Scan Magazine | Issue 24 | November 2010

LIZA MARKLUND: CRIME WRITER EXTRAORDINAIRETHE SCANDINAVIA SHOW REVISITEDWINTER ADVENTURES IN NORWAY & SWEDISH LAPLANDSCANDINAVIAN EDUCATION AT ITS BEST PROMOTINGBRANDSC

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Scan Magazine | Contents

ContentsCOVER FEATURE

8 Liza MarklundLiza Marklund is a Swedish author, publisher,journalist, columnist and goodwill ambassadorfor UNICEF. Her books have sold over 11 millioncopies in 30 languages to date.

SCANDINAVIA SHOW12 The Scandinavia Show 2010 revisited

The Scandinavia Show 2010 took place at theOlympia Conference Centre on 9-10 October.And what an event it was! The exhibitors turnedup in full force with cheerful expectancy andboxes full of Scandinavian quality goods.

DESIGN16 Oiva Toikka

Oiva Toikka is a household name in Finland andrenowned worldwide for his unique and hugecontribution to Finnish art glass over the pasthalf century.

18 Maxjenny ForslundShe has dressed Madonna, designed carpetsfor IKEA and shown her furniture at major in-ternational design shows. Based in Copen-hagen, this Swedish fashion designer now cre-ates a buzz around her colourful, patterned,original creations.

TRAVEL THEMES20 Winter adventures in Norway

Norway is a mecca for winter activities –whether you want to see the spectacular North-ern Lights in northern Norway, ski down slopes

with magnificent fjords and mountains as theperfect backdrop, or try your hand at thrillingsnow activities.

36 Medieval Turku meets contemporary artAboa Vetus & Ars Nova, which translates fromLatin as ‘old Turku’ and ‘new art’, is a museumlocated in the centre of Turku, Finland. It bringstogether a museum of archaeological history aswell as a museum of contemporary art.

37 Swedish LaplandDo you long for somewhere that offers new ex-periences and insights? A place where you canlet your thoughts wander and discover new hori-zons? In that case Swedish Lapland is your nextdestination.

EDUCATION THEME42 Scandinavian education at its best

In our education theme, we have put together alist of schools from Denmark, Norway and Swe-den, including two Scandinavian schools situ-ated in the UK. It is a real mixed bag of high-quality educational institutions, ranging frompreschool to higher education.

FOOD FEATURE82 Lobster Safaris

The autumn is high season for lobster safaris inWestern Sweden. In the glittering waters in theskerries live some of the best lobsters in theworld.

Scan BusinessFEATURES

90 Back to the future for the Saab 9-5Nearly 13 years after the first generation was in-troduced, Saab has redesigned its executive 9-5saloon for the 21st century.

REGULARS & COLUMNS87 Brains are the tools of today

Key Note by Pekka Huhtaniemi, Ambassador ofFinland to the United Kingdom

88 “Green Tea” at Corren TroenBy Paul Corren, Corren Troen Law Firm

92 Can the private sector mop up the slackafter the Government cuts?By Annika Åman-Goodwille

93 Chamber NewsNews from the Swedish, Norwegian, Finnishand Danish Chambers of Commerce for the UK.

REGULARS & COLUMNS14 We Love This | 15 Fashion Diary | 72 Hotels of the Month | 76 Attractions of the Month80 Restaurants of the Month | 81 Wine | 84 Humor | 96 Scan News | 97 Music & Culture98 Culture Calendar

8

Scan Magazine | Editor’s Note

Dear Reader,

SCANM A G A Z I N E

Scan MagazineIssue 24 | November 2010

Published 09.11.2010ISSN 1757-9589

Published byScan Magazine Limited

Design & PrintLiquid Graphic Limited

Executive EditorThomas Winther

Creative DirectorMads E. Petersen

EditorNia Kajastie

Copy-editorMark Rogers

ContributorsEmelie KruglySara SchedinMette LisbyMaria SmedstadRay O’ConnorJulie GuldbrandsenKarl BatterbeeStine DaugaardDyveke NilssenLinnea DunneYane ChristensenJenny OlssonLaura GreenmanAnette BerveAnnika Åman-GoodwilleVictoria LagnehagIngrid Marie HolmeideLasse Berg SørensenSakarias Frohm

Charlotte KanyAnna Lindgren

Sales & Key Account ManagersCecilia VarricchioEmma Fabritius NørregaardAnne Line Kaxrud

Graphic DesignerSvetlana Slizova

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4 | Issue 24 | November 2010

I know it’s a tired platitude, but where hasthis whole year gone? The last 10 monthsor so have just whizzed past, and now it’salmost time for Christmas present shop-ping again. I’ve bought myself a new win-ter coat and a set of pink thermal socks(not by choice I might add), but I don’t knowwhether I’m ready for this again. There isone comforting fact about the onset of win-

ter, whichmakesme feel a bit giddy inside, and that is snow. Per-haps not in London, or England for that matter, but most of Scan-dinavia will soon be (and in some places already has been) coveredin layers and layers of powdery snow. It’s comforting, it’s homey,and it’s what makes Christmas truly atmospheric.For our readers, we have put together some great winter hol-

iday destinations, where there will definitely be no lack of snow,or Northern Lights. Swedish Lapland as well as the winter won-derland of Norway have so many winter activities and resorts tooffer, that you’re pretty much spoiled for choice. Just have a lookat some of the remarkable northern destinations we’vemanagedto compile for you. At least for me, it’s not really Christmas un-less you’re as close to Santa Claus as possible. And us Finns, weknow that he lives at Korvatunturi in Rovaniemi. There’s no doubtabout it, unless, of course, you ask the other Scandinavians or,well, the North Americans, but let’s leave it at that.We have also taken a look back at the success that was The

Scandinavia Show on 9-10 October. We had no idea what to ex-pect from this event, as it was the first of its kind in the UK, butwe were all positively surprised as both visitors and exhibitorsseemed to enjoy themselves immensely. And what a crowd of vis-

itors we had! Next year we are going to need a bigger venue.Liza Marklund, who was our special guest at the show, is also

gracing this month’s cover. She’s one of Sweden’s most popularcrime authors, and she has recently published a book togetherwith American thriller writer James Patterson. Her star is defi-nitely on the rise here in Europe as well as in the US. Stieg Lars-son might have helped pave the way for more Swedish authorsgaining mainstream international success, but Marklund has al-ready been an established writer in Sweden for some time now.And to top it off, the November issue has thoroughly delved

into the theme of Scandinavian education. We have looked atschools in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and the UK, and coveredeverything from international pre-schools to non-formal adulteducation. The standard of Scandinavian education is extremelyhigh, and we’re proud to present a diverse collection of forwardthinking educational institutions.I hope you enjoy reading about all our special themes this

month as well as our regular columns.And now let’s get ready for Christmas!

Nia Kajastie,Editor

McGuireWoods London LLP Anders Grundberg, London Office Managing Partner 15-19 Kingsway, London WC2B 6UNTel: +44 (0)20 7632 1600 | [email protected]

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Scan Magazine | Contributors


Nia Kajastie (Editor) wasborn and raised in Helsinki,Finland, and moved to Lon-don in 2005 to study writing.With a BA in Journalism &Creative Writing, she now

describes herself as a full-time writer andgrammar stickler.

Emelie Krugly has workedon a number of Swedishnewspapers. After travellingextensively, she has beenbased in London since 2006.Her particular interests are

news and current affairs within Sweden andthe export of Scandinavian culture to the UK.

Mette Lisby is Denmark’sleading female comedian.She invites you to laughalong with her monthly hu-mour columns. Since herstand-up debut in 1992,

Mette has hosted the Danish versions of “HaveI Got News For You” and “Room 101”.

Stine Daugaard is a Danishjournalist living in Copen-hagen. She has a degree injournalism from the DanishSchool of Media and Jour-nalism and City University

and has been freelancing since 2007. Traveland tourism are close to her heart, and she ishappiest when the next plane ticket is booked.

Linnea Dunne has been writ-ing professionally for over 10years. Having started out ona local paper in Sweden, sheis passionate about Scandi-navian music and culture,

and currently works in London as a full-timewriter and translator.

Julie Guldbrandsen is ScanMagazine’s fashion and de-sign expert; she has workedin the fashion industry formore than 10 years, and ad-vised various Scandinavian

design and fashion companies. Besides, Juliehas a BA in business and philosophy and haslived in Copenhagen, Singapore and Beijing be-fore settling down in London.

Swedish Sara Schedin haslived in London for fouryears. She is currently study-ing Journalism in her sec-ond year at City Universityand is covering Scandinavian

culture in the UK.

Maria Smedstad moved tothe UK from Sweden in 1994.She received a degree in Il-lustration in 2001, beforesettling in the capital as afreelance cartoonist, creat-

ing the autobiographical cartoon Em. Shewrites a column on the trials and tribulations oflife as a Swede in the UK.

Hailing from Ireland, Ray O'-Connor has been living inLondon and advising on allthings wine since 2006. Heteaches, consults and writesregularly on the subject and

won the “Young Wine Writer of the Year Awardin 2007.”

Karl Batterbee is devoted toScandinavian music andknows exactly what is com-ing up in the UK. Apart fromwriting a monthly music up-date for Scan Magazine Karl

has also started the Scandipop ClubNight and itscorresponding website: www.scandipop.co.uk.

Swedish entrepreneur An-nika Åman-Goodwille Char-tered Secretary (FCIS), and amulti-linguist, is the Chair-man of Goodwille. She is aborn business networker

with a multinational academic and professionaltrack record spanning the globe from theSwedish Foreign office to diplomatic postings inthe Middle East.

Victoria Lagnehag is a free-lance writer. She is nativeSwedish and has spent thelast 7 years in London, but iscurrently residing in Stock-holm. She is a writer with

vast experience and has covered a broad spec-trum of topics over the years. Although a keenglobetrotter, she always has her Scandinavianroots at heart and is a regular contributor toScan Magazine.

Constantly curious, no sub-ject is too difficult or too dullto dig into for freelance jour-nalist Jenny Olsson. Basedin Stockholm, she writes forsome of the major monthly

trade magazines and popular press in Swedenas well as international media.

Samantha Wong is a free-lance journalist, who studiedIcelandic Literature as partof her Literature and Mythdegree which ignited herpassion for Scandinavian

culture. She’s also a keen surfer, snowboarderand horse rider.

Dyveke Nilssen from Nor-way fell in love with Londonin 2007. She has since fin-ished her BA in Journalismat City University, and nowworks as a freelance jour-

nalist and photographer.

Danish Yane Christensenhas lived in London half herlife. She's a designer, illus-trator and mother of twingirls. She also has an on-lineshop www.fleamarketfloo-

zy.com and writes to exercise her brain.

Lasse Berg Sørensen is aDanish journalist currentlystudying for a Masters inBusiness and Finance Jour-nalism at City University, Lon-don. He has previously stud-

ied in Aarhus, Missouri and Amsterdam. Apartfrom journalism, he is very interested in photog-raphy, web culture and is a major music geek.

Ingrid Marie Holmeide cameto London from Norway tostudy creative writing. She iscurrently working as a free-lance writer and translator,while publishingher first novel.

Anette Berve is a Norwegianfreelance journalist based inLondon. She has previouslyworked in Buenos Aires for acultural newspaper and iscurrently back in London to

finish her degree in journalism and Spanish.

Regular Contributors

Scan Magazine | Cover Feature | Liza Marklund


Liza Marklund– An unstoppable force in Swedish crime fiction

By Emelie Krugly | Cover photo: Peter Jønsson



She is stereotypically Swedish, tall andblonde, but forget about the shy nature ofthe Swedes, as Liza Marklund is bubblyand smiley and during our interview itfeels a little like talking to an old friend.

Born in 1962 in Pålmark near Piteå innorthern Sweden, she soon became inher own words, “an itching and restless16-year-old”. As an antidote, she bravelytook off on a round-the-world trip, and infact for a short while London was herhome.

“I worked as a waitress at Adams's Orig-inal Barbeque Rib House on the corner ofEarl’s Court Road and Old BromptonRoad. I remember how the customerswere given a bowl of water to clean theirhands after they'd eaten. But instead ofrefilling the bowl with fresh water for thenext customer, I would keep using the

same bowl. The water obviously becamemore and more dirty, and customerswould look horrified towards the end ofthe day. I was probably the worst waitressthey had ever experienced.”

Liza Marklund knew she wanted to be-come a writer from a very young age andbegan studying journalism on her returnto Sweden. She then became a mother tofirstborn Annika, whom she went on toname a fictional character after in hercrime novels, featuring the passionateand courageous reporter Annika Bengt-zon. The first, entitled The Bomber, re-leased in 1998, was the result of a crimenovel competition, which Liza thought shewould have a good chance of winning. Fe-male crime writers simply did not exist inSweden at that time, but it was not just ahappy coincidence, as Liza had alreadydecided to give crime fiction a go by then.

“It was a political decision as I had seena gap in the market,” she explains. “TheBomber was far from a success when itcame out, only 4,000 copies were printed.My publisher was doubtful, as there was astrong feministic undertone to the book.Soon after I was invited to a talk show ontelevision and the sales figures suddenlywent up.”

No rest for Sweden’s number one crimeauthor

Liza has produced 12 books in 12 years,eight of them featuring her most famouscharacter, Annika Bengtzon. Marklund'sliterary debut came in 1995 with Gömda(Buried Alive), also known as The MariaEriksson novels. These caused a real stiras it brought up unknown issues withinSwedish society. Partly based on a truestory, the book is about a woman who isabused by her boyfriend and forced intohiding. It has become one of the bestsellingbooks of all times in Sweden. A secondbook in the series, Asylum Granted, waspublished in 2004. It describes how MariaEriksson is forced to flee abroad with herfamily, when she is granted asylum in the

Author, publisher, journalist, columnist and goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. Herbooks have sold over 11 million copies in 30 languages to date. The majority of usknow her as the blonde crime author, and recently Liza Marklund visited London topromote her latest crime novel The RedWolf, and appeared at this year’s ScandinaviaShow.

“The long and dark wintersdefinitely have some kind ofmagic about them, what elseis there to do than developcreativity?”


United States on grounds of domestic vio-lence. The story received a lot of attentionin Sweden, and was even debated in theSwedish Parliament.

Last year Liza was planning a well de-served break with the intention of studyingSpanish for a year, when she was con-tacted by American crime author JamesPatterson, who had read all of Marklund’sbooks and was interested in a collabora-tion. The result, The Postcard Killers, wasreleased in January earlier this year.

“I thought about if for let's say one secondand then I said sure, I would love to! Itturned out to be a very successful collab-oration, with few hiccups along the way,and a great experience.”

The Postcard Killers reached number oneon the New York Times best-seller list,making Liza the second Swedish authorever to have reached the top spot; the firstbeing Stieg Larsson with his MillenniumTrilogy. Liza has now released her fifthbook in the Annika Bengtzon series, TheRed Wolf. There is simply no rest for thisbusy author.

Secret to success

It is no secret that Sweden is the proudproducer of a number of successful crimeauthors. I ask Liza to shed some insighton this.

“First of all, we’re all privileged to havebeen brought up in a stable democraticsociety. Take South America as an exam-

ple of an opposite, where there is no suchthing as crime fiction. If you have grownup in a society handling violence and evil,then you have no need to reflect uponthese subjects. We are lucky to have beenwell educated with the freedom and rightto criticize our own society. Also, the longand dark winters definitely have somekind of magic about them, what else isthere to do than develop creativity?”

Liza Marklund shares her time betweenMarbella in the south of Spain and Stock-holm these days. She is currently workingon the next book in the Annika Bengtzonseries. Swedish production company Yel-low Bird, together with TV4, Nordisk Filmand the German ARD Degeto, has begundeveloping a series of films based on herbooks about Annika Bengtzon. And as ifthat was not enough, she is also puttingtogether an anthology of journalistic workfrom the past 25 years, which will be re-leased in March 2011. Her series aboutAnnika is soon coming to an end after 12successful but intense years.

“We need a break from each other,” shesays and smiles. “We are both tired!”

Last question, did she ever manage totake that course in Spanish after all?“Si, Hablas español?” she says with a grin.


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A weekend full of Scandinavian design,travel, food, fashion & funThe Scandinavia Show 2010 took place at the Olympia Conference Centre on 9-10 October. And what an event it was!The exhibitors turned up in full force with cheerful expectancy and boxes full of Scandinavian quality goods. Nobodyknew really what to expect, as this event was the first of its kind in the UK, but all our doubts were quickly swept away,when we saw a queue gathering outside the centre on Saturday at 10am – and this was only the beginning.

By Nia Kajastie | Photos: Yiannis Katsaris

On Saturday, as the day went on, thecrowd just kept on pouring in. We were de-lighted and amazed by the enthused visi-tors crowding the exhibitor stands. Big in-stant hits included: Norwegian waffles atthe Norwegian Church’s stand, SwedishRekorderlig Cider, Finlandia Vodka cock-tails, frikadeller fromMadsen Restaurant,rye bread from the Finnish Church, cin-namon buns from Scandinavia Kitchenand many more.

But after the first impulse to taste andsmell the tempting Scandinavian flavoursand aromas was overcome, the visitorscontinued onwards to the design sectionfull of exciting pieces of Scandinavian in-genuity. I must confess that a lot of theitems at the Skandium stand had alreadypreviously found their way into my home –there are just some classic pieces ofNordic design that no one should have tolive without, including Iittala’s elegant

Maribowls that come in multiple differentcolours. Other exciting design and fashionexhibitors included Ekornes, Orrefors,Kozi Kids, Nordic Elements, BoConcept,Bang & Olufsen etc. There was some-thing for everyone!

And for the Scandinavia enthusiasts whowanted to go on to experience the realthing first-hand, all the different Nordictourist boards where there to help plan


perfect holidays to Denmark, Sweden,Norway, Finland or Iceland.

One of the highlights of the Saturday en-tertainment programmewas definitely thefashion show, which was witnessed by afull auditorium of visitors andmembers ofthe press. It was a gorgeous show that ex-ceeded all our expectations, and we havethe fashion show organisers, Wild Swans,and sponsors, PANDORA, to thank for that.

Our celebrity visitors on Saturday includedcrime writer Liza Marklund and Danishchef Trina Hahnemann, who were bothable to fully capture the attention of ourvisitors. Hahnemann’s cooking demon-strations were a big hit with everyone.

Sunday began on a quieter note, but bynoon the corridors were once again jam-packed with bright and happy faces insearch of the best things that Scandinaviahas to offer. The children were cautiouslyapproaching the Vikings and their en-campment, while the adults were mes-

merised by the Clas Ohlson presentationsand prize giveaways, managed by noneother than Big Brother 1 winner CraigPhillips.

The number of visitors that we ended upwith was simply remarkable (4900 alto-gether) and further emphasised the in-

terest and curiosity that people have inBrand Scandinavia. If there was a down-side, then it might have been that the ex-hibition space just was not big enough:people wanted more exhibitors and morespace to roam around in. This is, ofcourse, a blessing in disguise, as it meansthat next year’s event will be even biggerand better.

Show Directors Thomas Winther andMads Petersen sum up the event: “Wewere positively surprised when the man-agement at Olympia told us that duringThe Scandinavia Show the ConferenceCentre was the busiest they could re-member it being. They also told us that wewould need a bigger venue next year.”

Thank you to all the great exhibitorsand our wonderful sponsors for all theirsupport. And see you again next year!

www.scandinaviashow.co.uk


Scan Magazine | Design | We Love This

We love this... By Julie Guldbrandsen

December is just around the corner, and so it’s time to start preparing for the coziest month of the year. Light somecandles and cuddle up with a warm throw and a good book to begin with…

Tea and Coffee CosyKeep your teapot warm with this fun cosy by ByNord. £49.95 at www.nordicelements.com

Leather StarsCool star decorations in leatherwith ceramic pearl and silver disc.£9.50 at www.nordicelements.com

Knitted ThrowLovely soft hand-knittedthrow in cotton. £157 fromwww.nordicelements.com.

Tine K NapkinsLarge and thick organicnapkins by Tine K - perfectfor a dinner plate. There are50 in each packet.£10 at www.wild-swans.com

Tine K - Xmas CandleThe customary Scandinavian‘calendar candle’ is a lovelyDecember tradition. Light it everyday, and burn one numberat a time till the 24th.£16 at www.wild-swans.com

Tree Bomb Thermo MugA very pretty thermo mug with gold tree print.£19.95 at www.95percentdanish.com


Scan Magazine | Design | Fashion Diary

Fashion Diary... Cooler DaysThere are so many cool new winter items in the shops right now. From fair isle knits to sexy leather (a great combiby the way) and feminine blouses. Get started with these Scandi-chic pieces. By Julie Guldbrandsen

These rabbit fur mittens fromOnstagewill add a luxe touch toyour outerwear ensemble.App. £106. www.onstage.dk

Black suede ankle bootswith wedge heels and lacedetailing by SofieSchnoor.

App. £155 atwww.schnoor-shop.dk

Blouses are back – big time.Sheer beige blouse by Weekday.App. £40 at www.weekday.se

A simple and classic coat in a warm winecolour by Diana Orvingfor Weekday.App. £135 at www.weekday.se

A leather skirt really is amust this season. One of themost versatile items and itwill last forever. A-lineleather skirt by Acne, £475at shop.acnestudios.com

Knit is it! Snow sweater by Weekday.App. £45 at www.weekday.se


Scan Magazine | Design | Oiva Toikka

Toikka is best known for his designs for theIittala glass birds range. This humble andextraordinaryman has created no less than700 birds over the last 35 years. The soon-to-be 80 year old designer is celebrating 50years with his design company Iitalathroughout 2010. The Notting Hill basedVessel Gallery recently presented Toikka’sartworks and is the first gallery to presenthis glassware collection internationally.The exhibition included every single glassbird creation, each bird individually mouthblown and unique and sought after by col-lectors globally. We had a chance to meetMr Toikka to talk about his long career.

Oiva was born on a farm in Karelia, near Vi-ipuri in eastern Finland.He started off work-ing for the pottery factory Arabia; he thentook a job as an art teacher in Finnish Lap-land, something he truly enjoyed. But Oivahas also worked in performing arts, anddesigned stage settings and costumes foroperas and plays for the Finnish NationalOpera. For a few years he worked as pro-fessor at Konstfack, the University Collegeof Arts Crafts and Design in Stockholm.

“All the jobs I’ve had have been creative,and I’ve enjoyed all of them. I like the idea

of working within a team, creating some-thing unique together,” says Oiva.

We carry on talking about what makes hiswork unique compared to other glass de-signers.

“I never know what my end product is go-ing to turn out to be; it all happens in theheat of the moment and that is a part ofthe excitement. Nor do I throw any of mycreations away; there is beauty in all ofthem, and one day they might suddenlydevelop a use,” says Oiva.

“I think this part of me makes me uniqueas a glass designer, we can be quite a vaincrowd of people and we don’t normallylike to admit our mistakes,” he adds.

Oiva has received numerous awards,among them the Lunning Prize, Pro Fin-landia Medal, the World Glass Now 85Award, the Kaj Franck Design Prize andthe Prince Eugen Medal.

Today Oiva is a so-called pensioner, butwork has far from ended for this busyman,and he is planning to carry on blowingglass for as long as he feels inspired. Next

year Helsinki is Design Capital of theworld, whichmeansmore new challenges.

France, Holland and Japan are next onOiva’s destination list. He enjoys travellingand in particular coming to London.

“I like theway theBrits are and thepolitewayyou talk to each other here. I‘m being verywell looked after; London is an amazing andinspiring city,” he sums up with a smile.

Designs as clear as crystalOiva Toikka is a household name in Finland and renowned worldwide for his unique and huge contribution to Finnishart glass over the past half century. By Emelie Krugly | Photos: Press photos/Courtesy of Vessel Gallery

For more information visitwww.vesselgallery.com/oivatoikkawww.iittala.com

Oiva Toikka

crystallighting.netThe UK’s leading retailer of Orrefors

and Kosta Boda crystal lighting.

Contemporary, classic, timeless, expressive.


