers have been recorded for the opening exhibition, "Wounds", and the Miró exhibition, which together attracted 300,000 visitors. The museum now includes works by Matisse, Munch, Dardel, Duchamp, Picasso and Braque which are on show in about 20 of the museum's galleries. For more information (also available in English) on current and future exhibitions, visit the museum's website: http://www.moderna.museet.se

Anna Rappe, Museum of Modern Art, + 46 (0) 51955281

New secretary for Swedish Academy

The Swedish Academy, founded by King Gustav III in 1786, is to have a new permanent secretary. The post goes to the well-known author and literary critic Horace Engdahl. He will succeed the Academy's present secretary, Sture Allén, in spring 1999. One of the Academy's most important tasks is to nominate the winner of the Nobel Prize for literature. It is an exciting event every year, both in Sweden and throughout the world, when the Academy's secretary goes on TV to announce the name of the winning author. The Academy is based in the old Stock Exchange, built in 1778, at Stortorget in the Old Town.

Ericsson – no newcomer in China

The Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities is currently staging an exhibition about the East India Company (until 6 March 1999). The main sponsor of "From China to Europe" is Stockholm-based Ericsson, one of the world's biggest manufacturers of mobile telephones. The company is already represented in 20 cities in China and its sales in the country reached 15 billion Swedish kronor in 1997. But Ericsson is by no means a newcomer in the Chinese market. It started its business there in 1892 with a contract to supply telephone equipment in Shanghai. The very first telephone was known within the company as the "Chinese coffee grinder" – because that was what it looked like!

Christmas with Dickens

The English Theatre's production of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" has become a much-loved Christmas tradition in Stockholm and it is playing this year for the twelfth time. Over the years "A Christmas Carol" has attracted audiences totalling more than 150,000 at more than 400 performances. This year it is being performed at Södra Teatern between 2 and 23 December. As in previous years, there are many new faces among the cast, including several with experience from the UK's National Theatre and productions in London's West End.

Tickets available from the box office + 46 (0)-8 644 99 00

Editor: Lena Jörgenson

Translated by Philip Ray

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