She has dressedMadonna, designed car-pets for IKEA and shown her furniture atmajor international design shows. Basedin Copenhagen, this Swedish fashion de-signer now creates a buzz around hercolourful, patterned, original creations.For Maxjenny Forslund there are noboundaries. Rather the opposite.

Since graduating from the Danish Schoolof Design in Copenhagen in 2003, she hasbeen in great demand for her avant-gardecreations. Starting out as a furniture de-signer with a range of tactile products in-cluding carpets, textiles and furniture,Maxjenny Forslund is today one of Scan-dinavia´s most innovative new fashion de-signers.

You could say that her career was meantto be. Born and raised in the small villageVik in the Swedish countryside in Scania,and now residing in the bustling metrop-olis Copenhagen, this 36-year-old autodi-dact grew up in a very creative home. Her

mother, Margareta Forslund, is a tex-tile/clothes designer and her father, OweJohansson, an industrial designer and sil-versmith. Strong-willed already as a child,Maxjenny chose to go her own way andhas managed to create a completelyunique style under her eponymous brandMAXJENNY.

She describes her design as innovativeand feminine, timeless and generouswithout losing that high fashion touch.Her specialty is experimenting with thefabric’s own will, bringing forward boldgraphic shapes and drapings that en-hance and embellish the female body. Nordoes this multi-creator fear strong ac-centuating colours or using sustainablematerial or printing techniques such asdye sublimation and screen printing.

And she is a busy lady. Barely havingclosed last season, trying to complete thesales for the coming spring, and in themidst of ordering fabric for the autumn

2011, Maxjenny Forslund finds herself in aeuphoric state of mind.

What drives you in your work?

I want to invent that “soup bowl” again.There are somany designers making stuffthat we’ve seen already, they just add anew touch to it. Of course there are dis-tinguishing shapes in my design too, but Iwant to make new things. You have tochallenge yourself all the time. But it isnot easy!

Every designer has their own creativeprocess. Tell us about yours!

Our collections run continuously and arenot seasonal and that feels very liberating.I start by looking at previous collectionsand pick parts that I like. This forms thesmall basis which is the hotbed for thecoming collection. Then you just startadding to it.

We drape the fabric straight on to the layfigure or the body and see how it moves. I

Maxjenny Forslund: To the maxBy Jenny Olsson | Photos: Maxjenny Forslund

In the middle: Maxjenny Forslund surrounded by her designs.


try to work as “voluminously” as possiblewith wings and flounces, and then com-bine it with something really tight. I thinkvolume is very beautiful.

You have designed a collection madepurely out of old PET bottles. What areyour thoughts on recycling and sustain-ability?

Already from the beginning I started work-ing with extremely durablemodels, shapesand fabric. So, that is not new to me. Re-cycled material is a really interesting areawhere I constantly search for new mate-rial. I work with highly technical, intelligentfabric such as bamboo, coconut, fabricmade out of PET bottles or old cassettetapes. On the softer side, we adamantly tryto bring forward durable viscose togetherwith different manufacturers. We also tryto keep the wastage as low as possible.Out of left-overs from the PET fabric Imake MAXJENNY for Minis, rain ponchosfor small kids. And wemake really yummynecklaces from jersey left-overs. So every-thing sort of emerges into a higher unit.

In your design you often use strong, ac-centuated colours. What does colourmean to you?

Colour to memeans boosting myself, get-ting that energy. In our jackets and coatswe use a lot of colour but we also have a

black collection with only black and gray.Myself, I almost exclusively wear black, butI think it is absolutely smashing to combineit with a dashing hot colour on your shoes,your coat or your lips. Colour is invigorat-ing, energizing, and we need that.

For spring/summer 2011, wings, drapesand squares are the forms of inspiration.Tell us more about the MAXJENNY col-lection soon to be out.

We continue on the chosen route. Therewill be a lot of beautiful black; we’veadded a really nice creamy grey nuance.

We’ve got blue and red. In the jackets wehave added two large prints, one kaleido-scope and one zebra à la MAXJENNY,which looks really hot. It is still my lineswith a lot of volume and draping. Aes-thetical yet a bit crazy. I am devoted to mydesign and I don’t think I will ever stop thisconcept.

QUIRKY FACTS ABOUTMAXJENNY FORSLUND

• Maxjenny’s big break-through came in2006 when pop icon Madonna chose hereccentric jackets and silver colouredbikinis for the video of the song “Sorry”.The year after, Maxjenny successfullylaunched her first fashion collectionunder her own name.

• Her favourite colours are bright grass-green, shocking pink and strong, shinyorange. “Nude tones are just not mything. When it gets too natural and plainit gets boring.”

• Maxjenny lives in Copenhagen, ismarried to the art director Lars Svensson

with whom she has a soon to be 3-yearold daughter. When not working sheenjoys spending time with her family,attending art exhibition openings, havinga beer and dining out, or looking forbargains at flea markets.

Shop MAXJENNY

Maxjenny Forslund’s clothes can be foundin her store Kompagni29 onKompanistraede 29 in Copenhagen.

MAXJENNY is also sold in selected storesin Denmark, Norway, Germany, Holland,UK, China, Italy, Japan and the US.

For more information visitwww.maxjenny.com


Norway is a mecca for winter activities –whether you want to see the spectacularNorthern Lights in northern Norway, skidown slopes with magnificent fjords andmountains as the perfect backdrop, ortry your hand at thrilling snow activities.Suitable for all age groups, experiencessuch as dog sledding, going on a rein-deer safari, or spending the night in oneof Norway’s Ice Hotels are extremelypopular. Most visitors wake up after a re-laxing night of sleep feeling surprisinglywarm and rested.

More than a third of Norway is above theArctic Circle and its latitude makes it oneof the best spots in the world to see theNorthern Lights – why not go in search ofAurora Borealis on board Hurtigruten, themagnificent coastal cruise, to the Lofotenpeninsula, or go skidooing at night outsideTromsø to maximise your chances. A visitto Finnmark offers a unique chance tohear the tales of Sami life around the

crackling fire in their lavvu. And remem-ber, a visit to northern Norway is onlythree hours away thanks to direct flightsfrom Gatwick to Tromsø.

The western part of Norway is called FjordNorway – with good reason. The manyfjords are the main features in a fantasticlandscape found nowhere else in theworld. In winter, the landscape is dra-matic, with snow-covered mountains andfrozen waterfalls.

Skiing is part of the Norwegian heritageand history, and we often say Norwegiansare “born with skis”. It is a great way toenjoy the spectacular mountain land-scape, and even at low altitudes and latein the season, the snow quality and quan-tity is great. The ski season usually lastssix months, and all the Norwegian resortsare known for being family-friendly andmodern.

Although the snow is the same, the re-sorts offer somewhat different experi-ences. Geilo, an old mountain town, com-bines modern facilities and varied skiingwith the charm of tradition, whereasHemsedal has been nicknamed ‘theScandinavian Alps’ for its raw and wildbeauty, with some of themost challengingskiing in Northern Europe. Beitostølen isa true family resort – the gentle, un-crowded slopes are safe and fun for be-ginners and in a stunning setting.Gaustablikk starts the season in October,with off-piste skiing off southern Norway’shighest mountain in addition to plenty ofbeginners’ slopes. From Decemberthrough April, the ski resorts in Fjord Nor-way, such as Voss and Røldal, offer excel-lent skiing at all levels.

Feel Powered by Nature in NorwayBy Visit Norway | Photo: Andrea Giubelli/Innovation Norway

For more information visit:www.visitnorway.co.ukwww.fjordnorway.com/ski

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Scan Magazine | Travel Theme | Norway

When visiting Norway, you will mostprobably get to see the spectacularNorthern Lights. “I would certainly rec-ommend ‘Hunting for the NorthernLights’ as it is an educational experi-ence,” says Henriette Bismo Eilertsen,Manager of North Adventure. “We teachguests where to go and what to look forso that if they can’t find it that day, theywill know how to find it next time.” NorthAdventure can arrange trips to take youto the best places to see this unique dis-play: this could involve an exhilaratingsafari on snowmobiles or even dog sleds.Accommodation can be arranged byNorth Adventure as well as flights andtransfers. “We do not charge more toarrange everything for the guests,” saysEilertsen. “We have a large number ofsuppliers and can offer a high level ofcustomer service. Our office is alwaysmanned which makes it easier for thecustomer should they wish to book a dogsledding activity rather than having to

wait for the sledders to come back andanswer their queries.”

While the Northern Lights are a popularactivity for most travellers, many alsochoose to spend a night in the SorrisnivaIgloo Hotel in Alta or the Snow Hotel inKirkenes. Not only are the buildings madeout of ice and snow (including the glassesin the bar!), there are also ice sculpturesdotted about and even live reindeer roam-ing around the Kirkenes Snow Hotel.

During your arctic exploration do not for-get to visit the Sami camp Karasjok, hometo the indigenous people of the arctic.More than half of the Sami population re-side in Norway and with renewed interestin their culture, there is also the opportu-nity to sample a traditional Sami mealand visit the Sami parliament.

Whether you are looking for the impres-sive Northern Lights or a breathtaking

ride through the Norwegian landscape,North Adventure will ensure your trip goessmoothly from start to finish.

North Adventure offers a unique variety of exciting winter activities in Finnmark, themost northerly point of Norway.With experienced and knowledgeable guides to show you nearly every nook and cranny of this rugged part of thecountry, Finnmark is bursting with hidden gems waiting to be explored. By Samantha Wong | Photos: North Adventure

Things to do in Finnmark

• Dog sledding• Snowmobiling• Ice fishing• Skiing• Riverboat tours• Trips to Alta Canyon• Walking• Visiting a Sami camp• Reindeer safari• Staying in the Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel• Capturing the Northern Lights• Snow bath• Snowshoeing• King crab safari• Staying in the Kirkenes Snow Hotel• Day trip to Russia

For more information visitwww.northadventure.no

Embark on a winter adventure inNorwegian Lapland’s wilderness



Named the last wilderness of Europe,the National Parks of Bardu leave youbreathless. In a few words, Bardu ismountains, lakes, rivers, forest, wilder-ness and cold. Given its geographical lo-cation, Bardu is guaranteed winters onecould only dream of with freezing tem-peratures and plenty of snow.

As a municipality without a coastline, thefocus of activities is directed inland to thevast plateaus and mountains towards theSwedish border. The spectacular land-scape is flourishing with wildlife in theNational Parks of Dividalen and Rohkun-borri. Using the river as a main means oftransport, one can reach even the mostsecluded places for that perfect momentof peace in the wild.

Trout and char

Fjellguiden is a team of local guides whonavigate you up the streams and rivers

and happily point out the great fishingspots. At the lakes of Altavatn and Leina-vatn fishing flourishes in every season,and ice fishing in the winter is almost con-sidered a lifestyle.

When the lakes and rivers freeze over, thesnowmobiles take over from the boats totake you to those out-of-reach places. Anddriving past snow-covered mountains isan experience in itself. “Fjellguiden cre-ates a unique experience for visitors,” ex-plains Sigurd Sørensen from Visit Bardu.“One can’t get that far out into the wilder-ness without local knowledge.”

The excitement of fishing for trout andchar in the Bardu River and seeing whatyou might get for dinner is an adventure.Trout weighing more than two kilogramsand char weighing around one kilogramare not uncommon. Sørensen explainsthat the local tour operator works with

hotels and has cabin rental to secure to-tal comfort for those visiting.

Hunting

Villmarkstur is another local tour opera-tor that also tailor-makes that exceptionalwinter experience. As an area flourishingwith wildlife such as bear, glutton (thewolverine Gulo gulo) and lynx and maybeeven wolves, the setting is superb forwildlife hunting. “Depending on the sea-son, the guides take you out and intro-duce you to Norwegian wildlife and fauna,”says Sørensen.

Hiking in the mountains is just as much awinter activity as a summer one, andmountain top hiking is a popular sport forexperiencing stunning views and endlesshorizons. Trips are made easy by usingsnowmobiles to navigate through themountains and get to places it would takehours to walk to.

A close encounter with wolvesBy Anette Berve | Photos: Visit Bardu

As fishing is considered the national sportof the North, Villmarkstur also offers achance to cast a line and try your luck.Withlakes such as Altevatnet and Leina justwaiting to be visited, dinner is not far away.

Dancing with wolves

In the world’s northernmost wildlife park,Polar Zoo, the encounter with Arcticwildlife is that of a closer kind.

“The term zoo is a bit misleading,” saysSørensen. “There are no cages, justfences around their natural habitat, soone is not always guaranteed to see all thedifferent animals. If you are lucky, thereare bears, moose, reindeer and arctic foxamongst others to see.”

A very personal meeting with wolves isthe park’s main feature. With a socialisedwolf pack, visitors can enter the closedarea and come up close to the wolves.Here, the normally people-shy and fearedbeast has been tamed and grown accus-tomed to people. “One can even get a wetwolf kiss,” says Sørensen. “It’s a realgoose bump experience”.

In addition the park offers photo safaris insome of the closed areas for those whowish to get even closer and practise ahobby that usually requires a great deal ofpatience. Here, that perfect shot of a bearis closer than you think.

As darkness approaches fast in the park,torches are lit to create just the right at-mosphere, and a late night meeting in thedark with the wolves is sure to be an ex-perience that will stay with you forever.

For more information visit:www.visitbardu.nowww.fjellguiden.netwww.villmarkstur.netwww.polarzoo.no




North of the Arctic Circle, in a valley closeto Dividal National Park, lies BjörnKlauer Huskyfarm, a true gateway to theNorwegian wilderness. The farm hasbeen running for 22 years now and spe-cialises in guided husky sled tours thattake you to unspoilt and otherwise un-reachable territories. It is all aboutseclusion from technology and any otherinterference, as well as experiencing theserenity of this spectacular part of theworld with a hands-on approach: some-thing for all adventure lovers.

Over 20 years ago, Björn Klauer, a Ger-man outdoor enthusiast, took it upon him-self to spend a whole year on a 3,500 kmhiking tour from Oslo to Kirkenes nearthe Russian-Norwegian border. For thelast 1,000 km of his journey, he was ac-

companied by a husky. When he decidedto settle in northern Norway together withhis wife Regina Elpers, it came naturallyto them that they would start working withthe dogs. The huskies have also helpedrealise some more of Klauer’s outdoordreams, as in 2001 he organised andguided an international expedition overthe main island of Spitzbergen. Long ex-peditions over a distance of 1,000 km overfour weeks are still part of the tour pro-gramme.

“The dogs are working animals, ourfriends and part of the team,” explainsElpers, who is also originally from Ger-many. “They help us reach places we nor-mally couldn’t, as snowmobiles aren’t al-lowed here. Instead you get to remoteplaces by dog sledding or skiing. The dogs

give us the possibility to go very far outinto nature for days or even weeks, asthey help carry supplies. There is no extrasupport from anyone else once we’re outin the wilderness. It is a great experienceto get to work so closely with the dogs.”

A winter wonderland for theactive traveller

The Huskyfarm offers an authentic out-door experience for all travellers, whowish to be active in nature. “You will notjust be sitting in a sled with bells ringing,while the dogs do all the work. However,there is no need to be the most experi-enced sportsman out there either. Youjust have to enjoy taking care of yourselfand working in a team together with thedogs. You will also be warming up thesnow to get your water and cutting your

Björn Klauer HuskyfarmAn authentic outdoor experience in the mountains of the Northern wildernessBy Nia Kajastie | Photos: Björn Klauer Huskyfarm


own wood, which makes it a very specialoutdoor experience. It’s very importantfor people to understand this side of it,”says Elpers.

The tours can last anywhere from fivedays to four weeks, and the size of onecamp is normally around five people plusthe guide, which makes six sleds alto-gether pulled by about 45 huskies. In theawe-inspiring Norwegian landscape ofsteep mountain ranges and rich woods,the possibilities for exploration are end-less, as the tours do not follow any presettrails.

The farm offers a range of different typesof longer tours with, for example, daytripsand family packages. You can also stay atthe farm itself and enjoy nature from acomfortable base camp. You can go onday tours on snowshoes, skis or with thedogs. And the family holidays are espe-cially designed to create a safe retreat fullof fun activities for the little ones as wellas the grown-ups.

Nature calling

Lonely nature and the varied, rough land-scapes in the very north of northern Eu-rope might not seem like a hospitableplace to settle down. But many peoplehave fallen in love with this fascinatingand peaceful part of the world and de-cided to stay there, including Björn Klauerand Regina Elpers. Their farm is locatedat the end of a valley together with a hand-ful of private holiday cabins, but beyondtheir little retreat, it is the wilderness thatprevails. It is the perfect setting for a trulyauthentic outdoor experience.

The Björn Klauer Huskyfarm islocated 60 km from the closest airport(Bardufoss). A holiday package includespickup from the airport. You can reachBardufoss by flying via Oslo.

For more information and details onholiday packages, please visit:www.huskyadventure.com

Björn Klauer and Regina Elpers



Svalbard, an archipelago in the Arctic andthe northernmost part of Norway, isabout midway between mainland Nor-way and the North Pole. Here live no lessthan 3,000 polar bears in a symbiosiswith the 2,500 people who reside in thisfar corner of Norway. Experiencing theoutdoors in Svalbard will make you feelsmall in comparison to the mighty arcticlandscape.

Constance Andersen is the Tourism Co-ordinator of Svalbard Reiseliv AS, a desti-nation company established in 2001. Sheimmigrated to Norway from the Nether-lands in 1970 because of her fascinationwith the climate and culture of Svalbard,which has been her home since 1999. Itwas love at first sight, although life in thismighty winter wonderland can be chal-lenging.

“It was the Northern Lights that drew meto this part of the world. It’s a magical

place to live in, although the long winterperiod can be testing at times,” she says.From 14 November until the beginning ofFebruary there is no daylight. This is whenyou can experience the winter and polarnight. “It's hard to describe life up here,you need to experience it with your owneyes,” Constance adds.

As the sun returns around 8 March inLongyearbyen, the days become increas-ingly longer, and by 19 April, the midnightsun has returned. People from all overthe world travel to Svalbard to experiencedog sledding, hiking, skiing, snowmobilesafaris and kayaking, with possibilities ofseeing polar bears and walruses, al-though a walrus is quite a rare sight, ac-cording to Constance Andersen.

There is a wide range of tour alternativesavailable in Svalbard. It is possible to com-bine activities; in some cases these tourscan last several days.

The winter season offers opportunities forcombining, for example, longer skiingtrips with snowmobile or dog sleddingtransport. To ascend Svalbard's highestpeaks by ski may be a dream for some,whilst others prefer to explore the winterwonderland with dog teams or snowmo-biles.

In terms of accommodation, there isplenty to choose from: everything fromsmall, cosy guesthouses to full-service,high quality hotels.

Accommodation is also available at Is-fjord Radio, in the Russian settlements ofBarentsburg and Pyramiden, or on a boatfrozen in the ice.

Svalbard – Experience a new universeBy Emelie Krugly | Photos: Svalbard

For more information visitwww.svalbard.net


At 70°degrees north, the mighty Lyn-gsalps provide a breathtaking backdropto any wilderness experience. Enjoyingthe view fromyour picturesque, red rorbu,the Norwegian fisherman’s hut, can bequite a morning treat in Lyngen. With theclear and quiet fjord on one side and steepmountain ranges on the other, you shouldnot have to choose which you prefer.

In the winter, northern Norway is knownfor the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealisas they are also called. Lyngen Havfiskeand Tursenter organize trips to experi-ence the phenomenon with the majesticLyngenalps as the background. “The lightsare very strong over the mountains, andthere is an excellent chance to see them,”explains Laila-Anita Westby.

Scooter ride with a twist

The Lyngsalps are a great setting for anywinter sport, whether it be cross-country

skiing, extreme off-piste or hiking in themountains. “Especially exciting aremoun-tain top hikes for an even better experi-ence of the amazing views,” Laila contin-ues.

For the average thrill-seeker a snowmo-bile ride between the mountains in allwhite terrain is the perfect way to take inthe scenery. With seemingly endlesstracks, local guides can take you far intothemountain terrain and show you hiddentreasures.

An activity that is proving very popular isbeing pulled by the snowmobile while oncross-country skis. “It is a fun and differ-ent way to see the mountains, and notthat difficult,” Laila explains.

Ice fishing

During winter, the bottom of the fjordfreezes over and becomes ideal for ice

fishing. Equipped with an ice drill and lo-cal knowledge of where and how to fish,you are almost guaranteed a catch. To gostraight from the comfort of your rorbu tothe ice and return with your freshly caughtdinner for you to prepare yourself, is agreat way to unwind and leave stress andhassle behind.

“At Lyngen you are so close to nature, sur-rounded by peace,” Laila says. With a 1 ½hour drive from Tromsø and collaboratingwith Nordic Gran Hotel in Tromsø, yoursearch for serenity is complete.

Now, will it be catching you own fish fordinner, skiing behind a snowmobile orwatching the Northern Lights? Why not tryall three?

Lyngen Havfiske Og Tursenter– The Norwegian Alps By Anette Berve | Photos: Lyngen Havfiske

For more information and details, visitwww.lyngenhavfiske.no



For dog lovers and adventure seekers,Tromsø Villmarkssenter offers the ulti-mate dog sledding experience. Based onKvaløya Island, approximately 24km fromTromsø, Norway, Managers and experi-enced dog sled racers, Tove Sørensenand Tore Albrigtsen, welcome you totheir centre which is home to 250huskies.

Specialising in dog sledding, Tromsø Vill-markssenter is home to Tove Sørensenand Tore Albrigtsen, who recently tookpart in the Finnmarkrace, Europe’s tough-est dog sledding race. “We have bothraced for 15 years and generally race atleast once a year,” explains Sørensen. “Weare very experienced and the centre is oneof the oldest and biggest around.”

For a taster session, why not embark on ahusky day trip? You get the opportunity

either to drive a team of canine friends orride on a sledge driven by one of the cen-tre’s guides. “We pick up guests and pro-

vide warm clothing before going out toride with the huskies,” says Sørensen.“Afterwards you get a chance to meet thedogs, have lunch or dinner in a traditional

Sami tent and listen to the guides whohave plenty of stories to tell about theNorthern Lights and Sami people.”

If you are after a thrilling journey, TromsøVillmarkssenter also organise five-daydog expeditions, where you get the chanceto drive your own sled with six huskiesthrough the heart of the Norwegian land-scape. “In the winter we have 24 guidesand many of the dogs have been used insledging races,” says Sørensen. “We arewell organised with lots of years of expe-rience, and we do our best to ensureeveryone has a good time.” For anyonewith an outdoor inclination, a ride throughNorway’s snowy countryside with a packof huskies is not to be missed.

Combine canine friends with speed and adventure atTromsø Villmarkssenter By Samantha Wong | Photos: Tromsø Villmarkssenter

For more information visitwww.villmarkssenter.no

Are you looking for a retreat in beautifulsurroundings? Have you always been cu-rious about Norwegian culture? Wellperhaps Tromsø Friluftsenter is what youare looking for. This is the perfect placeto experience the north of Norway and itsbeautiful scenery combined with Samiculture. Tromsø Friluftsenter is a family-oriented retreat that offers diverse ac-

tivities in a friendly environment, whichmakes customers return year after year.

Tromsø Friluftsenter is situated onKvaløya, Norway’s 5th largest island. Thecentre as it now stands started up in 2004and has been in the same family for gen-erations. The original idea behind the cen-tre was to combine a retreat with an ad-venture in beautiful Norwegian scenery,something they have without a doubt ac-complished.

Trine Risvik is a professional guide and thecurrent manager at Tromsø Friluftsenter.She says the centre is the perfect retreatfor anyone who is looking to experiencethe magical Northern Lights in a nativeculture. The centre also delivers tailor-made packages to fit anything from team-building activities to private parties. This is

also the perfect spot for romance, andshe reveals that they have been witnessesto quite a few proposals over the years.

In a time of stress and hectic lifestyles,Tromsø Friluftsenter is the perfect get-away. Picture yourself on a reindeer safariacross the Norwegian landscape with theNorthern Lights painting the sky aboveyou. Wrapped in warm reindeer fur andpulled by the grand reindeers, you aresure to experience the ride of a lifetime.Intimate, genuine and cosy are words thatspring to mind, and you cannot help beingsmitten with the warmth of these people,who, with such passion, are willing toshare their culture with you.

Tromsø Friluftsenter – a place to return toBy Victoria Lagnehag | Photo: Tromsø Friluftsenter

For more information, please visitwww.tromso-friluftsenter.no

Kristian IV’s gate 12 - Tlf 22 42 66 61 - www.icebaroslo.no

EXPERIENCE BAR LIFEWITH A TWIST AT -5°

Described as a jaw-dropping, mysticalmoment, the Northern Lights never dis-appoint their audience. Situated in theperfect spot for experiencing this magi-cal phenomenon, Lyngsfjord Adventuremight just be a mystical discovery of itsown - especially if fjords, untouched na-ture and reindeer sledding are your cupof tea.

Another log is thrown onto the fire, creat-ing a crackling sound, and a tiny, glowingpiece of ember dances on top of theflames. The wind howls, and somewherein the distance an eagle screeches. Every-body is tired after a day of fjord fishing, butthe silence in the wilderness cabin is oneof excitement. Tomorrow, if the weatherforecast turns out to be right, everyonewill get to experience the Northern Lights.

“That's definitely the main reason whypeople come here, to see the NorthernLights,” says Morten Pettersen, GeneralManager of Lyngsfjord Adventure. “Youwon't see it every day, as it depends on theweather, but around three or four nightsper week. This really is the ideal place towatch them.”

Adventures for all

Founded in 2007 and situated in the Tromsregion, Lyngsfjord Adventure provides ad-venture packages all year round. It offersso called 'soft adventures', meaning thatanyone can participate and is guaranteed

to be looked after from the very momentthey arrive.

“Whether you want to stay in the comfortof a hotel in Tromsø, or spend the nightwith us in a timber cabin, or a lavvu, thetraditional Sami tent, we'll get our localchef to cook up a traditional Norwegianmeal with all locally-sourced ingredients,”says Pettersen. And as if locally-sourcedand traditional was not enough, Lyngs-fjord Adventure gives the expression 'thereal deal' a whole new meaning: forgetabout electricity and tap water; here, it isall bottled water and open fires, sur-rounded by fjords, mountains and un-touched nature.

The number of extreme sports fans whovisit Camp Tamok is on the rise, but nei-ther experience nor equipment is a mustif you want to try out some reindeer sled-ding in the winter or glacier hiking in thesummer. “Turn up in your business suit ifyou like,” says Pettersen and laughs. “Weprovide everything, including the clothes.”

Skiing fanatics will have to bring alongtheir own gear, but the circumstances


Lyngsfjord AdventureOne of the true Northern Lights ofNorway By Linnea Dunne | Photos: Lyngsfjord Adventure

“You really feel that you'rein the wilderness, far awayfrom civilisation; it's purenature, no public roads, no

street lights.”




could barely be better, whether it is down-hill or cross-country skiing that makesyou tick. For those who prefer to stick tothe programme and need a helping hand,there is no shortage of activities either:choose between snowmobile safaris,snowshoeing, husky wagon driving andmountain peak hiking to name but a few.

A success story

It is an adventure tourism business witha difference, and it has been awarded assuch. In January this year, Lyngsfjord Ad-venture bagged a Corporate Internation-alisation Scholarship of 500,000 NOK(around £55,250) for its contribution to thetourism industry in the Troms region.

Morten Pettersen, who ran his own busi-ness before joining the company two yearsago, loves his job and the lifestyle it pro-motes. “Spending so much time outdoorsand travelling a lot is great,” he enthuses.“Even more so, it's genuinely delightfulto meet so many people and look afterour guests. There's such a positive at-mosphere about it all.”

Situated about a 90 minute drive awayfrom the city of Tromsø, Lyngsfjord Ad-venture offers both one-day adventuresand package deals suitable for couplesand families as well as larger groups.Though handy to get to, Camp Tamok ben-efits from complete isolation. “Nowhereelse in the world is like this,” says Pet-tersen. “You really feel that you're in thewilderness, far away from civilisation; it'spure nature, no public roads, no streetlights.”

Perhaps it is, after all, the best of bothworlds. Few types of scenery havemore ofa “wow” factor than the arctic mountainsand fjords of Norway, and what could bebetter than curling up in a warm bed inone of Tromsø's stylish hotels after a dayof dog sledding? Add to that the NorthernLights or the midnight sun, and you mightjust start to wonder if you have foundyourself a slice of heaven.

For more information, please visithttp://lyngsfjord.com/



Region Arctica is an EU-financed projectthat brings together tourism operatorsand companies from the northern areasof Finland, Sweden and Norway. Run-ning from the summer of 2009 until theend of 2011, the project aims to raiseawareness of the area as a tourist desti-nation, as well as to create a bond be-tween small to medium-sized tourismcompanies in the north of all three coun-tries.

“There has always been some cooperationbetween tourism operators in the Nordiccountries across the borders. However,this project aims to bring some new ac-tors together and make the cooperationstronger,” says Project Manager LauraVilander. “The project and the Nordic part-nership it provides add a lot of extra valueto the tourism in the area for entrepre-neurs as well as their customers.”

“The distances between the borders ofeach country are very short, so you canpretty much travel to each country withinone day. However, the scenery changesquite drastically, from the rounded Finnishmountain landscapes to the Norwegianfjords surrounded by steep cliffs,” sheadds.

The municipalities taking part in this ini-tiative are Muonio and Enontekiö in Fin-land, Kiruna in Sweden, and eight muni-cipalities from the Troms and Finnmarkcounties in Norway. With the help of thedifferent companies that are a part of theproject, Region Arctica offers nature-lov-ing tourists an amazing holiday packagethat can take you to each country for aspecial experience, whether it is a huskysafari, a night snowmobile safari to huntfor the Northern Lights or a cultural visitto a Sami village.

“The project creates more trading possi-bilities for local companies and increasestheir opportunities to grow and expand.It’s all about holiday packages that go be-yond the borders of just one Nordic coun-try. The project also organizes interna-tional press trips and tour operator visits,and without EU-support, this would not bepossible,” explains Vilander.

Region Arctica – A truly Nordic collaborationBy Nia Kajastie | Photos: Region Arctica

For more information, please visit:www.regionarctica.com

Contact information:Project ManagerLaura VilanderEnontekiön Kehitys OyTel. +358 (0) 40 183 2915Email: [email protected]/reagionarctica

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Arctic Adventure Tours offer you a once-in-a-lifetime wilderness experience en-suring that you have an adventure youwill never forget.

“We are the total entrepreneur of wilder-ness expeditions north of the Polar CircleI dare to say,” states Per Thore, co-founder of AAT. Alongside his wife, theystarted an arctic adventure tour companybased on their passion for nature and adesire to share their excitement for thearctic wilderness with others. “We are allvery experienced guides and have muchfun doing what we do,” Per explains.

Having a go at steering a dog sled is oneof the few things you can try out while vis-iting. Per will gladly put you in charge andteach you how to manage the powerfulhuskies through the snow. “Most peoplewho declined steering the sled them-

selves usually regret it afterwards. It’sgreat fun,” Per adds.

Though the days are short in winter, thetrips are just as special, as sliding throughthe powder snow becomes even moremysterious as the light dims and the dark-ness approaches.

“For those apprehensive about taking thewheel, there is the option of sitting up frontand just taking in the scenic view,” saysPer. “For couples, it’s great. The missuscan relax and stay warm under a thickblanket and let her man do the steering.”Besides husky rides, AAT offers kayak trips,hiking and longer expeditions through themost stunning scenery in Europe.

Arctic Adventure Tours – Take The LeadBy Anette Berve | Photo: Mark Hannaford

For more information, please visitwww.arcticadventuretours.no

Tour operator Arctic Pathfinder was es-tablished in the spring of 2005 by OwnerAnja Jenssen, who has eight years of ex-perience in the industry. Jenssen be-lieves specifically in tailoring all prod-ucts and tour packages to the exactspecifications of the customer. ArcticPathfinder is a small operator with acutelocal knowledge regarding the best ac-tivities and accommodation that Tromsøand its surrounding areas have to offer.

In order to experience arctic Scandinaviathe authentic way, you need the help ofthe locals. Arctic Pathfinder is able to of-fer its customers just that, as they usesmall local suppliers and run some of theactivities themselves.

“For example, we can take you kicksled-ding on a search for the Northern Lights.

We’ll take you on a tour into the woods, andfinally relax at an open fire, grillingsausages and roasting marshmallows,”says Jenssen. “Other Northern Light toursinclude an evening boat cruise, which willtake you further away from the city lights.We’ve been able to see theNorthern Lightsfor around three hours this way. You canalso chase them by car on a jeep safari.”

Arctic Pathfinder cooperates with RegionArctica when planning tours and pro-grammes into Finland and Sweden. InNorway, they can take you on excursions

to little fishing villages or even small is-lands off the coast. The opportunities fordifferent holiday packages and activitiesare endless, and Jenssen and her col-leagues are happy to help you put togetheryour perfect arctic adventure.

Arctic Pathfinder – Experience Arctic Scandinavia your wayBy Nia Kajastie | Photo: Anja Jenssen

For more information, please visit:www.arcticpathfinder.noAlso follow their daily blog, whichintroduces you to the NorwegianSanta “Nissen”:http://arcticpathfinde.livejournal.com

Arctic Pathfinder is a member of theReisegarantiforndet (www.rgf.no),which offers a guarantee and securityfor travellers. It is also a legalnecessity for tour operators.

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SvinøyaRorbuer –BasecampLofoten is yourplace to stay for theultimate short breakad-venture which will tantalize all your senses.How about a nature safari by big boat, to getcloser to the elements, to be amazed by thearctic light and towatch the seaeagleswhenthey grab the fish just a few metres fromyou. Remember to keep your eyes open fortheorcasaswell. Perhaps youare looking foraskiingdestinationwithadifference instead?TheLofotenAlps are someof Europe’smostspectacular mountains. This is the placewhere you can go skiing down some of thesteepest peaks imaginable. Lofoten IslandsandSvinøyaRorbuerHotel arewhere it all re-ally happens and 300,000 visitors every yearcan vouch for that.

Picturesque Svinøya Rorbuer Hotel is sit-uated on the island of Svinøya in the har-

bour of the main town of The Lofoten Is-lands, Svolvær.

“The wild nature and the mysterious won-ders will mesmerise you,” says AndersLøvik, born and raised in the area. He hasan everlasting love for his home and hasbeen a part of the team Svinøya Rorbuer- Basecamp Lofoten since 2003. “Nothingcompares to the surroundings and naturehere, the light and silence you can expe-rience are unmatched. I've travelled andlived elsewhere for a few years but this iswhere I truly belong.”

From October until March, you can takepart in the “Winter Lofoten Nature Sa-fari”, a spectacular outdoor experience. Avariety of sea birds and seamammals canbe observed, and you will witness the

biggest population of white tailed sea ea-gles in the world

Discover Svinøya in the wintertime

Svinøya is the oldest district of the townwhere trading activities began in 1828.During the early 19th century, a row ofcabins was built to accommodate the vis-iting fishermen during the Lofoten wintercod season. These cabins have been re-stored to perfection and include from oneto three double bedrooms, a well-equipped kitchen-cum-lounge, and amodern bathroom with shower and toilet.One of these 30 cabins could potentially beyour home during your stay in this exoticpart of the world. Located between thefish landing station, quayside buildings,fish racks and other traditional localbuildings, here you can enjoy the sea on

Svinøya Rorbuer – do something differentThe Lofoten Islands are without doubt one of the most amazing, unspoilt regions in the world. Far out in the NorthAtlantic Ocean, Lofoten is an archipelago on the North West coast of Norway just north of the Arctic Circle. Lofotenis one of those hidden, secret places on Earth with an untouched coastline and pristine clear beaches, wheremountainsmeet sea, and there aremillions of tons of fish and an incredible wildlife. The Lofoten Islands are as closeto an environmental paradise as you can get.

By Emelie Krugly | Photos: Svinøya Rorbuer


one side, and the spectacular Lofotenmountains on the other.

The peak season to visit this wondrousplace is during the summer, but AndersLøvik and his colleagues have focused onattracting visitors during the wintertimeas well.

“Coming to Lofoten in the wintertime is adifferent experience altogether and is rec-ommended for the advanced traveller; itrequires research and experience as theclimate can be challenging, as well as theadjustment to the limited hours of daylight.”

British actress Joanna Lumley recentlypursued a lifelong dream and experiencedthe Northern Lights for herself. This pub-licity resulted in a boom in the number ofnew visitors. People travel from all cor-ners of the world to experience the famedAurora Borealis, often with a great longingto see what is said to be one of the world'smost stunning spectacles.

Anders Alsvik is in charge of the late win-ter activities, with the peak season lastingfromMarch until April, when the days arealready longer and brighter than in south-ern Europe. This is the time when snow is

guaranteed, and it is no secret that Lo-foten is the one-stop destination for alpineskiing and climbing, and a much lovedpassion for Mr Alsvik, who will guide youdown the peaks, if needed.

“Visiting Lofoten in the wintertime is verymuch more relaxed than in the summer-time, as it's less crowded and you willpretty much have the mountains to your-self,” says Alsvik.

Activities for all levels of experience

But do not worry; you can also do easyNordic cross-country skiing or snowshoetravelling in the beautiful backcountry.These are activities that also suit peoplewith little experience. Svinøya Rorbuerhas all the equipment for hire.

Svinøya Rorbuer – Basecamp Lofotenwelcomes everyone from the single trav-eller to large groups. There are excellentconference facilities and events packagesavailable for companies. Brits, Germans,Italians and French are the predominantnationalities that come to Lofoten.

Fishing is another big part of the activitiesduring the late winter and a “must” is totry the traditional cod fishing experience.

The fisheries are still of primary impor-tance for this area, and the Lofoten CodFishery has always formed the basis of ex-istence for the people here. Having theopportunity to observe these activities atclose quarters in Svinøya and, of course,to try the dried codfish, is an unforget-table experience.

For more information, please visit:www.svinoya.no

Gunnar Bergs vei 2N-8300 Svolvær+47 76 06 99 30

General information aboutThe Lofoten Islands:

Due to the temperate waters of theGulf Stream, Lofoten has a muchmilder climate than other parts of theworld at the same latitude, such asAlaska and Greenland. The coastalclimate in Lofoten makes the wintersmild and the summers relatively cool.January and February are the coldestmonths, with an average temperatureof -1°C.


Photo: John Stenersen

Watch the sea eagles as they grab the fish just a few metres from you, and remember to keep your eyes open for the orcas as well.

Clarion Collection Hotel Odin Odingatan 6, Göteborg +46 (0)31 745 22 00 [email protected] choice.se

Christmas and no space left - let your family stay with us insteadFrom 475 SEK / person

Find out more about us, visit: www.hotelodin.se

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Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova:

Where Medieval Turku meetscontemporary art By Nia Kajastie

Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova, which translatesfrom Latin as ‘old Turku’ and ‘new art’, isa museum located in the centre of Turkuthat integrates two different types oftheme. It brings together a museum ofarchaeological history as well as a mu-seum of contemporary art, and it ismain-tained by the private Matti KoivurintaFoundation.

Aboa Vetus or the ‘old Turku’ section ofthe museum is centred around the me-dieval ruins excavated in the old ConventQuarter of the city. Together with theCathedral Quarter this is one of the oldestdistricts in Turku. The area used to bepopulated by wealthy, middle-Europeanmerchants, who lived in imposing stonedwellings, which were not typical in Fin-

land at the time. Aboa Vetus is a museumthat exhibits the medieval Convent Quar-ter as well as items found in the area.

“In connection with the ruins, we have apermanent exhibition about the MiddleAges,” says Museum Director JohannaLehto-Vahtera. “In the summer, we offerguided tours in three different languages.You can also book a tour in advance. How-ever, we do also get a lot of people, whojust pop by on their own. The exhibition in-cludes a lot of material to read and listento as well as activities for children.”

The Ars Nova side of the museum con-sists of changing exhibitions and the mu-seum’s own collection of both Finnish andinternational modern and contemporary

art. The art museum’s biggest event isthe Turku Biennial Exhibition of Contem-porary Art, which takes place every alter-nate odd-numbered year.

Scan Magazine | Travel | Turku, Finland

For more information, please visit:www.aboavetusarsnova.fi


Do you long for somewhere that offersnew experiences and insights? A placewhere you can let your thoughts wanderand discover new horizons? In that caseSwedish Lapland is your next destina-tion.

Swedish Lapland is a place where naturehas been the director and created theNorthern Lights, themidnight sun, moun-tains and rivers, and other natural phe-nomena. As a visitor you will experience avariety of authentic experiences built uponthese natural wonders all year around.You can drink the water direct from therivers, and you will find the air very fresh.If you visit Swedish Lapland during thesummer or the winter, you will enjoy dif-ferent experiences, but one thing is con-

stant and that is the delicious food cookedfrom genuine local ingredients such asreindeer, elk, fish, and the exclusive Kalixwhitefish roe. The menus from SwedishLapland are frequently served at the No-bel Prize dinner and other prominent oc-casions – the true taste of Swedish Lap-land.

The region is also known for its saunaculture, where you go into a warm saunawith comfortable steam to enjoy thefriendship of others. This is a place fornew thoughts and storytelling. There isan old saying: “If schnapps, tar and asauna don’t work, death is close.”

If you arrive from a big city, you will findthe silence deafening and the darkness

during winter a completely new experi-ence. Maybe you will experience theNorthern Lights? During summer thesunlight is constantly present, and youwill experience the midnight sun, andwonder how to get to sleep – the true ad-ventures of Swedish Lapland.

There are three international airports inSwedish Lapland with flights from Lon-don, Munich, Hannover and Stuttgart, de-pending on the season, and about 14scheduled flights to Stockholm every dayall year around so it is fairly easy to travelthere.

SPECIAL TRAVEL THEME:

SWEDISH LAPLAND

Enjoy the Colours of Swedish LaplandBy Swedish Lapland | Photo: imagebank.sweden.se © Alexandre Buisse

For more information, please visit:www.swedishlapland.com

Lapland fells on the Kungsleden hiking trail, near Kebnekaise.


A visit to Mariebergs Viltfarm in Kalix inSwedish Lapland combines scenic beautywith a fascinating military history andabundant wildlife. This eco-farm and ad-venture centre offers its visitors an in-sight into the region's military gems aswell as a unique nature experience.

The Kalix line was built as a defence zoneagainst threats from the east in the yearsleading up to the Second World War and itwas classified as amilitary restricted areawell into the 90s. Anders Enström, whoruns Mariebergs Viltfarm as well as theKalix line military museum, organizesmilitary history tours in the region, whereguests get the chance to drive armouredcars and visit places such as the mines inKiruna and the Norwegian town Narvik.

“In 1940 Hitler ordered the invasion ofNarvik. His reason for invading the townwas to secure the transport of iron orefrom the mines in Kiruna. At the sametime Churchill had been planning to blowup the mines to prevent Hitler from get-ting access to them,” explains Enström.

An array of activitiesMariebergs Viltfarm is the perfect place toretreat to after your adventurous excur-sion. The eco-farm can accommodate 85people, and guests can choose whetherthey want to stay in a hotel room or one ofthe farm's modern cabins. For conferencegroups the farm has several different con-ference facilities for between 8 to 80 peo-ple. There is also a large sauna and spasection as well as a cinema.

Mariebergs Viltfarm is situated by thebeautiful and unspoiled Kalix River, whereyou can go boat fishing or ice fishing de-pending on the season.

In the game enclosure you will get the op-portunity to see deer and boars, and youcan also go on off-track adventures intracked vehicles or snowmobiles. Forhorse riding enthusiasts the farm offersequine activities all year round as well asactivities such as dog-sledding and rafting.

Locally produced food

“For guests who are looking for more of a

culinary adventure we organize wine andwhisky tasting, and the food at our restau-rants Viltkrogen and Skogskrogen is madeof locally produced organic produce,” saysEnström.

Mariebergs Viltfarm also organizes tripsto the famous ice hotel in Jukkasjärvi andthe Santa Claus village in Rovaniemi.

Mariebergs Viltfarm– an adventure out of the ordinary By Sara Schedin | Photos: Mariebergs Viltfarm

For more information, please visit:www.viltfarmen.se

Aerial view of Mariebergs Viltfarm


Scan Magazine | Travel Theme | Swedish Lapland

Furunäset Hotel & Conference, which issituated in the town of Piteå in the northof Sweden, offers its visitors a relaxingstay as well as a wonderful slice of his-tory. The hotel is beautifully located bythe Piteå River and provides a perfectsetting for both conferences and roman-tic weekends.

“The building was designed in 1887 by therenowned Swedish architect Axel Kum-lien, who is the man behind the GrandHotel in Stockholm,” says Managing Di-rector Carina Holmqvist. “The 45 roomsare very spacious with large windows andcan sleep up to 120 guests.”Furunäset arranges conferences for

anything between 2-130 participants. Thebeautiful amphitheatre hall used to be achurch and is ideal for big lectures. For

smaller groups there are seven other con-ference rooms to choose from.

The two newly decorated luxury suites,which have their own Jacuzzi, sauna andbalcony, are perfect for lovebirds and hon-eymooners.If you are looking for somewell-deserved

pampering togetherwith your friends or col-leagues, the hotel's spa offers treatmentssuch as classical massage and facials.“We arrange a wide variety of both in-

door and outdoor activities such as wine

and food tasting and snowmobile safaris.Our newest addition is the Murder at Fu-runäset,” says Holmqvist.Furunäset is situated only 3 km (a 25

minute walk) from the main pedestrianstreet in Piteå. It has a beautiful courtyardand is surrounded by a park. The hotelalso has a large car park with engine pre-heaters for the colder winter months.

Furunäset Hotel & Conference– Spa, conference and romanceBy Sara Schedin | Photos: Furunäset Hotel & Conference

For more information, please visit:www.furunasethotell.se

Ebbenjarka Conference and Activity Cen-tre is beautifully situated on its ownpromontory at Stora Antnästräsket inSwedish Lapland. Here you can experi-ence a tailored wild and exotic adven-ture, featuring crosscart, curling, driv-ing Porsche cars on ice, snowmobilesafaris and dog sledding.

Anders Englund took over the businessin 1999, but the concept had already beenrunning since 1985, making Ebbenjarkathe oldest activity centre in Sweden.Around 6000 people visit this spectacularsetting every year.“What makes us unique is the loca-

tion, which is both isolated yet also nearLuleå city, just a short distance away.Luleå and Kallax airport are only 10 min-utes away. What you get here is pure qual-ity and a perfectly tailored adventure; your

wallet decides, and we will tailor-make itfor you,” Anders Englund says. “Also,Sweden is an easy country to get aroundin as a foreigner, most people speak goodEnglish, and you also get good value foryour money.”Ebbenjarka has an impressive log-

cabin (a huge wooden Sami tepee) at thefar end of the peninsula and a restaurantthat seats up to 75 people. Ebbenjarka isfamous for its exquisite food, and it holdsa wine cellar of high quality.The sauna alone is well worth a visit

and seats an impressive 40 people. With aceiling height of 4 meters, you can enjoymagnificent panoramic views over lakeand forest. The magic of relaxing in thehot tub, where the starry sky is the roof isindescribable – and if you are lucky, thesky will be filled with the spectacularNorthern Lights.

Ebbenjarka – Quiet, wild and mysteriousBy Emelie Krugly | Photos: Ebbenjarka

For more information, please visit:www.ebbenjarka.se

Photo:M

ariaFäldt


Scan Magazine | Travel Theme | Swedish Lapland

Located in Haparanda, at the easternmostpoint on the Swedish mainland, andacross the river from Finland, Cape East issurrounded by striking nature. And fromthe seats of the world’s largest sauna orfrom their pool on the roof skydeck, youcan admire the view over Torne River andFinland on the other side.

The spa area is full of interesting detailsand quirky inventions that will delight allguests. The sauna consists of ten risingbenches with varying degrees of heat,starting with 40°C and climbing up to100°C. The sauna leads you directly intotheir large pool as well as into an icehole with 4°C water and 3cm of real iceall year round. And if the ice hole is notrefreshing enough, then why not standunder the waterfall shower that will

drench you with 100 litres of ice-cold wa-ter.

There are, of course, less extreme ways ofgetting your body to relax, as the spa of-fers beauty treatments and high-tech gymequipment, as well as several differenttypes of sauna and shower experiences.During the short winter days, you can re-treat to the top floor of the building andgaze at the stars from their warm rooftoppool – you might even catch the NorthernLights. And in the summer, you can ad-mire the awe-inspiring midnight sun fromtheir stylish pink Clicquot loveseat de-signed by Karim Rashid.

And the luxuries do not end there...

The four-star hotel at Cape East consistsof 145 rooms, with 80 new stylish double

rooms. Their largest conference room hasspace for up to 150 people with theatreseating – or 120 in classroom seating.Whereas the restaurant offers a menuthat fuses local produce with productsfrom the world's great kitchens.

And getting there? You can get a plane toLuleå Airport in Sweden or to Kemi in Fin-land, which is only 20 minutes away. “Wecan even arrange a little bit of a differentway to get to our hotel from Kemi Air-port,” explains Pozzi. “You can get an ice-breaker from Kemi harbour, and then asnowmobile drives you directly to us.”

Cape East – Enjoy the Midnight Ice“Cape East is more than just a hotel, more than a spa, more than a conference venue and more than a restaurant,” says General

Manager Jean-Paul Pozzi. It combines all of these into an exquisite lifestyle experience that offers comfort and luxury to all guests.

Midnight Ice is their latest creation, a combination of a spa and the biggest sauna in the world. By Nia Kajastie | Photos: Cape East

For more information, please visit:www.capeeast.se

On the left: Top: Pool and large sundeck made for relaxing; Bottom: Pool on the roof skydeck with views over Torne River and Finland


Ann-Louise Larsson is handing outearplugs at this year’s Scandinavia Showat Olympia together with AnnaLenaKarlsson, both Representatives fromHeart of Lapland, when I first meet them.“The sound of Lapland,” they smile toexplain.

In November, SAS is establishing a newweekly route between London Heathrowand Swedish Lapland. The new access tothis magical wonderland excites Ann-Louise and her colleague AnnaLena, as itwill add a new dimension to their work asrepresentatives for the area.

“Finally,” Ann-Louise says. “We've beenlooking forward to this for a long time!Swedish Lapland is simply about the purequality of life that hits everyone whocomes to visit us; they can't stop com-menting on how clean and how silent it isor how untouched the landscapes are. Inour corner of the world, it is all about re-

ducing stress, and we often tell our gueststo stop looking at their watches; it shouldbe all about relaxing when you get here.”

Heart of Lapland is in many ways a uniquetourist organization, consisting of five mu-nicipalities: Kalix, Pajala, Haparanda,Överkalix and Övertorneå, located be-tween the mountains and extensiveforests, grand steppes and thousands oflakes.

“We are working across borders andbringing the best out of eachmunicipality,building on unique packages and experi-ences for all ages, andmaking sure every-thing is as convenient as possible, startingfrom booking your trip online to flyingback home.”

Two powerful national rivers run throughthe area, the river Torne älv, which makesup the border between Sweden and Fin-land, and the river Kalix älv, with its world-

renowned salmon fishing. A fascinatingcultural landscape has emerged eversince the first inhabitants settled heremore than 6,000 years ago. Both riversflow out into an enchanting archipelagowith hundreds of islands and islets. Thereare many different winter packages tochoose from, for example, Arctic Circle,Cross Border, Lapland Week and Raja-maa Stugby, containing everything fromthrilling snowmobile safaris to dog sled-ding, snowshoe excursions, reindeer sledtours with a Sami, creating show sculp-tures and tracing the splendour of themagical Northern Lights, the Aurora Bo-realis, over Lapland's starry skies. Theadventure normally last 7-8 days andmost of the packages are all inclusive.Starting price is 11,170 SEK.

Heart of Lapland – Silence to be discoveredBy Emelie Krugly | Photos: Swedish Lapland

For more information and bookingonline, visit: www.heartoflapland.com


Scandinavian educational institutions areknown for the high quality of their teach-ing and learning methods. Students areencouraged to be independent, self-re-flective, diligent and critical in their work.And this applies to all schools, whether itis an international primary school or aninstitution for adult education. Scandi-navian culture and democratic way of lifemake our schools equally liberal andwelcoming. Even at international schools(or international departments), whichdraw influences from other educationalsystems, the teacher-student relation-ship is very important, as there has to bea line of communication between them.

Naturally each Nordic country has its owndistinctive school system; however, theyare all very flexible and internationally-minded. In our education theme, we haveput together a list of schools from Den-mark, Norway and Sweden, including twoScandinavian schools situated in the UK.

It is a real mixed bag of high-quality edu-cational institutions, ranging from pre-school to higher education.In Denmark, there aremultiple different

educational routes that students can followonce they finish primary school. Someschools we have profiled contain every-thing all the way up to upper secondary ed-ucation, but other options include, for ex-ample, the efterskole: a unique Danishresidential school for students from theage of 14 to 18. These schools lay greatemphasis on the personal development ofstudents and offer them a lot of tangible lifeexperience. Another specifically Danishschool is the højskole or the ‘folk highschool’, a residential school which offersnon-formal adult education. All schools,of course, offer international education insome shape or form, whether it is throughan international department or a specificprogramme.In Sweden, we have looked at schools

that offer primary education up to upper

secondary education, while in Norway, wehave put an emphasis on internationalschools from pre-school to lower sec-ondary school as well as adult education.All educational institutions provide a

typically Scandinavian way of looking atthings, as the education emphasises pro-active and fun learning that shapes thewhole human being rather than just theiracademic background.

Scandinavian education at its bestBy Nia Kajastie | Photo: imagebank.sweden.se © Johnér

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Denmark:www.eng.uvm.dkwww.efterskole.dkwww.hojskolerne.dkstudyindenmark.dk

Norway:www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/kdwww.studyinnorway.no

Sweden:www.sweden.gov.se/sb/dwww.sweden.se/eng/Home/Education

LARGETHEME:

SCANDINA

VIAN EDUCAT

ION

ATITS

BEST


Denmark is a small country lacking inhigh mountains. There are approximately5 million Danes and the highest peak inthe country is 170 metres. However, oureducational ambitions tower above andbeyond our country's borders.

The majority of Danish university coursescontain international elements. Hundredsof our courses are even taught throughEnglish, because cultural understandingand cross-border cooperation is increas-ingly crucial for both the private and pub-lic sectors.

When students today acquire new knowl-edge, they must compare it with what ishappening in the rest of the world. And itis important that higher education re-flects this.

The atmosphere at Danish universities isoften emphasised as one of the strengthsof our educational system. Teachers andstudents share an informal and close re-lationship, and group work with fellowstudents makes up a substantial part oftheir studies.

Knowledge does not halt at national bor-ders, but flows freely – and very quickly –across the internet. Similarly, I believethat students should not be limited byborders, but utilise the opportunity tostudy abroad and experience another cul-ture fromwithin. This applies to both Dan-ish and international students. Every year,almost 17,000 international studentscome to Denmark to pursue part or all oftheir studies here. Likewise, approxi-mately 8,500 Danish students travel

abroad. I would like to see that figure in-crease even more – as international co-operation has become one of the key-words for the future.

In Denmark, we focus greatly on our ed-ucational opportunities, matching theneeds of society. It means wemust have ahigh academic level, good interpersonalskills and an international perspective. Aneducation at a Danish university can onlyopen doors to an exciting future.

High level education with an international outlookInter-disciplinarity and an international focus, combined with a high academic level is the cornerstone of Danisheducation. By Charlotte Sahl-Madsen, Danish Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation | Photo: Martin Mydtskov Rønne

For more information, please visit:http://en.vtu.dk

Charlotte Sahl-Madsen, Danish Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation


The process to establish an InternationalDepartment at Viborg private Realskolewas started two years ago, when therewere still no international primary orsecondary schools accessible in CentralJutland. Themunicipality decided that inorder to assist and enhance themultina-tional businesses in the area, theyneeded an educational option for familiesmoving to Viborg from abroad. Theschool has continued to grow from thisfoundation.

In January this year, the large companiesin the area agreed to help sponsor theschool for the next three years, givinghuge financial relief to the institution thatis sorely needed in Viborg. The Interna-tional Department is an equal and inte-grated part of Viborg private Realskole, aschool with a long history and respected

standing in the community. With 580pupils, the Realskole is quite a large Dan-ish private school.

“The International Department is part ofthat school,” says Head of DepartmentJoakim Philipsen. “We share the samepremises, even though we have our ownbuilding. We share facilities, like the gymhall, creative classrooms and science fa-cilities for the youngest pupils.”

Two days a week the oldest students travelto the House of Natural Science in Bjer-ringbro for their science classes. TheHouseis a totally new and purpose-built facilitywith one clear goal: to enhance the scienceand technology skills of pupils and teachersin primary and secondary education. TheHouse, with its fantastic laboratories andlearning environment, is a hub for practis-

ing innovative science teaching: “A true giftfor our academic students,” says Philipsen.

“The link to the old private school is alsovery important, as it is crucial for foreignstudents to learn Danish and make Dan-ish friends, so they don’t feel isolatedwhen coming to Denmark. We offer themDanish lessons three times a week, andwemix them together with the Danish de-partment whenever it is possible. We wantthem to be able to speak Danish so theycan function in the community on a nor-mal level,” he adds.

Bright future and bright students

The International Department currentlyteaches 20 pupils, and there is no set up-per limit for their capacity. They are ex-pecting around 50 students next year. Theschool offers education starting from

International Departmentat Viborg private Realskole– Creating global citizens of tomorrowBy Nia Kajastie | Photos: Viborg Realskole

EDUCATION

THEME:

SCHOOLS IN

DENMARK


nursery all the way up to the IGCSEs (5-16year old pupils). At the moment the stu-dents are divided between 5 classes, with2 year groups together in one class, andout of the students approximately 2/3 areinternational and 1/3 Danish.

“As a Cambridge International Centre, thecurriculum is based on Cambridge CIE.All subjects are taught in English by qual-ified teachers. Our teaching approach,however, is very Danish. We want to cre-ate a close relationship between studentand teacher. We don’t use titles like Mrand Mrs or school uniforms. Althoughhomework and studying are important,we still want to encourage verbal com-munication between student andteacher,” explains Philipsen. “We defi-nitely also believe in multiple learningstyles. We want to figure out the best waysto do specific types of work: It could be ina comfortable chair, on a computer, in-teractively, in a group or just by listeningto the teacher. Our classrooms are built ina way that will accommodate differentlearning styles.”

The pupils from the Danish and Interna-tional departments travel together once a

year in age groups. This helps to furtherintegrate the departments as well as thepupils, and assures that everyone gets toenjoy themselves. The school especiallytargets international families who mightbe staying in Denmark for 1-3 years. How-ever, Danish children are also acceptedinto the International Department, butthere has to be a real reason or need forthis to happen. For example, the parents ofa Danish pupil might be planning onmov-ing abroad and thus need more interna-tionally-minded education for their child.

“Our objective is to be a leading academicinternational school, where students dowell and grow as whole human beings. It’snot all about academic skills: we areteaching them to become global citizens,with the ability to work together in a di-verse group of people from different cul-tures and backgrounds. We want to de-velop these skills especially,” saysPhilipsen.

The idea behind the International Depart-ment is supported by the Viborg Munici-pality, which is also the founder and or-ganiser of a network that includes 12educational institutions with international

profiles, from nursery to University. Thenetwork meets on a regular basis andworks together to create a more interna-tional Viborg.

“This network is very important for us anda strong support for the International De-partment. It’s one of the reasons why theschool has been able to develop soquickly,” says Philipsen. “It’s a very goodthing for Viborg and the people movinghere as well, as we can offer internationalteaching starting from nursery going allthe way up to higher education.”

For more information, please visit:www.viborgrealskole.dkhttp://viborg.dk

Joakim Philipsen - Head of Department


Scan Magazine | Education Theme | Schools in Denmark

Bjørn’s International School, located inCopenhagen, is an independent schoolwith 155 pupils between the ages of 6and 16 from around 55 different coun-tries. It has both a Danish and an Englishdepartment, which work very closely to-gether. The school in itself is a very tight-knit community, where differences arecelebrated and respect for others is em-phasised in the teaching.

In the 1940s Karen Bjørnsby (a Montes-sorian known as Bjørn – Danish for bear)founded a musical kindergarten, partly toaccommodate the children from familiesworking at the local foreign embassies.She wanted everyone to speak Esperanto,but in the end had to settle for English, asshe could not find anyone to teach it. Thiswas the original incarnation of Bjørn’s In-ternational School, which even kept hername in the title when the Ministry of Ed-ucation accepted it as a school in 1967.

The Danish department of the schoolcaters mostly to Danish children with a

foreign parent or parents planning onmoving abroad, while the English depart-ment includes pupils staying in Denmarkfor a shorter period of time (0.5-4 years).

“With students from varied cultural back-grounds, we have to look at their individualneeds. We have a very close relationshipwith our students, as we normally teach ina class with a maximum of 20 students,”explains Principal Pia Drabowicz. “It’s verycosy and homey here; we’re like a big fam-ily that takes care of each other.”

These values come across in many facetsof the school, e.g. the school runs a “Playpatrol”, which is a buddy system, whereolder students teach and play differentgames with the younger children. BIS alsoputs a lot of emphasis on teaching empa-thy and respect to their students. And theyuse Jennifer Mosley’s “Quality CircleTime” model to accomplish this, which atBIS includes a weekly class meeting usedto discuss and mediate issues betweenpupils in a positive way.

Diversity equals value atBy Nia KajastieBjørn’s International School Photos: Bjørn’s International School

For more information, please visit:www.b-i-s.skoleintra.dk

• BIS is a member of the ECIS(European Council of InternationalSchools) as well as the centre for theCambridge IGCSE (the InternationalGeneral Certificate of SecondaryEducation) in Copenhagen.

• In the English department, studentscan take the IGCSE’s in their finalyear, and Danish is taught fromGrade 4.

• In the Danish department, studentscomplete the Danish School LeavingCertificate, and English is taughtfrom school start.


“I dare say that I can ask any child at thisschool if they like being here, and the an-swer will always be yes,” Principal atNordsjællands Grundskole og Gymna-sium samt HF (NGG), Jan Thrane, is con-fident of his school’s success. Not sur-prisingly, as during its 27 years ofexistence, Jan Thrane has been one ofthe cornerstones in creating the largestindependent private school in Denmark.

Today the school hasmore than 1,400 stu-dents and 136 employees. One of the ma-jor successes is the international depart-ment, which is based on the InternationalBaccalaureate programme, offering thecurriculum from both the Primary Years(PYP) andMiddle Years Programme (MYP).This means that children can attend theschool from the age of 4 to 17.

300 students of 23 nationalitiesThe international department has existed

for more than a decade and consists nowof approximately 300 students of 44 na-tionalities. Staff also have a varied back-ground, as all teachers at the interna-tional department must be native Englishspeakers. Having both a Danish and an in-ternational department is a great advan-tage for all the students. “The interactionhelps teach Danish culture, which has alot to offer: our liberal thinking, our way ofcooperating and our freedom of speech,”says Thrane.

A full social calendar

Apart from broadening the cultural hori-zon for both the international and Danishstudents, Jan Thrane mainly focuses onproviding his students with the classicvirtues of working hard to achieve the bestresults, but at the same time ensuringthat their time at school is as enjoyable aspossible. “The best motivation for learningis to feel good. A great teacher is not

enough,” Thrane emphasises. Thereforethe activity calendar at NGG is usuallypacked with concerts, sports days andother social events, giving the studentsand parents good opportunities for gettingtogether outside school hours.

NGG – a complete schoolStaying in the same school from childhood to the end of secondary school is not usual in Denmark, but it is possibleat Nordsjællands Grundskole og Gymnasium samt HF.

By Stine Daugaard | Photos: Nordsjællands Grundskole og Gymnasium samt HF

Find more information about NGG atwww.ngg.dk.


TheMunicipality of Ikast-Brande, located inmid-Jutland, is home tomany large inter-national companies such as Siemens andBestseller, and soon it will also be one ofthe first areas, outside of Copenhagen, toprovide education in English for studentsfrom the age of 3-19. Accordingly, the areais capable of welcoming a foreign work-force and families into an internationally-mindedcommunity that offers thebest jobsand high-quality education.

ISIB

The International School Ikast-Brande(ISIB) only opened its doors to students inAugust last year, but it has alreadymanagedto put its stamp on the area. “We started outwith 12 students and now we have 58. Wehave grownmassively in the past year,” saysHead teacher Helen Pearson, who believesthat international education coupled withgreat work opportunities will put Ikast-Brande on themap. “Wehave children from

all over theworld:Mexico, India, Sudan anda lot of countries in Europe.”

The school teaches children between theages of 3-16 and utilises the renownedCambridge International Curriculum. “Weput an emphasis on individual teaching, tak-ing into account the needs of every child.Wetry to cover all the learning styles, includingvisual, auditory and tactile, as people learn indifferentways,” explainsPearson. “Ourspon-sors,who include local investors, enable usto have a great learning environment. Wehave interactive whiteboards in all class-rooms, andwecan teach in smaller groups.”

Ikast-Brande Gymnasium

ISIB and Ikast-Brande Gymnasium aretwo separate educational institutions thatwork together very closely. The headteacher at the gymnasium also works asthe inspector for ISIB, which helps keepthe standard of education very high. It also

makes it easier for students to move on tothe gymnasium, once they reach the rightage. The gymnasium will be starting its IBprogramme next August, creating a strongdivision where children can move seam-lessly from ISIB to the gymnasium, andlater on to an excellent university.

“This is very important to the area, asDanes are moving abroad and interna-tional families are moving here. The stan-dard of education in English is very highhere, which is quite fantastic for a smallarea. The schools are helping develop thisarea internationally. We might be rural,but we are also forward-thinking and canoffer great education, work and supportfor international families,” says Pearson.

International educationhelps put Ikast-Brande on the map

By Nia Kajastie | Photos: ISIB

For more information, please visit:www.isib.dkwww.ikast-gym.dk




Size does matter – at least at BGIAkademiet, which is the second largestefterskole (independent boarding schoolfor lower secondary students) in Den-mark. This allows the school to offer its380 pupils a wide range of facilities.“The school is very focused on sports.

All students practise sports every day, of-ten several times a day,” HeadmasterHelle Vestergaard states. The school of-fers many different types of sport butmainly focuses on gymnastics, tumbling,dancing, handball and football.“The size of the school makes it possi-

ble for us to offer great facilities and highlyspecialized and skilled teachers,” Vester-gaard says, mentioning the new gymna-sium for tumbling, the Astroturf field andthe newly built school building.

Emphasis on social interactionGreat emphasis is also placed on socialinteraction between pupils, where espe-cially comfort and closeness betweenthem are key elements, and a great effortis made to give all pupils a secure and sta-ble social network.“This gives the pupils the best prereq-

uisites for academic, sporting and socialsuccess,” Vestergaard explains.Every year the school caters for pupils

whose parents live abroad, and next yearanother step will be taken in the interna-tional direction, as the school will be of-fering an FCE (First Certificate in English)in a special Cambridge Class.“As with everything else, we want to

have the best possibilities on offer for ourpupils,” Vestergaard concludes.

In addition to the national curriculum,the school has several obligatory sub-jects such as swimming, health andsafety, first aid, cordage, coastal rescueand mechanics. Students learn to sailmotor boats, sail boats and dinghies, andthey can also learn water sports such assurfing and diving. Students over 16years of age may try out for a speed boatlicence.

The school is situated in a beautiful partof North West Denmark, just 300m fromthe North Sea, which is where the stu-dents go fishing and sailing. The schoolis equally close to a canal where cur-rents of up to 5 knots create exciting sail-ing conditions, and it is also close tolakes with much calmer sailing condi-tions. So with sea, canal, fjords and lakesright on the doorstep, there are plenty of

opportunities to experience differentkinds of water.

It is a small school with less than 40 stu-dents, and the students are taught insmall groups. There are plenty of activitiesto keep the teenagers busy in their sparetime. Many go fishing and there is plentyof opportunity to do so, both from landand mole and of course from the boats.

The school provides an excellent founda-tion for students who want to go on tofurther education, but it would also be anenjoyable experience for anyone who lovesthe sea and all it has to offer.

An active and academic yearAs the second largest efterskole in Denmark, BGI Akademiet has a lot to offer.

By Stine Daugaard | Photos: BGI Akademiet

For more information, please visit:www.bgiakademiet.dk

Plain SailingFiskeri- og Søfartsefterskolen (The Fishing and Navigation School) is an active school for teenagers aged 15-17,who are interested in sailing, navigation or fishing. By Yane Christensen | Photos: Fiskeri-og søfartsefterskolen

For more information, please visit:www.sejlogfisk.dk


A year at a Danish efterskole – which is anindependent boarding school for lowersecondary students – will always besomething special. But at Ranum Efter-skole in northern Jutland, they excel inmaking the year unforgettable. And itworks. During the last four years, RanumEfterskole has been the efterskole in Den-mark with the most rapid growth, havingincreased the number of pupils from 86 to235. “Our main characteristic is that ourpupils have a vast influence on shapingthe school during the year,” says PrincipalOlav Storm.

Active or creative

Instead of having the pupils follow a spe-cific line, they choose from a range of pro-file courses within the two principal lines:Nature Sport or Imagination. Nature Sportfocuses on sport with a meaning andchallenges the students to try theirstrengths against a wide range of sports,

while Imagination puts emphasis on thecreative subjects like music, storytellingand design. The pupils choose a new pro-file course three times during the yearand are always welcome to suggest newcourses.

“Our main focus is to allow the young peo-ple to put their fingerprints on their indi-vidual school year,” Storm Johannsen ex-plains. The result is independent,responsible young people with a greatsense of self-esteem. “This is where theefterskole really shows its worth. We havethe opportunity to focus hard on individualdevelopment,” Storm says.

A new international angle

The school itself also keeps developingand this year added a completely new lineto its portfolio: Ranum InternationalClass, which offers a Cambridge Univer-sity’s International General Certificate of

Secondary Education also known as theIGCSE-exam. This exam provides accessto more than 800 educational establish-ments in 150 countries worldwide and isan obvious choice for students wantingan international edge to their education.

“Our aim is to provide our pupils with abroader understanding of other countriesand cultures as well as a strong grasp ofthe English language,” Olav Storm says ofthe new line, which Ranum Efterskole isonly the sixth school in Denmark to offer.

The line applies both to Danish studentswanting a more international angle ontheir final year of lower secondary schoolas well as students from abroad wishingto study a year in Denmark. “The interna-tional students are a great advantage tothe Danish pupils, who use their Englishdifferently,” says Coordinator of the Inter-national Line, Mette Støttrup Jensen.

A year outside the boxRanum Efterskole is among the most visionary of its kind in Denmark. The pupils are given a large degree ofindependence, and this year the school added an international line offering an IGCSE-exam to both Danish andinternational pupils.

By Stine Daugaard | Photos: Ranum Efterskole


Three trips abroad during a school yearBoth the Danish and international stu-dents will benefit from a high level ofteaching, as all teachers on the interna-tional line must have international expe-rience and be fluent English-speakers. Aspart of the international course, the classjoins a college in Wales for a week andtravels to the USA for two weeks to studysocial science, cultural understanding andlanguage. Finally the pupils will be joiningtheir profile courses for a third trip. Allstudents at the school will be travellingabroad three times during the year to testthe skills they garner from their profilecourses, making Ranum Efterskole themost travelling efterskole in Denmark.“We want to really challenge the pupils touse their skills. This could be by goingdiving in the Red Sea, river rafting in Ice-land or mountain climbing in Norway,”Olav Storm explains.

For more information, please visit:www.ranumefterskole.dk

FACTS:230 students

50 employees

28 teachers

16,000 square metres

Sports centre

4 science labs

12 active IT classrooms

2 music rooms

Theatre and hall for 270

Library, TV lounge and reading rooms

Activities:

Diving, Sailing, Adventure sports,Horse riding, Golf, Karate, Media andComputer science, Design, Music,Performance, Gastronomy, Dance etc.

The school travels 3 times every yearall over the world, including:

Turkey, Norway, Ireland, Spain, France,Greece, USA, Greenland, Nepal,London, Berlin, Egypt etc.

Contact information:

Ranum Efterskole,

Kærvej 6-8, 9681 Ranum Denmark,

Mail: [email protected]



Formore than ten years Borremose Efter-skole (an independent boarding school forlower secondary students) in northern Jut-land has offered a school year with an in-ternational perspective. This gives thepupils a chance to place a greater em-phasis on the language aspect of their ed-ucation and gain a broader internationaloutlook. The class offers extra English les-sons every week, as well as having thepupils collaborate with others fromMark-graf-Ludwig Gymnasium in the Germancity of Baden-Baden, who will also be vis-iting the school and vice versa. “This wayEnglish will be the second language forall,” Headmaster Poul Johansen explains.

Better language, broader perspective

The classes will be collaborating before,during and after their mutual visits, al-

lowing the pupils to make the most out ofpractising their English skills. “The pupilsrealize their abilities by using the lan-guage, as well as learning to work to-gether across borders,” Johansen says.The pupils also gain a broader perspectiveon the world by visiting a foreign countryand staying with a local family.

Apart from the international class, theschool also offers a wide range of subjectsfrommany different types of sports to mu-sic, media and even a course focusing onworking with metal. The pupils work withlaptops and a wireless network as the IT-facilities are entirely up to date.

A different way to learn a languageWorking together with a German school helps pupils in Borremose Efterskole’s international class learn English.

By Stine Daugaard | Photo: Borremose Efterskole

For more information, please visit:www.borremose.dk

Action, community and life-changing ex-periences. According to principal TroelsSchrøder, these are thewordswhich bestencapsulate “Rebild Efterskole – sportand adventure”. Rebild Efterskole is oneof Denmark’s 263 popular independentboarding schools for lower secondarystudents, but Rebild Efterskole seperatesitself from the other schools by focussingon sports and adventure.

“We are situated in Rold Forest and RebildHills, so it was a clear-cut choice to offeradventure and sports-minded educationand focus on health and well-being. Thisgives our pupils an opportunity to chal-lenge themselves physically,” says TroelsSchrøder.

Schrøder believes that a stay at an inde-pendent boarding school gives somethingwhich a regular elementary school cannot.“The pupils learn how to stand on their

own feet in a safe environment, and theylearn how to deal with the other pupilsand create a community. By doing this,they learn not just to think of themselves,but of others too,” says Schrøder. “Unlikeregular schools, we focus on the wholehuman being: the intellectual aspects, so-

cial life, health, feelings, romance andfamily issues. This means that we arethere for the pupils whenever they need it.”

Although the “efterskole” is a Danish con-cept, Rebild Efterskole has students with

roots in many different countries, rangingfrom Greenland, France, Sweden,Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia to Brazil. “Thisway our pupils learn that although youcome from different parts of the world,everybody is equal, no matter the religionor skin colour,” says Schrøder.

Rebild Efterskole By Lasse Berg Sørensen | Photos: Rebild Efterskole

FACTS ABOUT REBILD EFTERSKOLE:

• It opened in 1980 and has 83 pupils.• It is located in Skørping, in the

northern part of Jutland.• Learn more about Rebild Efterskole

at www.rebildefterskole.dk



At Orkester Efterskolen, the teenagersprefer Beethoven to Beyoncé, and theyare offered the chance to fully immersethemselves in the world of classical mu-sic amongst like-minded contemporaries.

The small school is situated in a beautifulpart of west Denmark, near the stunningNorth Sea coast and just 59 miles (95km)from the country’s second biggest airport.

The school offers three programmes: TheOrchestra Programme, where studentsjoin a symphony orchestra; The Vocal Pro-gramme, where students sing both soloand in a chamber choir; and The PianoProgramme, where chamber music ispractised daily. All students get weeklysupervision in playing their chosen in-strument.

But there is more to Orkester Efterskolenthan music: there is the national curricu-

lum to get through, and the schoolachieves great results. The school isaimed at 15-17 year olds (Danish schoolyear 9-10), and a year here is an excellentspringboard for students who want to goon to study for A-levels or the Interna-tional Baccalaureate.

Whenever possible the obligatory subjectsare given a musical angle, and the stu-dents regularly go on trips, for instance tothe Royal Theatre or the Symphonic Or-chestra in Copenhagen.

The school has recently added a pro-gramme intended for international stu-dents. To qualify for a scholarship, thestudents must have a certain level of mu-sical competence. Students should alsobe willing to learn some Danish. Thefriendly staff ensure that students, partic-ularly foreign ones, feel part of the com-munity.

Students live in shared accommodation –eight per cottage and two per room.Everyone has to muck in when it comes tocleaning and washing the dishes. Thereare no classes during the weekends, andthe students are free to go home, butmany choose to stay as there is a varietyof activities on offer. A recurring commentfrom past and present students is thatthey really enjoy being part of a commu-nity where everyone shares the same in-terest – and an interest that is not all thatcommon amongst teenagers.

So whether you want a career in classicalmusic, or just enjoy playing music andfancy a change of scenery, a year atOrkester Efterskolen is ideal for any youngmusic lover.

A unique school for classical musicenthusiasts By Yane Christensen | Photo: Orkester Efterskolen

For more information, please visit:www.orkesterefterskolen.dk



Established in the early 1970s, the 9thand 10th grade school currently has over150 pupils and 17 teachers. As well asensuring its students receive a well-rounded education, the school focuseson drama, music and sport, while alsofollowing Howard Gardner’s educationaltheory on multiple intelligences.

Hørby Ungdomsskole (Hørby YouthSchool) is located in Frederikshavn, Den-mark, and Mogens Vestergård has beenschool principal for nine years. “We havea different style of learning for the pupilswhich makes the school different,” ex-plains Vestergård. “Our specialist sub-jects, drama, music and sport, are one ofthe reasons many parents choose to sendtheir children to our school, but we alsohave a good reputation and follow the phi-losophy of Howard Gardner’s multiple in-telligences.”

Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligenceshas revolutionised the way some schoolsrun their education programmes. Insteadof traditionally assessing a pupil’s intelli-gence throughmathematical and linguis-tic tests, Gardner’s philosophy also ex-tends to musical intelligence,bodily-kinesthetic intelligence (bodymovements), spatial intelligence (prob-lem solving) interpersonal and intraper-sonal intelligence (empathy). By follow-ing the principle of multiple intelligences,Hørby Ungdomsskole tailors each pupil’seducational needs to his or her preferredway of learning to ensure they each getthe best out of their education.

Although Hørby Ungdomsskole is a pri-vate school, grants are available from theDanish government. The school offers aunique learning environment for studentsto develop and grow in.

Hørby Ungdomsskole in DenmarkBy Samantha Wong | Photos: Hørby Ungdomsskole

For more information visitwww.hørbyungdomsskole.dk

Hørby UngdomsskoleSnedkergårdsvej 11Hørby9300 SæbyTel. +45 98 46 63 [email protected]

Himmerlands Ungdomsskole is a largeGrundtvigian school with 150 studentsaged 15-17. It follows the curriculum forDanish school year 9-10, where English,maths and Danish are obligatory sub-jects. In addition to those, the school of-fers a huge selection of extra-curricularsubjects (see website for details) in orderto allow the students to develop.

The school’s values are based on equalityand engaging in conversation. The aim is tocreate a community with committed, caringmembers. A community where freedomand responsibility go in tandem and wherethere is room for individuality. Students areencouraged to be creative in developingtheir skills - both social and professionalskills. They are encouraged to take respon-sibility for their actions and to respect other

people’s differences. They should emergefrom the school, not just wiser, but alsomore confident, open and accepting.Students are required to speak Danish,

but themanagement is currently planningan exchange scheme with Iceland, whereall teaching will be conducted in English.The school is situated in the North of

Jutland, steeped in stunning countryside.Students are invited to stay during week-ends as there is an array of activities avail-able. Often a whole weekend will be dom-

inated by a specific fun theme, such as‘Karaoke’ or ‘Outdoors’.Anyone who might consider applying

for a place at Himmerlands Ungdomskoleshould check out the website where theywill find a YouTube link to a film producedby last year’s students. There is no doubtthat this is a fun school!

Have fun while learning at HimmerlandsUngdomsskole By Yane Christensen | Photos: Himmerlands Ungdomsskole

For more information, please visit:www.himmerlands-ungdomsskole.dk


Roskilde University was founded in 1972as an alternative-style institution intro-ducing new methods of teaching andnovel ways of student-based learning.The state university now provides re-search and education in the fields of nat-ural science, humanities, social sciencesand technical humanities. It also offersprogrammes in English as well as an ex-change programme for international stu-dents.

The educational objective of RUC has al-ways been about breaking with traditionalpractices and setting new standards in theway students should work together andconduct their research. “We are a re-search-based and less traditional univer-sity,” says current Pro-Rector Hanne LethAndersen. “Our students learn how to workin groups, and they are very independent.They are given the right analytical tools forproblem solving, and our strong research

methods enhance their creative, criticaland self-reflective thinking.”

Career prospects

Accordingly, RUC graduates often securejobs, where they can eventually make areal difference in society. “Our studentsare very engaged from the beginning. Theyare interested in making a difference, andthey want to change and build society.RUC students are very strong at manag-ing projects and combining thoughts innew ways,” says Andersen. “We train fu-ture teachers, politicians, entrepreneurs,state officials, researchers and so on, asour students are active, creative and in-novative individuals.”

Flexibility

Roskilde University is also recognised forits distinct structure, which allows stu-dents to wait a year before choosing a spe-cific study programme to continue with. In

their 1st year, they only have to select oneof the fields of study (natural science, hu-manities, social sciences or technical hu-manities) as a basis for their education. Inaddition, RUC is well-known for the pro-grammes it offers in communication stud-ies and social sciences, and programmessuch as global studies, international de-velopment studies and performance de-sign are also very popular. There are nu-merous different course combinations thatstudents can choose from, as almosteverything can be combined. It is a greatplace for international students who wantto experience the Danish way of teachingand learning, which differs greatly fromthe education in many other Europeancountries: it is learner-based and con-stantly evolving in innovative ways.

Roskilde University– teaching critical thinking the Scandinavian wayBy Nia Kajastie | Photos: Roskilde University

For more information, please visit:www.ruc.dk



Askov Residental Folk High School is aclear-cut example of a typical Danish folkhigh school, which emphasises classicfolk high school virtues like enlighten-ment, democracy, freedom and nationalculture and language.

Founded in 1865, Askov Residental FolkHigh School is one of the oldest folk highschools in Denmark, a unique Scandina-vian type of boarding school, where adultstudents spend 3 to 6 months studyingvarious courses. The core values in Askovare based on the thoughts of the Danishwriter, philosopher and pastor N.F.S.Grundtvig, the father of the Danish folkhigh school, and Principal Ole Kobbel-gaard emphasises freedom, democracyand community as the main values. Hehopes that students in Askov will learnhow to be enlightened citizens after theirstay.

“We need to contribute to breedingdemocracy, and teach our students totake part in society. A way of doing this isby encouraging the students to be enthu-siastic in the things they do. Studentsneed to be dedicated and find the joy intheir work. They need to feel the passion

in their hearts. I believe a child needs tobe interested in the subject in order tolearn,” Kobbelgaard says.

Askov offers courses in journalism, the-atre, film production and design plus gen-eral subjects like religion, politics, phi-losophy and psychology. For internationalstudents, Askov has courses in Danishlanguage, culture, history and politics. Butthey have to be prepared to speak in Dan-ish.

“I believe that the only way to learn Dan-ish is by speaking it. Maybe we start off inEnglish, but we usually switch into Danish.But we will speak slowly and clearly, andavoid tricky words,” Kobbelgaard prom-ises.

Being in a folk high school is not all aboutlearning. Ole Kobbelgaard points out: “Themost important part is the friendship. Afolk high school is typically a place whereyoung people network and make friendsfor life. Communities are strongly chal-lenged in today’s society, and I think thatwe need folk high schools more thanever.”

Askov Residental Folk High Schooltreasures the old virtues and valuesBy Lasse Berg Sørensen | Photos: Mathias Christensen

For more information, please visit:www.askov-hojskole.dk

FACTS ABOUT ASKOV:

• Founded in 1865, a year after theSecond Schleswig War.

• Located in the southern part ofJutland.

• 50-100 students enrolled in the folkhigh school, and 130 in theindependent boarding school for thelower secondary students department.

Principal Ole Kobbelgaard

Vrå Højskole is situated in the small vil-lage of Vrå with a modest 2,500 inhabi-tants. The school was founded in 1872and is built as a farmhouse with threewings. The building promotes a specialintimacy and instantly embraces you withfamiliarity and domestic harmony. Theschool has been a home for many famousDanes, one being the late James Knud-sen, poet, author and pastor. Rumour hasit that he had such love for this place thathe is still very much present.

Søren Ottzen is the headmaster at VråHøjskole and has, together with his wife,created that special homely atmospherethat is the distinctive feature at Vrå. Sørenbelieves in learning for everybody andprides himself with having a diverse groupof students under his wings. Vrå Højskoleis different from many boarding schoolsas it has a clear student focus. The schoolrepresents equality, personal develop-ment and encourages the students toquestion, and enhances academic im-mersion and creativity. It is clear that theOttzen couple has contributed to the at-

mosphere at Vrå and played an importantpart in making the students from all overthe world feel at home.

The school offers different length ofcourses throughout the year with the coresubjects being photography and musicalong with art, textile and design. There isalso a focus on traditional subjects suchas Danish, English, mathematics, socialstudies and Danish as a second languageto give students a chance to choose froma variety of subjects.

Vrå Højskole is very much a school intransition and has a fair mixture of olddescent and modernism. It offers a tran-quil atmosphere where there is room forpersonal growth and individuality. This isa place which students can call homewhilst building the perfect platform formulticultural learning and understand-ing. Vrå Højskole is a school for life.

Vrå Højskole – a school for lifeLearning for life is the essence of Vrå Højskole, a boarding school with aphilosophy that culture and social skills are key, and where equal rights areprevalent regardless of background or nationality.

By Victoria Lagnehag | Photos: Vrå Højskole

For more information, please visit:www.vraahojskole.dk




Højskolen på Kalø, located in Djurslandand the Mols Bjerge National Park, is aso-called Danish “folk high school”,which accepts students over the age of 18looking for an alternative style of educa-tion. It is a language school, focusing onDanish, German, English, French andSpanish. But there is a practical twist tothe normal language teaching methods,as students take on another subject fromthe National Park topics, which will alsobe taught and discussed in the specificlanguage they are there to learn.

Højskolen på Kalø was established in1952, but before that it actually operatedas an agricultural school for farmers.However, after the Second World War,there seemed to be a need and wish foreducation that would help the Danish pop-ulation become more internationally-minded. Accordingly, the school became a

separate folk high school with this mis-sion in mind.

“The school is very special,” says Chair ofthe School Board Søren Nicolaj Iversen.“Our original concept is learning a foreign

language, but this can often be very theo-retical. Instead wewant tomake it as prac-tical as possible. Students can learn lan-guages by learning about the NationalPark themes and vice versa. The NationalPark is a real gift, as it gives us the oppor-tunity to study our beautiful surroundings.”

The students at Højskolen på Kalø do nottake any exams, as it is more about thelearning experience itself. The new con-cept allows students to choose one lan-guage and one National Park topic, andthere will be 15 lessons on each subjectper week (30 altogether). The NationalPark topics include learning about, e.g.wildlife, geo-design, and food and health.

Højskolen på Kalø – Learning languages by doingBy Nia Kajastie | Photos: Højskolen på Kalø

For more information, please visit:www.kalohojskole.dk

Højskolen Snoghøj is a unique Danish folkhigh school and boarding school, whichoffers Danish and international studentsa set of artistic ‘base camps’ to choosefrom: these include musical, film, the-atre, dance and global studies. Students,who have to be 18 or over, are treated toa thorough learning programme in theirchosen ‘camp’, while also making newfriends from all over the world.

Snoghøj is located right in the middle ofDenmark on the outskirts of historic Fred-ericia, Denmark’s largest seaport. Theschool is surrounded by scenic landscapesand is situated directly beside the water,giving students the perfect setting for con-centration and peace ofmindwhile learning.

For international students the school of-

fers a special ‘global base camp’, wherethey, among other things, learn aboutDanish, English, culture, media, art,sports and outdoor activities. Foreign stu-dents can also take part in the ‘film camp’,but the musical and theatre courses areonly taught in Danish at the moment.

Life experience

“The big force behind our school is that peo-ple live together 24 hours a day andwork ontheir subjects 25 hours a week, gaining

valuable life experience at the same time,”saysHead of the school Torben Egeris. “Wegive them the ‘basis’ for going forward withtheir lives (hence ‘base camps’).”

And even though the school does not haveany exams, it still actively prepares thestudents for their future. The teachers areprofessionals, who have genuine experi-ence in their respective fields, whether asfilmmakers, actors or musicians. Accord-ingly, students are helped to prepare forauditions for, e.g. theatre school. The stu-dents get to learn a lot of useful skills fortheir future careers as well as gainingsolid and inspiring life experience.

Explore your interests and prepare for lifeat Højskolen Snoghøj By Nia Kajastie | Photo: Højskolen Snoghøj

For more information, please visit:www.snoghoj.dk


In the village of Maarslet, just south ofAarhus in Denmark is a school where in-dividuality is in focus andwhere studentsare encouraged to formopinions, to ques-tion and to develop. Testrup Højskole is atraditional Danish boarding school,which, however, offers something verydifferent from your average education.

Testrup Højskole was founded in 1866 andwas inspired by one of the most influentialDanish cultural figures, the poet and cler-gyman N.F.S Grundtvig. The school is sit-uated close to Aarhus, the second largestcity in Denmark, and with the city buzz justaround the corner it is a popular choice forstudents.

You might be surprised to learn that theschool does not apply traditional gradesor constitutional restraints; instead theyfocus on education at a deeper level. Thestudents are individuals and are treated assuch. They are encouraged to focus onthemselves, form opinions, take a standand develop. Knowledge is treated as a toolin the process of reaching a higher level ofunderstanding and not as a goal itself.

Studying at Testrup Højskole is a lifetimeopportunity to surround yourself with

Danish tradition, language and culture.Approximately 90% of the students areDanish and they all share a curiosity aboutpeople with different ethnic, national andcultural backgrounds. It is a welcomingenvironment and a place where the dis-tinctive focus on personal developmentcreates that special atmosphere.

It is in the light of the teaching style thatthe various subjects have been chosen,and music, theatre, philosophy, art andcreative writing have all been a primaryfocus from the very beginning. A new ad-dition to the school is the exciting subject,Focus (Brændpunkt), where you gain aqualified insight into the conditions ofdemocracy: locally, nationally and inter-nationally.

If you have aspirations to get to know Dan-ish culture and mentality and learn theScandinavian tradition of liberalism, democ-racy andwelfare thinking, then the teachingand the social life at Testrup Højskole is aunique experience made just for you.

Testrup Højskole– a unique experienceBy Victoria Lagnehag | Photos: Testrup Højskole

For more information, please visit:www.testrup.dk Principal Jørgen Carlsen



Idrætshøjskolen Bosei (Bosei Sport HighSchool) takes a slightly different ap-proach to the Danish folk high school tra-ditions. The school, which was originallya Japanese boarding school, is now thenewest sports folk high school in Den-mark, which combines Japanese studiesand martial arts with the folk highschool’s ideas of learning and personaldevelopment.

“I believe that we have found a niche. Noother folk high school does what we do atBosei and because of that we have a mar-ket,” says Principal Erling Joensen. AtBosei you can study both Japanese cul-ture and different fighting sports like taek-wondo, judo, karate as well as other kindsof sports. According to Joensen this goes

perfectly well with studying. “The disci-pline from the martial arts can be trans-ferred to other aspects of life, especiallythe meditative and mental strength. I be-lieve that both the physical and psycho-logical parts need to be connected andthat you need to live and be awake in or-der to learn,” he says.

According to Erling Joensenmartial arts isa positive, rather than negative, sort offighting: “In themartial arts you get to learnmore about yourself, since you fight bothyour opponent and yourself. And it breaksdown barriers between people, alsowhen itcomes to sex, religion and skin colour,” hesays and adds that Bosei is both for ad-vanced fighters as well as beginners, whohave never practiced martial arts before.

Idrætshøjskolen BoseiWhere Japanese philosophy meetsDanish folk high school tradition

Facts about Bosei:• It opened in 2009 and is located in

the Southern part of Zealand, anhour from Copenhagen.

• It offers courses in English andDanish language and culture forinternational students.

• 70 students: 50 Danish and 20international.

• Visit Bosei at www.bosei.dk

Nordjyllands Idrætshøjskole is a folk highschool focusing on sport, located in Brøn-derslev, 30 kilometres north of Aalborg.The school was set up in 1986 by local andpassionate promoters, who began raisingmoney specifically for a sports school inthe area. Today the school is proud to becelebrating 25 years in operation.

Thousands of students have studied atthe school as part of an educational jour-ney to become policemen, physical ther-apists, teachers and so forth.Every year around 150 to 200 students

are accepted, the average age being be-tween 18 to 25 years old. The majority ofthe students are Danish, but the schoolwelcomes a lot of international students.Norwegians, Icelanders, Hungarians,Americans and Swedes are among the

most common nationalities to have stud-ied at Nordjyllands Idrætshøjskole.“The students choose us for many dif-

ferent reasons: maybe because they sim-ply would like a break so they can focus ona hobby for six months or longer, or per-haps they want to find out what they aregood at. What they all have in common isa passion for sports,” says Communica-tions Manager Karen Kjørvel.“Our students really appreciate the

time they spend with us and often reflect

on this time, as they were able to buildtheir confidence and grow on a personallevel. It has a lot to do with teambuildingand challenging yourself when you studyhere, and instead of exams, you will facedifferent tasks such as leading classesand teaching other students,” Kjørvel ex-plains.The school is offering both long

courses of up to 42 weeks and short one-week courses during the summer. Thereare plenty of exciting subjects to choosefrom: ballgames, fitness, outdoors andeducation. A skiing or adventure trip toFrance is also a part of the course agendaas well as a fun packed trip to Lanzarote.

Nordjyllands Idrætshøjskole– passion for sports By Emelie Krugly | Photo: Nordjyllands Idrætshøjskole

For more information, please visit:www.nih.dk

By Lasse Berg SørensenPhotos: Idrætshøjskolen Bosei



Education, research and innovation areall key factors that ensure Denmark’scompetitive edge now and in the future,and to help facilitate this, the independentthink-tank DEA was established. This isessential in a time when statistics showthat one in five Danish youngsters do notreceive higher education, product devel-opment is decreasing and the well-knownDanish welfare state is under pressure.

Knowledge puts Denmark back in thelead

“Knowledge is Denmark’s main exportgood, but we need to find our feet again toavoid being overtaken on the inside,” saysManaging Director of DEA, Stina VrangElias. She is leading a team of about 20

people, who are all dedicated to analyzingand researching how to make Denmarkmore competitive through education, re-search and innovation. “It is imperativethat we produce useful knowledge thatcan help Denmark back into the lead,”Vrang Elias exclaims.

Aim to influence politicians

DEA aims to do this, not only through re-search and analyses, but also by chan-nelling the produced knowledge into thepolitical system to help improve the qual-ity of political discussions. “We need toensure that policies are based on factsinstead of ideologies or feelings, and weare already seeing an impact on the de-bate,” Vrang Elias says.

Only one way for the futureAs a think-tank DEA also providesknowhow for educational institutions tohelp them streamline their courses to-wards what Denmark will need in the fu-ture. “We need to get back onto the inno-vation track and regain our position in thelead,” Vrang Elias says. Any companieswith ideas for projects or an interest in thework already being done by DEA are morethan welcome to get in touch.

DEA helps Denmark back into theknow-how leadThe new think-tank DEA helps Danish companies regain their ability to compete with thorough research and analysesfocusing on education, research and innovation.

By Stine Daugaard | Photo: DEA

For more information, please visit:www.dea.nu


“A global perspective, innovation and astrong connection to the business worldare the key factors to being a successfulbusiness student in 2010,” says Anya Es-kildsen, Managing Director at NielsBrock Copenhagen Business College.

The world is inevitably becoming a moreglobalised place, bringing people andbusinesses from all over the world to-gether. This certainly creates a greatnumber of new opportunities, but alsoentails some challenges. This also seemsto be the outlook at Niels Brock Copen-hagen Business College, one of thebiggest business schools in Denmark,which tries to address these opportunitiesand challenges by offering a wide rangeof internationally-focused degrees inbusiness and commerce for both Danishand international students at upper sec-ondary school and higher education lev-els.

“We believe that there are two core com-petences, which students need to havethese days: they need to be internation-ally-minded, and they need to have an in-novative mind-set. This makes NielsBrock Copenhagen Business Collegestand out,” says Eskildsen. “The world isgetting smaller, and it is crucial for usthat our students are aware of this and re-gard the whole world as their workplace.Moreover, we need to generate some cre-ative minds, which are able to think out-side of the box. We need entrepreneurs,not just wage earners. Otherwise, we as acountry will end up on the outskirts lack-ing behind the development. The pres-sure on Denmark is not getting smaller.”

Suits the business world

One of the ways Niels Brock CopenhagenBusiness College tries to foster these cre-ative minds is by offering business de-grees that are closely connected to the

business world. One of the higher degreesoffered is a two-year Academy Profession(AP) programme in finance, marketing orlogistics management. The AP pro-grammes are very hands-on and rooted inthe business world.

“Some of the other higher education pro-grammes offered today are very academicand far from what businesses are lookingfor. Our programmes are much morepractically focused and are designed tofit the businesses, and all degrees includesix months of business internships. Basi-cally, the students become ready-madeand can use their studies in a job rightaway,” Eskildsen points out. “As a societyin general we need to urgemore people toget an education, but not all have to bestrictly academic. We also need practi-cally minded students with a drive whowant to create things. Our AP pro-grammes are aimed at these students.”

Niels Brock Copenhagen Business CollegeBy Lasse Berg Sørensen | Photos: Niels Brock Copenhagen Business College



According to Anya Eskildsen, the degreesfit the needs of a lot of students too. “Itonly takes two years to get the degree,which is a quite manageable time-spanfor students, who are not ready to start ona bachelor’s or a master’s degree at theage of 18,” says Eskildsen and adds that itis possible to pursue further degrees ifthe students are keen on more years inschool.

A global perspective

All AP programmes are taught in bothEnglish and Danish, which gives interna-tional students an opportunity to take partin the studies at Niels Brock CopenhagenBusiness College. There are currently 300international students at Niels Brock andthis pleases Anya Eskildsen.

“We take pride in being an internationalplace of study. And it is a great opportunityfor our students to work in an interna-tional context. Speaking English is nolonger sufficient to be truly global. Youalso need an understanding of other cul-tures and relations. And it is fun seeinghow the different nationalities have dif-ferent strengths when they are workingtogether,” says Eskildsen.

Besides getting the world to come to Den-mark, Danish students also get the op-portunity to study abroad. “I strongly rec-ommend our students to take a semesterabroad. It is great for their personal de-velopment, and they learn how to managethemselves in a foreign country,” says Es-kildsen.

Besides offering programmes in Den-mark, Niels Brock Copenhagen BusinessCollege is running similar business pro-grammes in China and Vietnam, and isworking on expanding to countries likePoland, Russia and Brazil. “It is extremelyinteresting to see what is happening inthese countries, and it is a great opportu-nity to bring this know-how back home toDenmark. It’s like a shot in the arm,” Es-kildsen concludes. FACTS ABOUT NIELS BROCK:

• Founded by grocer Niels Brock in 1888.• Offers higher commercial courses,

vocational education, higher educationand adult education.

• Has 25,000 students in Denmark, 1,500in China and 40 in Vietnam.

For more information, please visit:www.brock.dk


Summarised by the acronym PER, Fu-turaskolan's key values paint the pictureof a forward-thinking, open-mindedschool. Progressive, energetic and re-spectful, the school opens the doors tofree international education with a repu-tation for excellence.

“We want to be a springboard for theworld citizens of the future,” says MarieBurman, Futuraskolan's Director, who ispassionate about making internationaleducation free and accessible. “Stock-holm is becoming more globalised by theday, and it needs a greater choice interms of international schools.”

Founded in 2002, Futuraskolan is fundedby the Swedish government as part of itscommitment to so-called free schools.As such, it offers free education, freebooks and free, nutritious lunches -something most families from abroadwould never take for granted.

“Futuraskolan offers a truly internationaleducation,” says Curriculum DirectorStephen Castledine, who explains that

the education can be either bilingual orwholly in English, depending on thegrade. Furthermore, thanks to an inter-nationally recognised, portable curricu-lum, students who live in Sweden tem-porarily can transfer their educationalexperience to many other internationaland national schools.

Coupled with the environmental splen-dour of the Swedish capital, it mightsound just a little bit too good to be true.But no bar is set too high for Fu-turaskolan, as Marie Burman says: “Wepromise that every child will be seen andchallenged. Futuraskolan will lead theway in progressive education.”

Futuraskolan– progressive, energetic and respectful

For more information, please visit:www.futuraskolan.se

The curriculum:

Grades 0-5: International PrimaryCurriculum (IPC)

• Portable to many other internationalschools

• Focus on combination of academic,personal and international learning

• Teachers around the world shareideas online

• Bilingual education

Grades 6-9: InternationalBaccalaureate Middle YearsProgramme (IBMYP)

• Portable to many other internationalschools

• Fastest growing internationalcurriculum

• Teaching in English with a focus onSwedish culture

• Focus on connections betweentraditional subjects and the realworld

• Quality of programme monitoredexternally

• Swedish language offered as secondlanguage or mother tongue

“We want to be aspringboard for the worldcitizens of the future.”

EDUCATION

THEME:

SCHOOLS IN

SWEDEN

By Linnea DunnePhotos: Futuraskolan


Scan Magazine | Education Theme | Schools in Sweden

The International School of Helsingborgwas established in 1995. Themain reasonwas a growing demand for internationaleducation at the Primary and Secondarylevels. ISH is a non-fee paying public in-ternational school in Sweden and the onlyone to offer all three IB programmes. The450 students aged between 3 and 19years come from countries in Europe,North and South America, Asia, Oceania,the Middle East and Africa. The school'scurriculum follows the International Bac-calaureate guidelines and is taught inEnglish at all levels.

With an excellent location, in the centre ofthe Øresund region in north-west Scania,Helsingborg is Sweden's closest point toDenmark and lies roughly 33 miles fromMalmö, and 27 miles from Copenhagen.Shane Tastad, Principal/Coordinator for

the Middle Years and Diploma Pro-grammes, joined ISH in January this year,after 15 years of teaching at internationalschools in Norway.

“The atmosphere is very exciting in an in-ternational school with students and teach-ers fromall parts of the globe,” Tastad says.

The school is fully accredited by the Interna-tional Baccalaureate Organisation and alsoby the Swedish Department of Education.

The IB programmes offered are: The Pri-mary Years Programme (IBPYP) for the 3-11 year age group, the Middle Years Pro-gramme for the 11-16 year age group,and the Diploma Programme for the 16-19 year age group.

International School of Helsingborg takesyour future seriously By: Emelie Krugly | Photos: International School of Helsingborg

For more information, please visit:www.helsingborg.se/internationalschool

Sigtuna is Sweden's oldest town situated50 kilometres outside Stockholm. Twoboarding schools were established in thearea in the 1920s: Sigtunastiftelsens Hu-manistiska Läroverk, founded by BishopManfred Björkquist, and Sigtunaskolan,founded by the theologianHarry Cullberg.The two schools were then merged in1980 and were given the name: Sigtu-naskolanHumanistiska Läroverket, SSHL.

“48 nationalities are currently repre-sented in the school, creating an inter-esting mixture of international and na-tional students; our teachers alsocontribute to this uniquely multi-culturallearning centre. English is the main edu-cational language in several of our pro-grammes,” says Conny Lindberg, ViceSchool Director.

Around two-thirds of the 550 pupils atthe school are boarders. Many of themare Swedish nationals whose parentswork abroad.“We have excellent facilities for sports,

music, drama and art to ensure a widerange of leisure and extracurricular activ-ities; we believe this is very important forthe teenagers that are boarding here,”adds Conny Lindberg.The Middle Years Programme, grades

7-10, was introduced in 1998. In grades

11-12, the following university preparatoryprogrammes are offered: the Natural Sci-ences Programme of the Swedish nationalcurriculum with most courses taught inSwedish; the Social Sciences Programmeof the Swedish national curriculum, taughtin English and/or Swedish; and the Inter-national Baccalaureate Diploma Pro-gramme, taught in English.Famous students include the Swedish

King Carl XVI Gustaf and former SwedishPrime minister Olof Palme. The schoolyear runs frommid-August tomid-June. Ithas forty weeks of instruction and is dividedinto two periods. SSHL is located close toStockholm, Uppsala and Arlanda airport.

SSHL By: Emelie Krugly | Photo: SSHL

–Where tradition and innovation are equally important

For more information, please visit:www.sshl.se


Picture yourself cycling the distancefrom Beirut to Tel Aviv or driving anambulance from Strängnäs to Nepal. Youare sure to lack the comfort of travellingby plane, but in return you will have ajourney of endless possibilities, fantasticexperiences and take networking to anew dimension.

Europaskolan in Strängnäs is similar: it isnot convenient but it is equally rich in ex-periences and networking. Some peoplewho can vouch for that are cyclists PhilipHafstad and Viktor Pettersson along withambulance drivers Joakim and ChristianLarson, all former students at Europa-skolan in Strängnäs.

Europaskolan thrives on ambition andmotivation, and guarantees three years ofhard work. Studying at this school is not awalk in the park but the rewards aremany. Field trips to Athens, Berlin and

Brussels are just a few examples of theexciting opportunities that are offered totheir students.

Europaskolan has a European student fo-cus and is an educational institutionpreparing the students for internationaluniversities and higher education. Socialskills, norms and values are important.Europaskolan focuses strongly on prepar-ing their students to be valuable membersof society. The school accentuates a pos-itive atmosphere and has a clear interna-tional focus, includes digital learning andoffers a campus environment.

Europaskolan was named one of Swe-den’s foremost gymnasiums in 2006 andhas been awarded top marks again thisyear. The students all agree that studyingat Europaskolan is a choice for life and anexperience they will treasure forever. In-dependence and development on a per-

sonal as well as on an educational levelare only some of the key words that rep-resent this school.

So what happened to the cyclists and theambulance drivers? Well, Philip has beenawarded the 2010 Anders Wall scholar-ship for an internship at the SwedishChambers of Commerce in Shanghai. Vic-tor is studying Politics and InternationalBusiness at the Copenhagen BusinessSchool. Joakim is the management as-sistant for the Standard Hotels in NewYork, and Christian is dividing his time be-tween Stockholm and London where he isdirecting film and music videos.

These are only four examples of careersthat all began at Europaskolan in Strängnäs.

Europaskolan – your key to EuropeBy Victoria Lagnehag | Photos: Europaskolan

For more information, please visit:www.europaskolan.se


The British International School of Sta-vanger was established in 1977 and cur-rently teaches 400 pupils from 30 differ-ent nationalities, ranging between theages of 2 and 16. The school has threedepartments – pre-school, primary(British National Curriculum) and sec-ondary (International Baccalaureate), de-livering a curriculum which is designedtomeet the needs of a very diverse groupof children.

Since August 2008 the British Interna-tional School of Stavanger has offeredstudents aged 11 to 16 the opportunity tocomplete studies in the International Bac-calaureate Middle Years Programme(MYP). The programme provides studentswith exciting challenges as well as a lot ofsupport through the help of a broad cur-

riculum that creates a truly Norwegianexperience within the British educationalsystem. The students are encouraged toexplore the school’s natural surroundingsand take part in community workdays, sothat they can fully engage with their envi-ronment and work together in fun and ex-citing ways. Teambuilding days such asthe one experienced recently at LandaIron Age Village in Forsand ensure that

the school makes excellent use of all thatNorway has to offer.

In addition, all BISS students participate inthe Duke of Edinburgh’s InternationalAward scheme. Taking responsibility forthe planning and organising of overnightexpeditions amidst some of the wildestcountryside Norway has to offer, meansthat the students are challenged to solveproblems by themselves. Developing com-munity awareness and taking responsibil-ity means that students are encouraged tomake a valuable contribution to society.

EDUCATION THEME:

SCHOOLS IN NORWAY

British International Schoolof Stavanger – The Best of Britain and NorwayBy Nia Kajastie | Photo: British International School of Stavanger

For more information, please visit:www.cobis.org.uk/accredited/british-international-school-of-stavanger.htmlwww.biss.no

With dance classes taught by top Londonchoreographers and mountain climbingfield trips both on the schedule, Kongs-berg International School is taking anew approach to traditional teaching.

Kongsberg International School (KIS) is anon-profit foundation that opened itsdoors in August 2003. The purpose of theschool is to serve Kongsberg and its sur-rounding communities with high-qualityinternational education for students,based on the International BaccalaureateProgramme. KIS offers education frompre-school all the way through to middleschool and Diploma in collaboration withKongsberg Videregående Skole.

Principal Catherine Jolly explains that KISstarted as an initiative from large, localcompanies employing ex-pat workers to

enable their engineers to bring along theirfamilies while working in Norway.

“For foreign students it is difficult to jumpin and out of the Norwegian school sys-tem, but as we follow the InternationalBaccalaureate System, it makes theprocess easier,” Jolly explains. “The ideawas that the workers could bring alongtheir families with confidence.”

Today, the school has mainly Norwegianstudents from the local area, but the IBsystem is proving popular and KIS nowhas students from as far away as Oslo.

Their modern take on education is an at-tractive feature. Jolly explains that theyfocus on having a creative curriculum andaim to stimulate their students both men-tally and physically.

“By taking our students out of the tradi-tional school setting the teachers get agreater insight into who the students reallyare,” Jolly says. “We pride ourselves in hav-ing a good teacher–student relationship andvery small classes that make our studentscomfortable and create a good environment.Here teachers and students learn together.”

Creative learning in KongsbergBy Anette Berve | Photo: Kongsberg International School

For more information, please visit:www.kischool.org


Scan Magazine | Education Theme | Schools in Norway

At Skagerak International High School inSandefjord, each student is treated as anindividual. They wish to educate thewhole person, and help them realise andfulfil his or her full potential.

“We get a lot of positive feedback on usingthe systems in school to help our stu-dents individually. We want our students todevelop more sides of themselves, andwe want them to fulfil their potential whenit comes to the academic side, but it is justas important to do so on a personal level,”says high school Principal Lars Ask.

The Skagerak International School in Nor-way has students from the age of 4 to 18.The high school is an authorised Interna-tional Baccalaureate Diploma school,which provides students with a qualifica-tion that is receiving increasing acclaimaround the world.

Through activities in the school environ-ment, such as participating in humani-tarian work, the students are encouragedto bemore creative, service minded and totake action. At present there are 175 stu-dents at the high school.

“Our students wish to do something dif-ferent. Many find that attending a smallerschool is an advantage, as we know all ourstudents,” says the principal.

To help their stu-dents, Skagerak, forexample, offer “latenight duty” afterschool, to give stu-dents extra tuitionfrom subject teach-ers. Accordingly, 99percent of the stu-dents end up going

into higher education.

“The main advantage of attending an in-ternational school in Norway is that youare fluent in two languages, which pre-pares our students for further studies ei-ther here in Norway or in a different coun-try,” says Ask.

The Skagerak ExperienceBy Dyveke Nilssen | Photos: Skagerak International School

For more information, please visit:www.skagerak.org

Snug between the North Sea and south-ern Norwegian woods, Arendal Interna-tional School welcomes primary andmiddle school students to learn, masterand achieve in an environment that fo-cuses on the joy of education. “Love oflearning is what we promote here,” Headof School Bente Pedersen says.

When opening in August 2006, Arendal In-ternational School (AIS) was the first Eng-lish state primary and middle school inNorway funded by the government. Thedemand for an international school wasaddressed by the local government as thegrowing industry called for internationalemployees. To be able to accept studentsand adjust learning to children from otherparts of the world is one of AIS’s goals. Af-ter a trial period of 4 years, Arendal Inter-national School is now in its 5th and has

experienced a steady growth from the be-ginning.

“AIS follow the International Baccalaure-ate System,” Pedersen explains, “and it isvery student-oriented. The joy of achieve-ments is extra great when it comes fromthe students themselves.”

Arendal International School currently has110 students with roots in 30 different na-tionalities. Based on the tip of Tyholmen in

Arendal centre, this school offers stunningsurroundings for its students and staff,andmakes sure to take advantage of whatnature offers.

“We go on bicycle rides to the ocean,arrange ski days in winter and go on fieldtrips to the surrounding woods. The stu-dents bring their skis, snowboards andskateboards to school, we play sports andhave very good gymnasium facilities,”Bente Pedersen says.

Based in the middle of everything beauti-ful Norwegian nature has to offer, joy issure to be found at Arendal InternationalSchool.

“Love of learning” at Arendal International SchoolBy Ingrid Marie Holmeide | Photo: Arendal International School

For more information, please visit:www.aischool.no


Tromsø, the ‘Paris of the North,’ is nowthe home of the world’s most northernInternational School: Tromsø Interna-tional School (TIS). The school, approvedby the Norwegian government in April2010, will invite its first ever studentsthrough the doors in January 2011.

With its business community and work-force from outside the borders of Norway,a school that followed suit was the natu-ral next step. “We saw Tromsø Interna-tional School as an important step in theprocess of sustaining the workforce,” Co-ordinator Birgitte Hansen says. “This isan international city; we were only miss-ing an international school.”

The purpose of the school is to offer in-ternational education at a high level whileat the same time serving the local com-munity of Tromsø. The effects of theschool’s presence in the city are expected

to be great: more opportunities for inter-national industry; it will be a positive fac-tor when companies apply for a foreignworkforce; TIS will help establish thenorthern part of Norway as an attractiveoption for people and families seekingemployment.

With private school status, TIS still hasthe advantage of being financially sup-ported by the government and can there-fore boast low private fees. Tromsø Inter-national School is a primary and middleschool, with education based on the In-ternational Baccalaureate Programme.Together with Finnfjordbotn VidaregåendeSkole [www.finnfjordbotn.vgs.no], whichoffers the Diploma Programme, the re-gion hosts a complete IB Diploma Pro-gramme. Within this programme the chil-dren’s natural curiosity is a factor muchfocused on, and where better to do thisthan in the land of the Northern Lights?

“We have access to a botanical garden, theocean, snow and outdoor teaching, all ofwhich we will use in our education,”Hansen says, “and of course we have theNorthern Lights!”

In January 2011, 25 to 30 children andyouths will be the first to call themselvesstudents of Tromsø International School.During the following three years theschool hopes to gradually expand to 150students.

As word spreads through the vibrantchannels of industry and business, moreeyes will turn to rough, dramatic andcolourful northern Norway. And seeTromsø International School.

Placing Tromsø International School onthe map – right under the Northern LightsBy Ingrid Marie Holmeide | Photos: Tromsø International School

For more information, please visit:www.tromsointernationalschool.org

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Folkeuniversitetet Oslo has 140 years ofsolid experience in teaching and sharingknowledge to all those who crave it. Lo-cated in the centre of the city, the insti-tution offers adult education at second-ary and university levels, with courses invocational training, language, cultureand leisure activities as well as tailor-made courses for businesses.

Folkeuniversitetet Oslo is part of an asso-ciation that organises adult education allaround Norway, separated into differentregions. All regions work together to pro-vide the best education possible, but theinstitutions also work independently ofeach other to a certain extent. “As we aresituated so centrally in Oslo, we offer oneof the best locations for foreign students,”says Curriculum Manager Irene Niko-laisen. “A lot of international students andimmigrants come here for our Norwegianand English courses, which run all yearround during the day and in the evenings.We are one of the biggest institutions torun Norwegian courses, and many peoplefind out about us when they first move toOslo, as we are so well-known.”

Tailor-made courses

“A lot of people identify us with hobbycourses and languages, but we also help

people sign up for university courses andhigher education. We can also tailor-makecourses for private and public sector com-panies and organisations that want to of-fer extra training for their staff,” explainsNikolaisen. “It might be for learning lan-guages or computer skills or some otherrequested field. We will try to provide ourclients with the type of course that theyneed. We want to meet them halfway bybeing efficient and organising the rightkind of course structure and teacher.”

Folkeuniversitetet has a very wide range ofdifferent courses on offer, and they arealso very flexible with their programmeplanning. They try to keep in mind thatthey are dealing with adults, whomight beworking or have already studied to a cer-tain degree. Accordingly, their studentsor clients might know exactly what theywant out of their education, and the staffwill thus be able to tailor a course aroundthese specifications especially.

Folkeuniversitetet– Adult education in OsloBy Nia Kajastie | Photos: Folkeuniversitetet

For more information, please visit:www.fuost.nowww.folkeuniversitetet.no



Based in Barnes in south-west London,the Swedish School in London has over260 pupils and 36 teachers. This inde-pendent school offers a high quality ed-ucation system, which not only followsthe Swedish national curriculum, butalso provides cultural enrichment for ex-change students from Sweden.

Set up in 1907, the Swedish School hasbeen based in Barnes since 1976. “It’s asmall school, and we have small classeswith high teacher-to-student ratios,” saysJan Dackenberg, who is in his fifth year asHeadmaster. Its sixth form (gymnasium) isintegrated with Richmond University

“By using the Swedish school curriculumstudents do not lose any time in their edu-cation, if they have been studying in Swe-den,” adds Dackenberg. “However, we evenhave some students who attend pre-school

and go on to sixth formwithout ever havinglived in Sweden.” By following the Swedisheducational system, the Swedish Schoolgives its pupils the opportunity to go onand study at a Swedish university, wherethe education system is free.

Additionally 80% of the students in sixthform are exchange students from Swe-den, studying one or more years at theschool. They get the opportunity to expe-rience English culture and practise theirEnglish. “The school provides host fami-lies for those students as well as fullboarding with the university in Richmond,”says Dackenberg.

In its most recent Ofsted report, theSwedish School’s quality of education wasdescribed as ‘outstanding and directly rel-evant to the needs of the pupils.’ The re-port also notes that the pupils ‘develop[ed]

high levels of self-esteem’ and outstand-ing behaviour. The Swedish School not onlyoffers excellent education for its pupils butalso ensures they develop and grow intoresponsible and confident individuals.

The Swedish School in LondonBy Samantha Wong | Photo: The Swedish School in London

For more information, please visit:www.swedishschool.org.ukSwedish School82 Lonsdale Road,Barnes, London SW13 9JS+44 (0) 20 8741 [email protected]

EDUCATION THEME:

SCHOOLS IN THE UK

At the Norwegian School in London thestudents are surrounded by a familiarenvironment, but still get to experiencethe best of England.

“Most of our students are from Scandina-vian families, who are living in London fora short period of time. New students willrealise that the routines and traditions atthe school make the transition to a newcountry easy and safe,” explains HeadTeacher Geir Johansen.The independent school in Wimbledon

follows the Norwegian national curricu-lum for education, and incorporates thisinto an English framework. Since 1982, ithas offered a kindergarten and school forchildren aged 3-16.UK officials have admired the way the

school manages to have one foot in each

country, and teach inboth English and Nor-wegian.“We try to integrate

English to provide thepupils with a goodknowledge of the lifeand culture here,” says Johansen.The school arranges trips around the

capital and country to maximise the ex-perience of living in England.“We have a multitude of museums,

theatres and exhibitions in the city whichwe visit, providing a wide range of stimu-lating learning opportunities.”The students achieve great results, and

most sit the EFL examinations eventhough this is not mandatory.

“We have close connections betweenour teachers and students, which helps

them improve and develop,” says the headteacher.The mid-19th century Victorian villa is

situated close to the beautiful WimbledonCommon, where the school encouragesphysical activities. The children also bringtheir own lunch, often containing an opensandwich, a much-valued Norwegian tra-dition.

The natural choice for Norwegian families in LondonBy Dyveke Nilssen | Photo: Norwegian School in London

For more information, please visit:www.norwegianschool.org.uk


Kilafors Herrgård is a hotel with a longhistory as well as an idyllic location bythe rippling waters of lake Bergviken,and amidst the imposing mountains andvalleys in the scenic county of Hälsing-land. With stunning views and a homelyatmosphere, the hotel offers the perfectsetting for a weekend getaway, businessmeeting or family celebration.

In November 2009, Bitti Alvin Lehmannand her husband Jörg Lehmann took overthe running of the atmospheric hotel setin a historic manor house. Themain build-ing of Kilafors Herrgård was built in 1936,while the wings date back to the 18th cen-tury. It also contains a lot of interesting de-sign qualities, as every room has a distinctlook to it as well as its own strong char-acter. No two rooms are the same in thisbuilding (except when it comes to facili-ties), and this is part of the intrinsic Ki-

lafors Herrgård charm. The house in-cludes art deco elements, and the lay-outfor some parts was actually designed byfamous Swedish artist Isaac Grünewald.

Accordingly, it is no wonder that theLehmanns were so enamoured with theestate, even though it was 700km north-wards from where they originally thoughtthey would be settling down. “We felt in-stantly that this was it: exactly what wehad been looking for,” says Bitti, who isherself from the south of Sweden. “How-ever, we are not as far from Stockholm aspeople think. It’s just 2.5-3 hours drive fromthere and 2 hours from Arlanda airport.We have great connections from here.”

Enjoy yourself outdoors & indoors

“The surroundings of the hotel are ab-solutely beautiful,” Bitti continues. “Weare surrounded by nature, and we have

our own beach. We are also close toforests that are perfect for picking mush-rooms. Other outdoor activities that wecan arrange for our guests are ice-skat-ing, skiing, fishing and so on. We also havea wooden heated sauna located on thebeach with the possibility for ice holeswimming afterwards. For the ones whoare not brave enough to jump into thelake, a big indoor sauna is available.” Theyalso work together with a spa located afew minutes’ walk from the hotel.

In addition to the leisure options, KilaforsHerrgård offers tailor-made conferencepackages for small to medium groups aswell as the ideal venue for family partiesand weddings.

Hotel of the Month, Sweden:

Kilafors Herrgård– History and charm right under your pillowBy Nia Kajastie | Photos: Kilafors Herrgård

For more information, please visit:www.kilaforsherrgard.se

Kilafors Herrgård includes art deco elements, and the lay-out for some parts was designed by famous Swedish artist Isaac Grünewald.


Hotel Kong Arthur is part of the family-owned Brøchner Hotels, the world’s firstCO2 neutral hotel group. Located inCopenhagen, just five minutes from thecity centre, the four-star hotel takes in-spiration from the legend of King Arthurand is fittingly based among tranquillakes. Its 155 rooms, of which 11 aresuites, have a medieval yet homely at-mosphere that will ensure any travelleris well rested and looked after.

Hotel Kong Arthur was inaugurated by theDanish King in 1882 and once housed thecity’s apprentices. The charming hotel of-fers guests a comfortable and relaxed stay,boasting three excellent restaurants tosatisfy any food connoisseurs. There is LaRocca, serving Italian dishes; or why notsample a selection of delicious tapas fromPintxos, cooked by an experienced Spanishchef? If you are after some Asian cuisine,head for Sticks’n’Sushi for some Japan-ese-inspired dishes. Food can be servedon the hotel’s stunning courtyard, which isa perfect way to spend a summer evening.

Rest and RelaxationHotel Kong Arthur is also home to HelleThorup Spa, which features 850 sqmetresof spa luxury. There is a sauna, a steamroom and also a hydro pool along withplenty of beauty treatments. “The spauses Dr Murad products and also Danish-born Californian resident Ole Henriksen’sproducts, which are known for treatingfilm stars,” explains Marketing Coordina-tor Marie Louise Thyssen.

Business to Business

As well as catering for guests, Hotel KongArthur offers conference packages forcorporate clients. The hotel’s conferencecentre is found outside the hotel in con-verted stables, and services and facilitiesinclude AV equipment, a mini bar, mid-morning refreshments, buffet lunch at LaRocca as well as free parking.

Eco Hospitality

“Our CO2 policy is very important to us,and we were the first CO2 neutral hotelchain in the world,” says Hotel Manager

Jeppe Kjærgaard. The family behindBrøchner Hotels outlined five climatechange aims in 2008 in limiting its fourhotels’ CO2 emissions. As well as ensur-ing the hotel group is CO2 neutral in itsenergy consumption, the hotels also allowguests to carbon offset their stay by pur-chasing a CO2 quota as well as workingwith ecological products.

Whatever your stay involves in Copen-hagen, be it business or pleasure, HotelKong Arthur ensures you feel at home.“It is very important for us to treat all ourguests individually. We don't want to be ahotel that always does things the sameway, but instead try to adapt to the needsof the guests,” adds Kjærgaard. “We havea saying: ‘responsibility, passion and care’.That is what our staff take with them towork every day.”

Hotel of the Month, Denmark:

Hotel KongArthur – Responsibility, passion and careBy Samantha Wong | Photos: Hotel Kong Arthur

For more information, please visit:www.kongarthur.dk


Scan Magazine | Hotel of The Month | Norway

“I cannot even attempt to describe thefeeling you get when you are inside theice chapel and the absolute silence youexperience,” says Trond Jansen.

Imagine walking down the aisle hand inhand with your loved one: a beautiful whitedress, surrounded by your family, feelingchills run down your spine as you walkthrough the dim blue light created throughthe ice and the muted sound of music.

Getting married in an ice chapel is an un-forgettable experience, and at Bjorli SnowHotel you can be ice princess for a day.

Buckets of ice

Regarded as the area in Norway with themost stable weather, Bjorli was the per-fect location for building an ice hotel, andsome four years ago the owners of Bjorli-gard Hotel did just that.

Every year a new hotel is created, andevery year it melts away as spring arrivesand only the memories remain.

It takes between 20,000-25,000 tons ofsnow to construct the basic structure of thehotel and another 30-40 tons of ice for thechapel and the furniture. Led by therenowned sculptor Peder Istad, ice sculpt-ing artists from all over the world put in ayear worth of working hours in just three orfour weeks to complete the hotel in time.

“Weather conditions and temperature de-cide when we can start the buildingprocess,” says Jansen. “This year hasbeen very good and we have already be-gun the building process now in late Oc-tober. Everything in the hotel is carved byhand: all the furniture, beds and sculp-tures are made from huge bricks of ice.No room is the same, and there are icesculptures to enjoy everywhere.”

On the rocksBjorli SnowHotel is a part of ClassicNorwayHotels, a chain of ten distinct hotels that allhave a completely unique location, whetherit is on themountainside or by the coastline.

The hotel is situated next to Bjorligard Ho-tel, which provides guests with the alterna-tive of a night in a warm bed following anight at the Snow Hotel. With the choice ofalternating between the two hotels one canget the whole experience. For those whofear the cold, a tour around the hotel or avisit to the bar is equally impressive withouthaving to dread jumping into a cold sleep-ing bag at the end of the night.

Jansen is quick to point out that no onehas ever complained about the cold. “It isbetween minus 2 and 3 degrees Celsiushere, but since it is inside it does not feelcold. But we do have a lot of woollen gar-ments at hand if anyone feels chilly.”

Hotel of the Month, Norway:

Bjorli Snow Hotel - Ice and WarmthBy Anette Berve | Photos: Bjorli Snow Hotel

Also on site is a Norwegian ‘gamme’, alarge, solid tent made up of wood, rocksand pea gravel, which can accommodateup to 80 people. With a fire in the middleof the ‘gamme’ where a chef preparestraditional food, the outdoor experiencebecomes complete.

For those who are not the outdoorsy typea bit of pampering might sound inviting.With a modern well-being centre with aheated pool to slip into and a sauna it iseasy to warm up after a cold day. “By of-fering people a hotel experience, wilder-ness and well-being, we feel we canmakeeveryone happy,” says Jansen.

Finally, so that no ice is wasted, the hotelis even equipped with glasses made of iceto match their equally cool bar, giving thephrase “on the rocks” a new meaning.

New season, new design

Bjorli Snow Hotel has proved to be verypopular with families and groups offriends and not only couples seeking a ro-mantic getaway. “Because of this we havedecided to make larger rooms to accom-modate groups and families wanting tostay together.” Jansen further describeshow themuted sound created by the ice isthe perfect setting for good conversationsand thoughts after a day out.

For obvious reasons, the hotel melts eachspring and has to be rebuilt over and overagain. However, because of the Bjorli’s ge-ographical location, the hotel has a longerseason than other snow hotels. It is usu-ally the first to open and the last to close.

“Last year we were open until Easter wasover, so we had a long and good season,”Jansen says. “Now we are anxiouslyawaiting this year’s opening. It is alwaysan exciting time when we first start build-ing the hotel. We have been looking atlaunching on December 11. Or we at leasthave to open by December 18 as that iswhen we have our first wedding,” Jansenends with a nervous laugh.

Please log onto www.snowhotels.nofor more information about Bjorli.



Do you want to learn more about nature,energy and the environment in an interest-ing and interactive way? Then Økolariet isthe place to go. The knowledge and exhibi-tion centre opened in 2003 and has sincebeen a flagship for focusing on sustain-able development within this area. Man-ager Ole Due is also the creator of theplace and is happy to see how it has endedup being both an entertaining and stimu-lating experience for children and young-sters as well as adults; it is also often vis-ited by foreign tourists. “As far as I know,we are the only knowledge and exhibitioncentre dealing with sustainable develop-ment within energy and climate,” Due says.

Visit a sewer

Økolariet offers a range of permanent and

changing exhibitions, where the visitor en-ters a world of sensory impressions andadventures. How about taking a walk onthe bottom of the bay and seeing theplants and animals living there, or goingfor a ride in a sewer amongst rats andwastewater? See how waste is turnedinto useful products and learn how to cookwholesome food and use fewer resources.“Økolariet is a wonderful way to obtainknowledge in a way that is both enter-taining and educational,” Due says.

Take a closer look at the energy sector

Økolariet is closed in December and Jan-uary, but will afterwards open its doors fora range of special exhibitions. One focuseson robot technology, while another takesa closer look at the energy sector. “We

are taking a closer look at energy from dif-ferent perspectives: agriculture, trans-portation, production and housing,” Dueexplains with regard to the series of spe-cial exhibitions, which will focus on onesector at a time, looking into the per-spectives and challenges the future holdsfor the four sectors. The exhibitions arecreated in collaboration with Danish busi-nesses to ensure the highest level of rel-evance.

Attraction of the Month, Denmark:

Økolariet –where sustainable development comes aliveLearn more about the environment, climate change, innovation and sustainable development at Økolariet, a uniqueexhibition centre in Vejle. By Stine Daugaard | Photos: Økolariet

Økolariet is situated in the middle ofVejle, close to the bus terminal and trainstation and is free of charge to visit.

For more information, please visit:www.okolariet.dk.


Tom Tits Experiment, Sweden’s largestscience centre, is located in Södertälje,just south of Stockholm. Tom Tits is anexciting place to play, inquire and interactwith the whole family. There are morethan 600 experiments that children andadults can engage in, experimenting withwater, air and optical illusions, for exam-ple. Around 200,000 visitors make theirway to this spectacular place each year.

Ulrika Askengren, Marketing and SalesManager at Tom Tits, enjoys her workingenvironment immensely.

“It is a truly fascinating mix of hands-onscience and technology fun for all ages.Here you will find 16,000 square metres ofexperiences that engage, challenge andinspire visitors. It's great to see how a 3-

year-old and a 60-year-old interact dif-ferently with the exhibits,” she says.

Tom Tits consists of four floors filled withhundreds of stations, as well as a largegarden, which is closed during the winter.The space features a few computers andother multimedia installations to guideone’s movements through the stations.On top of this, the individual experimentsare simple, hands-on, intuitive and canbe explored in any order. Just when youthink you are done, you will find anotherfloor or room to explore. Imagine a WillyWonka-style scientific playground; yousimply do not know what is waiting foryou around the corner.

Ulrika Askengren adds: “There is no needto worry about everything being in

Swedish as the science speaks for itself.We see Tom Tits as a scientific smorgas-bord, where you won’t have time to seeeverything, but everyone will find theirpersonal favourites.”

Attraction of the Month, Sweden:

TomTitsExperiment – Theworld's largest playhouseBy Emelie Krugly | Photos: Tom Tits Experiment

For more information, please visit:www.tomtit.se

Opening hours:

Tuesday-Friday 10am-4pm

Weekends: 11am-5 pm

Prices:

Adults: 195 SEK; Children 3-17: 145 SEK

Children 0-2: Free entrance

Family price: 595 SEK

( 4 pers. incl. 2 adults 18+)

Address: Storgatan 33 in Södertälje;

35 km south from Stockholm, near motorway

E4 and E20.


Scan Magazine | Attraction of the Month | Norway

Hans Paul Hansen, Marketing & Commu-nication Manager at the Rica Hotels inHonningsvåg, the northernmost city inNorway and the world, tells me how eachyear 220,000 tourists from all corners ofthe world visit this extraordinary part ofNorway, and that it is among the top 15tourist destinations in Norway.

“To reach the North Cape is a sensation ofachievement, a feeling that you can go nofurther. “

Born and raised in the area, located inthe region of Finnmark, also called Nor-wegian Lapland, Hans Paul Hansen hasan in-depth knowledge of the history ofthe North Cape.

“The very first tourists arrived here some400 years ago,” he says and continues todescribe some of the historic milestones.“In 1553 an English expedition of threeships set out to seek the North East pas-sage to China. They were parted in a storm.The 'Edward Bonaventura' under the com-mand of Captain Richard Chancellorpassed what was then known asKnyskanes (steep cliff) and named it NorthCape. Later, in 1664, the Italian priestFrancesco Negri visited and got so carriedaway that he wrote a book about his ad-venture. In 1873, King Oscar of Norway andSweden also invited journalists to writeabout North Cape. Later Thomas Cook be-came the first travel agent to organisecruises here, and the story continues.”

From the darkness to the midnight sunLife around the North Cape is fascinating.People have lived here for more than10,000 years. Now there is a population of3,300 in permanent settlements onMagerøya island, which was not con-nected to the mainland until ten yearsago, when a seven kilometre tunnel wasconstructed. Here you may meet some ofthe indigenous Sami people, and theirreindeer herds.

Although summer starts in mid-June andcontinues until late August, there are fas-cinating experiences awaiting you thewhole year round. You may be curious toknow what life is like here so far northduring the dark winter months, or youmight want to experience the midnightsun, the storms and the silence in all theirdramatic splendour.

“The weather is pretty rough all yeararound, but it rarely gets colder than mi-nus 10 degrees, due to the Gulf Streamthat warms up the sea,” explains HansPaul Hansen. “All seasons have their

charm and whenever you choose to visitNorth Cape, it will always be a unique ex-perience as it is so different from every-thing that you are normally used to.”

Cruise your way to the North Cape

Most travel agents offer all-inclusivecruise ship packages to the North Cape.The cruises often include remote andbeautiful postcard landscapes such as theLofoten Islands, which are also north ofthe Arctic Circle, and, of course, sights ofbreathtaking fjords and awe-inspiring gla-ciers.

While the North Cape is a wonderful ex-perience in itself, travellers can also enjoybird safaris at a nature reservation withover 2 million seabirds, or why not try anexciting king crab safari. It is said that ifyou dream of a really big catch, fishingland North Cape is a must to visit.

Attraction of the Month, Norway:

North Cape– the northernmost point of mainland Europe“North Cape is amazing, just like being on top of the world”. “A Long trip but well worth the wait”. The reactions areoften strong and emotional when facing themighty 307metres above the Barents Sea. Formany visitors it is a dreamcome true to visit the northernmost point of mainland Europe, and it is a much-loved adventure. It is usually acelebratory moment to have reached this spot and often a bottle of champagne is cracked open before exploring thesurroundings.

By Emelie Krugly | Photos: North Cape

For more information, please visit:www.nordkapp.no

Nordkapphallen (North Cape Hall) isopen all year round and offers a hostof facilities.

There are also exhibitions in theunderground tunnel about NorthCape's long history as a destinationfor travellers.


A feast for all the senses is what you getat a dinner at Alberto K. The restaurant issituated on the top floor of the 5-starRadisson Blu Royal Hotel in Copenhagen,with an amazing view from every table.The hotel is famous for being completelydesigned by the world-renowned Danishdesigner and architect Arne Jacobsen,whose fingerprints can be seen on every-thing from the stylish façade to the spe-cially designed interior. Jacobsen washired by legendary Alberto Kappenberger,who was the first Managing Director atthe hotel and who has since been immor-talized by having the gourmet restaurantnamed after him.

The best of Denmark on a plate

Whereas the hotel is a brilliant ambassa-dor for Danish design, the restaurant is anequally fine example of how brilliantly

Danish ingredients can be used for agourmet result.

“Our kitchen is extremely seasonal with adefinite focus on the very best Danish in-gredients,” explains the restaurant’s ChefSøren Selin, who at themoment is spoilinghis guests with king crab, zander, turbot,pumpkin, chestnuts, plums and other typ-ical autumn ingredients. When creating themenu he chooses onemain ingredient to bethe focal point and builds the dish around it.

“My philosophy is to allow each ingredientto shine, so I am very conscious of mycombinations,” Selin says.

Open to international influences

He aims to use as many Danish ingredi-ents as possible but refuses to be fanaticor dogmatic about it.

“I also use caviar, truffles and olive oil. Ihave recently made a dessert of a sublimeolive oil sorbet, which just would not bethe same with Danish rapeseed oil,” Selinexplains.

However, whenever possible he choosesto use local produce, which he handpicksfrom selected suppliers.

“Denmark has so much to offer. It wouldbe a shame not to take advantage of it.”

The restaurant is open for dinner Monday-Saturday. Due to high demand, reserva-tions are highly recommended.

Alberto K – Dinner with a viewThe food fights for attention against the magnificent view from the 20th floor, and both are equally noteworthy atAlberto K.

By Stine Daugaard | Photos: Alberto K/Radisson Blu

For more information, please visit:www.alberto-k.dk


Sainsbury’s Taste theDifference Gavi, 2009

This has some greatfloral aromas with citrusfruits on the nose. Someflavours of green pearsand a nice roundedpalate make this a realeasy drinker.

Sainsburys, £7.49

Situated in the North Eastern pocket ofItaly, Piedmont is home to some of thecountry’s finest wines. Literally meaning‘foot of the mountains’, the region sits atthe base of the Alps, bordered by Franceand Switzerland on either side. The coldmorningmistsmay keep the grapes fromoverheating, but they also assist in thegrowth of friendly fungi known as truffleswhich make an appearance between themonths of October and December.

You will find an abundance of these deli-cacies in the town of Alba, which the fra-grant wines of Barbera D’Alba call home.Wines from the Barbera grape are usuallylow in the tannins that dry yourmouth out,but high in the kind of acidity that makesyou salivate, in a good way of course! Theneighbouring town of Asti is similarly syn-onymous with this grape variety and alsobears its name. The finest wines of theregion come from the towns of Barolo andBarberesco. The former is more highly re-

garded, often referred to as “the wine ofkings, king of wines”. Nebbiolo is theunique grape variety used here, and its bigtannins and high acidity play a major rolein the aging capacity of these wines. Theyare not cheap, ranging from £25 upwardsand my advice would be to buy them fromindependent wine shops rather than su-permarkets to ensure that you experiencethe true qualities which they bespeak.

The most famous white wines of Pied-mont undoubtedly come from the area ofGavi, where the Cortese grape producesrefreshing wines with pear and apple aro-mas. Unlike their more illustrious redneighbours, these should be drunk young.

Ray O’Connor runs tailored wine tastingsfor groups and individuals. For more in-formation visit www.rayoconnorwine.com

Tesco Finest Barberad’Asti Superiore, 2007

A wonderfully smoothred wine with soft redberries and clove spice.These easy tannins andcrisp acidity are a perfectmatch for autumnaldishes like game.

Tesco Stores, £6.49

Wines fit for a king By Ray O’Connor

“Company Pool?Bedre firmaaftaler!”

1 uge i Danmark f.eks. kr. 1.900,-*

www.budget-billeje.dk*Pris inkl. moms, selvrisiko forsikring og 700 frie km.

Scan Magazine | Food | Wine


Scan Magazine | Food | Lobster Safaris in Western Sweden

At first the work is easy. The line glideseffortlessly through my hands and thepile of blue nylon rope at my side grows.But 25 metres is a lot, especially as theother people on the boat are watching mywork eagerly hoping that the trap will beteeming with lobsters. Finally the lobstertrap breaks the surface and is pulled onboard the ship. And it was really worth theeffort. Two lobsters are clattering aroundin the trap, obviously unhappy to be pulledfrom their usual wet element. Per Karls-son from Everts Sjöbod in Grebbestad,who has arranged the trip, checks thelobsters using his measuring device inred plastic to ensure that both lobstersare above the minimum measurement!Luckily – for us, not the lobsters – both

are large enough to be eaten and are gen-tly placed in a wooden crate.

High season right now

It is high season for lobster safaris in Bo-huslän north of Gothenburg right now.Each year, the locals eagerly await thearrival of the first Monday after 20 Sep-tember, when the lobster season com-mences and seafood enthusiasts cangorge themselves on the succulent lob-sters, which supposedly are among thebest in the world. But even for those whodo not enjoy shellfish, the experience isworth a try. The area is beautiful in thecrisp autumn light, the rounded graniterocks and the colours slowly changingfrom green to golden. All Swedish citi-

zens are allowed to have up to 14 lobstertraps, but luckily there are a broad rangeof possibilities for others to try their handsat lobster fishing.

Every second Swedish lobster is fromBohuslän

We are cruising with M/S Tuffa, a gor-geous wooden boat from 1952 with ampleroom to relax in the autumn sun and en-joy watching the others taking turns inlanding lobsters. Some traps have beeninvaded by crabs instead and others comeup empty, but the chances of good luckare high. No less than every secondSwedish lobster is landed here along withas much as 90 percent of the entireSwedish oyster catch, which are hand-

On the hunt for Sweden’s black gold of the seaThe autumn is high season for lobster safaris in Western Sweden. In the glittering waters in the skerries live someof the best lobsters in the world.

Text & photos: Stine Daugaard

picked from the oyster banks in the sker-ries. This abundant wildlife is further con-firmed a couple of times during the trip,when slick seals frolick not far from theboat, and it is tempting to claim that theyshoot us disapproving glances asmuch asto say that we should leave their feedingground alone. Luckily there is plenty forboth us and the animals.

Exceptional seafood

Awaiting us back on dry land is a lavishshellfish feast. Rarely have I regretted myshellfish allergy as much as when PerKarlsson starts opening the fresh caughtoysters and serving them al fresco with asqueeze of lemon and a glass of cham-pagne. Especially when hearing com-ments like “a perfect taste of salt”, “mar-vellous texture” and “the best oysters Ihave ever had”. The excitement evenreaches new heights when dinner isserved on the first floor of the 18th centuryboathouse: half a lobster, several Norwaylobsters, a variety of mussels and freshlyboiled shrimps were fighting for room onthe plate. The smiles are just growingwider. “Exceptionally juicy and tasty,” isone of the delighted statements I can coax

The lobster safaris take place until theend of November and once again in thespring. Find more information atwww.vastsverige.com


Scan Magazine | Columns | Humour

I mean, I knew about calories counts, Iwas just very generous in counting whatburned them off.Among calorie-burning activities I had

made startling efforts such as “beingawake” and “sitting up”, accounting for atleast a thousand calories a day. Each.My previous attempts to work out

clearly reflected the same imprudence. Iwould sometimes go to extremes, join agym and a couple of times even actuallygo there. But I never bothered to do aproper workout and adjust the machines.I would simply be on the treadmill until Icouldn’t be bothered anymore. It’s amaz-ing how slowly 90 seconds pass when youare literally going nowhere.See, this was the carefree world, which

came to a shattering halt when I startedworking out with my husband. He’s the

ambitious type and insists on feeding thework-out machines all kinds of informa-tion. Weight, height, what kind of exerciseyou need etc.Surprisingly the machine does not

handle information well. Instead of justcongratulating you on your efforts it startsspitting out all kinds of useless facts. Mypulse, how many (or few!!) miles I havebeen biking or running and worst of all –howmany (or few!!) calories my efforts areburning off. That sparked a whole new in-terest for me: reading food declarations.And this is what sent my world hurtlingout of balance. These are truly disturbingfacts! Turns out you have to work reallyhard to burn off a ridiculously low numberof calories. A tiny cracker is 80 calories. 80calories equal 3 minutes on the treadmill.No cracker is worth that! That is the bru-

tal truth. I look at things differently now.Seeing something tasty that normallywould have me elated by its sheer deli-ciousness now causes me to frown with adisheartened: “Naah, It’s not worth it.”PS: Does anybody know how many

calories you burn off by reading food dec-larations?

Mette Lisby is Denmark’s leading femalecomedian. She invites you to laugh alongwith her monthly humour columns. Sinceher stand-up debut in 1992, Mette hashosted the Danish versions of “Have I GotNews For You” and “Room 101”. Mettecurrently lives in London.

IS IT JUST ME... By Mette Lisby

Or has anyone else lived in a fantasy world, blissfully ignorant of the harshreality of calorie-counters?

My last winter in Sweden was pretty muchlike any other winter in the north. I was 14,and my friends and I trudged to schoolevery day through drifts of snow. Refusing(naturally) to wear sensible clothes, ourjeans would paste to our legs, our hairwould freeze to crisp icicles, and my re-bellious friend would try to light her ciga-rette in vain, taking shelter behind the

chubby kid we got to walk in front of us asa windbreaker.Then my family moved.I remember the frenzy in my teacher’s

eyes as the first, flimsy specks of snow fellonmynewEnglish school. The electricity in-stantly failed. The youngest pupils werespared and sent home, whilst the rest of ushad to make do with Bunsen burners forwarmth. Chaos ensued. Everything broke.The country ground to a standstill. I re-member mistakenly assuming that theBritishmust be distraught by all this. I had-n’t yet realised how much the Brits appre-ciate situations that enable them to demon-strate just how brilliantly stoical they are.Whenwe got our TV towork againwe foundthat the ordinary newshad been replaced bySnow News. Snow News begins with red-nosed reporters reporting giddily howevery-thing has broken downand endswith amul-titude of shots and home videos of peopleenjoying this fact, building dirty snowmen,using road signs as sledges, certainly NOT

trudging to school with frozen hair etc.A couple of years ago I crashed my car

into a snow-bank, having never learntproper winter driving. As my windscreenslowly iced over, I realised how I hadbrought shame onmy Scandinavian roots.Then my mind suddenly filled with cheer.My stranded Ford made an excellent pic-ture for Snow News.

Maria Smedstad moved to the UK fromSweden in 1994. She received a degree inIllustration in 2001, before settling in thecapital as a freelance cartoonist, creatingthe autobiographical cartoon Em. Shewrites a column on the trials andtribulations of life as a Swede in the UK.

Snow By Maria Smedstad


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Scan Business | Key Note | Brains are the tools of today

Globalization and the global economicdownturn have increased economic ten-sions. This does not benefit small coun-tries. How is it possible, then, that Nordiccountries, Finland among them, havebeen able not just to survive, but to be-comeworld leaders inmany fields of cul-ture and technology?

One could say that these countries havebeen lucky. This may be true, but there ismore to it than that. To me, the corner-stone of their success has been, and is,education. Free to everyone to the highestlevels. Minister of Trade of Sweden EwaBjörling wrote earlier in this magazinethat “Swedish companies are knownaround the world for products and serv-ices characterized by quality, innovativetechnology and modern design” (ScanMagazine Issue 21, August 2010). This isalso certainly true for many of our leadingFinnish companies.

Both Finland and Sweden have workedhard to gain this reputation and position inthe world. Although there are many fac-tors behind this success, my strong con-viction is that the most important reasonfor it is the decision to build and keep up

a high class education system, a decisionto invest in brain power.

The OECD Programme for InternationalStudent Assessment (PISA) surveys 15-year-olds in the principal industrializedcountries every three years. It has nowranked Finland at the top twice in a row, in2003 and 2006. Results for 2009 will be re-leased on 7 December 2010, a day afterFinnish Independence Day.

PISA tries to explore whether studentsare well prepared for future challenges:can they analyze, reason and communi-cate effectively? Do they have the capac-ity to continue learning throughout life?Capacities and skills like these are thebuilding blocks of the future.

Minister Björling also wrote that suc-cessful Swedish companies are con-tributing to building the Swedish nationalbrand, while at the same time benefitingfrom the image of Sweden as a countrycharacterized by equality, sustainabilityand transparency.

How very true. Nations, their social infra-structures and companies need bright

people who believe in the future and cansolve the problems that lie ahead.

Invest in kids, invest in schools: invest inbeing smart.

Scan Business“Green Tea” at Corren Troen 88 | Saab 9-5 90 | News from the Chambers of Commerce 93

Brains are the tools of todayBy Pekka Huhtaniemi, Ambassador of Finland to the United Kingdom | Photo: Courtesy of Embassy of Finland, London

90 93 94

For more information about the writer,please visit: www.finemb.org.uk

Pekka Huhtaniemi, Ambassador of Finland tothe United Kingdom

Corren Troen held another break-fast at Villandry in Great PortlandStreet last month, this time with afocus on Clean Tech and environ-mentally conscious businesses.

There was an overwhelming re-sponse to the breakfast. The 45guests who attended were a mix ofmarket participants and investors,as well as several well placed inter-mediaries. Corren Troen was greatly honoured by the presenceof Birger Riis Jørgensen, the Ambassador to Denmark, at theevent.

Dan Morrell of the Carbon Advisory Service gave a fascinatingpresentation. During the course of the morning, Dan discussedthe origin of the voluntary carbon market and described the ex-citement of watching a voluntary market becoming compliant. Healso discussed the evolution of the various new markets includ-ing the Carbon Bond market. Finally, he explained how his or-ganisation can transform a building within its refurbishment cy-cle, reducing the building’s cost and carbon status dramatically.The presentation was enthusiastically received and generatedmany interesting questions from the audience.

The breakfast provided an excellent opportunity for Corren Troento bring together many of its Scandinavian Clean Tech clients andcontacts, giving them the opportunity to network with one an-other throughout the morning.

“Green Tea” at Corren TroenBy Paul Corren, Corren Troen Law Firm

Please contact Nikki Woolf on 020 7592 8900 if you would like tospeak to one of Corren Troen’s Clean Tech team or if you wouldlike to be invited to the next event.

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Marketed as ‘Anything but Ordinary’, theSaab 9-5 is striking to say the least. Com-pared to other vehicles in its class, theSaab has a strong presence with its aero-dynamic design and sleek curves. The 9-5 has all the characteristics of a saloonbut can still be driven like a sports car.

Despite being wider and longer than somevehicles of its class, the 9-5 is surprisingly

easy to drive thanks to its adaptive tech-nology. The steering is light and the sus-pension adapts to road conditions due toits ‘DriveSense’ system. The 9-5 suspen-sion lightens along the motorway to en-sure a smooth ride, which is ideal forcommuters, but once the car hits the townit adapts to city driving and transformsinto a more responsive ride.

Saab has also applied some of its adaptivetechnology to the 9-5’s wing mirrors.These adjust themselves when the cargoes into reverse to ensure you get thebest angles for parking and reversing. Ad-ditionally for those less confident withparallel parking, the 9-5 also has a ‘park-ing assist’, which not only works out if aspace will fit the car, but will also give in-

structions on how to park into the space.The 9-5 also has adaptive LED headlightsthat sense speed, traffic and weather con-ditions – which is one less thing for thedriver to worry about.

On top of all these features, the Saab hasa head-up display on the wind screenwhich comes as standard with all 9-5models. It displays a digital speedometer,

the revs and also pictorial directions fromthe sat nav so there is no need to take youreyes off the road.

Tech Heads

In addition to its slick and aerodynamicdesign, Saab has ensured the 9-5 does notscrimp on up-to-date tech for its roadusers. In addition to the ‘parking assist’and head-up display, the centre console istouch sensitive, whichmakes it much eas-ier to navigate through the menus. Thefront seats are also adjustable in six ways,not only to ensure that you are as com-fortable as possible when driving the car,but also to adapt to different drivers.

With a top speed of 149mph, the Saab 9-5 Aero 2.0T can go from 0-62mph in 7.9

seconds. This model’s fuel consumption is33.6 mpg for general driving with a CO2fuel emission of 194. The 9-5 also has themaximum five star Euro NCAP safety rat-ing and prices start at £26,495.

The 9-5 is a forward-thinking vehicle thathas plenty to offer as an executive saloon.It has a spacious, leather interior and gen-erous boot space, as well as Bluetooth

phone integration, rain sensors and USBconnection as standard. For an alternativeexecutive saloon complete with plenty oftechnology, the Saab’s new 9-5 will satisfymost modern day drivers’ needs.

Back to the future for the Saab 9-5Nearly 13 years after the first generation was introduced, Saab has redesigned its executive 9-5 saloon for the 21stcentury. Taking inspiration from its aviation roots, Saab ensures the 9-5 fits into modern life with its innovativeexterior design, aircraft cockpit style driver seat and latest gadgetry. By Samantha Wong | Photos: Yiannis Katsaris

Saab 9-5 2.0T Manual

- Four cylinders- Front wheel drive- Manual 6 speed- 70 litre fuel tank- Top speed 149mph- 0-62 mph in 7.9 seconds- Fuel consumption: 22.7 mpg city

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- CO2 Fuel emission 194g

www.saab.co.uk

Scan Business | Business | Saab 9-5


Scan Business | Column | Annika Åman Goodwille

It’s the big questions. The cutswill reducethe deficit but will they stall any chance ofgetting back to a growth economy andland us in a “double-dip”? Far bettereconomists than I amdisagree on the out-come: but one thing is certain, and on thisthe British Chancellor agrees, if anythingis going to get the economy steamingagain it has to be the private sector.

In mid-October, I went on a most inspiringbusiness trip to Småland, where I visited aGoodwille client, Axelent.What gotmy headspinning, considering the current economicclimate and the strength of global compe-tition, is just how they manage to succeedinternationally. Axelent AB manufacturesmachine guards and warehouse partition-ing – nothing particularly complex or so-phisticated, but very useful. Their compet-itive edge is to be the quickest to act anddeliver, even to Australian clients!

George Osborne has just delivered hisspending review. According to the BBC’sRobert Peston the private sector had shedsurprisingly few jobs through the credit-crunch recession, given job sharing, part-time working and so on – solutions thepublic sector may now need to adopt. Theprivate sector, according to some analysts,needs to pick up ‘just 2%’ to absorb all thepublic-sector job losses – not unfeasibleas long as economic recovery is sustained.After my nearly 30 years in the UK, I

am confident that the Brits will reinventthemselves yet again. The UK’s economicproblems are somewhat different to thoseof Southern Europe and especially theEuro-zone countries.When you look at the success of a

modestly sized company like Axelent, op-erating from the depths of the Smålandforests, in the land of IKEA where you areused to looking after your pennies, you

can see imagi-native enter-prise has beennecessary forsheer survival.In Anderstorp,another smalltown in Små-land, with only5,000 inhabi-tants, they have 140 companies! I do hopethat the spirit of enterprise will oncemoreflourish in the UK and, as the saying goes,‘Get going when the going gets tough!’

Blog: godigitalordie.blogspot.comTwitter: @agoodwilleEmail: [email protected]: Annika Aman-GoodwilleFacebook: Annika Åman Goodwille

Can the private sectormop up the slack after theGovernment cuts? By Annika Åman-Goodwille

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Scan Business | News | Chambers of Commerce

Christmas is just around the corner andso is the DUCC Annual Christmas Lunch.Again this year members, colleagues andclients are invited to enjoy a traditionalDanish Christmas buffet in the beautifulsurroundings of DUCC member, HYATTRegency London Hotel – The Churchill.Don’t forget to mark 10 December in yourcalendar!

But before moving on to Christmas eventsand holidays, we still have some interest-ing autumn events coming up. On 17 No-vember, Maersk Line UK’s Managing Di-rector, Annemette Jepsen will be giving aBusiness Briefing on Maersk Line’s activ-ities in the UK. Ms Jepsen will further-more give an insight into how the con-tainer industry has developed over the lastcouple of years, how Maersk sees it de-veloping, and their preferences for the fu-

ture. This event is generously hosted byPannone LLP and will take place in Man-chester.

Another date to keep in mind is 25 No-vember. This is the day the lovely Scandi-navian Kitchen will open its doors to theJoint Nordic Chamber Event “NordicThursday Drinks” – your opportunity to

meet fellow Nordic colleagues, expandyour network and get a taste of Scandina-vian food specialties.

UPCOMING EVENTS 2010

12 Nov Young Professionals Party,Boujis

17 Nov Business Briefing with An-nemette Jepsen, Maersk LineUK, Manchester

25 Nov Nordic Thursday Drinks, Scan-dinavian Kitchen

10 Dec DUCC Christmas Lunch, HyattRegency -The Churchill, Lon-don

Join us on 11 November when we arrangeour Taste and Travel Networking Event inAberdeen. The event is open to anyonewith an interest in Norway and Scotland,and companies from a variety of sectorswill be represented.On 12 November we have a treat for

those of you in the young professionals’category, when we arrange a joint NordicYoung Professionals party in London. Thistime we are heading to Boujis in SouthKensington. The event is guestlist only somake sure you register ahead on our web-site.On 25 November there will be another

opportunity to network andmeet potentialbusiness partners during our joint NordicThursday drinks at Scandinavian Kitchen.Get a free welcome drink and mingle withpeople from the Norwegian, Finnish, Dan-ish and British business community.

Get in the Christmas spirit by joining usat the Norwegian Church in Southwarkfor a Young Professionals Christmas din-ner. The joyful event will take place on 26November and traditional Norwegian foodand drink are on the menu.In Aberdeen, we will be finishing off the

seasonwith Christmas drinks on 8Decem-ber. In London, the last event of the seasonwill be our Christmas lunch at the Ambas-sador’s residence for NBCCmembers.

Check our website for fresh updates.

UPCOMING EVENTS 2010

11 Nov Taste and Travel: Mini Exhibition& Networking Event in AberdeenVenue: Skene House Hotel Suites,Rosemount

12 Nov Joint Nordic YP PartyVenue: Boujis, South Kensington

25 Nov Nordic Thursday DrinksVenue: Scandinavian Kitchen

26 Nov Young Professionals ChristmasDinnerVenue: Norwegian Church inSouthwark

8 Dec Aberdeen Christmas DrinksVenue: TBC

9 Dec Christmas lunchVenue: The Norwegian Ambas-sador’s residence in London

Norwegian-British Chamber of Commerce

Danish-UK Chamber of Commerce

Danish-UK Chamber of Commerce | Phone: +44 (0) 20 7259 6795 | Email: [email protected] | www.ducc.co.uk

Norwegian-British Chamber of Commerce | Phone: +44 (0) 20 7930 0181 | Email: [email protected] | www.nbccuk.com

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Scan Business | News | Chambers of Commerce

The year is coming to an end shortly, andthe Chamber will probably be summarisingit as an eventful one. In October, the Cham-ber hosted a number of events on a rangeof topics, including how to achieve successin your career, how to do business in Swe-den and in the north east of England, aswell as paying a visit to Saab City where thenew Saab 9-5 was shown off, and arrang-ing a company visit to Bloomberg, to namebut a few. The Chamber also launched itsnew Chapter in the north east of England,in Newcastle, with a seminar.Watch out for the Chamber’s activities in

November and December and prepare foran evenmoreactive spring 2011. TheCham-ber is happy to havewelcomed somany newmembers in 2010, adding to a great existingnetwork, as well as creating an even moredynamic place to exchange ideas.The Young Professionals, the JCC, are

re-launching the Entrepreneurship Forum,aimed at giving hands-on advice and shar-

ing experiences on setting up your ownbusiness, with an event in November enti-tled “From Banker to Entrepreneur”. TheJCC is also launching a new forum, theManagement Forum, aiming to providemembers with a range of experienceswithin the area of management and lead-ership. The first event goes under theheading “Climbing the Ladder” and willenable JCC members to interact with in-spirational leaders. Read more about thison www.scc.org.uk/jcc

The Swedish Chamber of Commercewas founded in 1906 and has around 400Member companies, representing not onlySwedish but also British and Europeancompanies interested in strengtheningtheir existing ties with Sweden and the UKor expanding into new markets.

UPCOMING EVENTS 20109 Nov Vodka Vintage Tasting10 Nov Industrial Forum with Jan Åke

Jonsson, President & CEO, SaabAutomobile

15 Nov Home House Monday18 Nov Joint SCC/JCC Reception at Älva23 Nov JCC Entrepreneurship Forum:

From Banker to Entrepreneur27 Nov JCC & McGuireWoods Christ-

mas Party3 Dec The Annual Christmas Lunch-

eon at Whitehall Palace/Ban-queting House

More events will be listed on www.scc.org.uk

Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK | Phone: +44 (0) 20 7224 8001 | Email: [email protected] | www.scc.org.uk

The Finnish-British Chamber of Com-merce, together with the other NordicChambers, organized a networkingevening on 29 September in the City ofLondon, with Björn Wahlroos as the key-note speaker. Mr Wahlroos, currentlyChairman of Europe’s eighth largest in-surer, Sampo, and Vice-Chairman ofNordea, attracted over 100 guests to thehistorical setting of the prestigious Ar-mourers’ Hall.

When this magazine is out, all of youwill have learned what is included inthe government’s Spending Review. On11 November FBCC offers you a rareopportunity to hear from the insider –Geoffrey Dicks from the Office forBudget Responsibility – what it reallymeans for companies in the UK and toall of us.

November is the month for Young Profes-sionals as on 12 we’ll have a joint Nordicparty at prestigious Boujis, and on 18 it’sthe time to find out how you can makesure that your career is a success in theUK – you’ll have the chance to learn thetricks from the accomplished speakersrepresenting various industries.

UPCOMING EVENTS 201011 Nov Economic Outlook with Geoffrey

Dicks (OBR)12 Nov Joint Nordic YP party at Boujis18 Nov How to succeed in the UK job

market – Finnish perspective25 Nov Joint Nordic Drinks at Scandi-

navian Kitchen – Christmasspecial

31 Nov Patrons’ Dinner at the Ambas-sador’s Residence – invitationonly

3 Dec Independence Day Dance to-gether with Finn-Guild

Finnish-British Chamber of Commerce | Phone: +44 (0) 20 8741 6352 | Email: [email protected] | www.fbcc.co.uk

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Scan Magazine | Scan News

Thewave of suc-cessful Swedishfilms, such asThe MillenniumTrilogy and Letthe Right One In,keeps on hittingthe internationalfilm scene, andon 29 October

2010 it was time for yet another multi-award winning Swedish production, In-voluntary, to be released in London andselected cities throughout the UK.

The critically acclaimed social comedy-drama got a grand reception from theSwedish press and was the highestrated Swedish film of 2008. First-timedirector Ruben Östlund has carried on

the good reputation of Swedish film,with Involuntary charming criticsaround the globe and picking up awardsfrom established Film Festivals, suchas Cannes, Stockholm and Geneva.The inventive drama uses a tragi-

comic tone to tell the story of ordinarypeople facing moral dilemmas. The au-dience gets to meet a group of men at areunion, a righteous grade schoolteacher, an injured man at a party, twopre-teen girls exploring alcohol and aprincipled bus driver. Involuntary is ahumorous display of lessons to learn,lines not to cross and what happenswhen lack of will, peer pressure anduncertainty get the upper hand.

“Involuntary looks at those who at-tribute too much importance to theopinions of others and are terrified by

the idea of losing face,” Östlund statesin an interview. The film addressesSwedish silence and mentality, but alsoraises interesting questions about to-day's society, where individualism andsocial constellations are high on every-one’s agenda.

SCAN NEWSIf you have a news story for Scan Magazine you can contact our news desk at [email protected]

Swedish moral dilemmas: Involuntary, the award-winning filmBy Sakarias Frohm | Photo: Courtesy of SWCP

Title: Involuntary

Runtime: 98 minutes

Genre: Drama

Release date: 29 October

Official selection: Cannes FilmFestival

Audience Award, Best Screenplay:Stockholm Film Festival

Best Director: Geneva Film Festival

Golden Iris: Brussels Film Festival

The leading Scandinavian restaurantin London, Madsen, is offering an ap-petizing Christmas lunch buffet withall the tasty dishes that a true Christ-mas buffet requires. Book now and en-sure your Christmas will be celebratedin the authentic Nordic way.The Nordic kitchen has a strong tra-

dition of serving a delicious Christmasbuffet, and Madsen is happy to welcomeyou to a banquet of delectable Scandi-navian specialities. Madsen is the lead-ing Scandinavian restaurant in London,and from November 21 until December22, they will be serving a Swedish andDanish Christmas buffet.The buffet includes three kinds of

different marinated herring, homebaked rye bread, roast pork crackling

with red cabbage, the Swedish special-ity Jansons Frestelse – and no Christ-mas buffet is complete without theheavenly dessert ris a l’amande withwarm cherry sauce. As an option youcan also book the Christmas buffet forcatering (for the full menu, please visit:www.madsenrestaurant.com).Fancy a private dining room? At

Madsen it is possible to book a dining

room with a capacity of up to twelveguests. This year Madsen is also offer-ing a special three or four course menufor New Year’s Eve.If you crave more delightful delica-

cies made according to Nordic Christ-mas traditions, the Head of Madsen,Charlotte Kruse Madsen, happily an-nounces: “Come and have a nice cup ofGlögg, the Scandinavian Christmaspunch, served with homemade biscuitsthroughout December.”

Madsen Restaurant By Charlotte Kany | Photo: Madsen Restaurant

– A taste of traditional Scandinavian Christmas

Madsen20 Old Brompton RoadSW7 3DLTel: 020 7225 2772www.madsenrestaurant.com


Christmas is rapidly approaching, andthere are several Scandinavian eventscoming up to help you get into the win-tery Christmas spirit. Whether you are anex-pat Scandinavian in London or a Britlooking for something a little different, Ican highly recommend the forthcomingChristmas Fairs. Take your pick and joinin the charming Nordic fun for all ages.

First out is the Swedish Church Bazaarwith its lovely genuine atmosphere and arange of products for sale, including tradi-tional decorations for your julgran (Christ-mas tree), speciality foods, gifts, candles,candy and a grand lottery. Head to thischurch if you are looking for a bit of ambi-ent winter warmth, and try not to miss theopening when the Swedish Ambassadorwill be there to mark the occasion.

A day later the Norwegian and FinnishFairs open their doors.

If it is “a little piece ofNorway” you are after,try this very traditional and cultural bazaar attheNorwegianChurch: their biggest event ofthe year has been running for over 30 years.

Tickets cost one pound on the door. Expectto meet staff in traditional costume, andenjoy a variety of Norwegian groceries andproducts as well as a great, authentic at-mosphere.

Ismo Peltonen says the Finnish Bazaarwill be a great family event, and when Ihear his 8-month-old child in the back-ground, I believe him. You will find tradi-tional foods, arts and crafts, Christmasdecorations, casseroles with swede andpotato as well as ham, glögi* and muchmore at this event. There will also be a pi-anist from Finland adding to the atmos-phere.

Last but not least is the Danish Bazaar atthe YMCA (Dansk KFUK), where you willfind Christmas decorations along with arange of Danish specialities such asgløgg*, open sandwiches, frikadeller(meatballs) and of course, pølse (hotdogs). Every year “helpers” from Denmarkcome to assist with this genuinely heart-warming and traditional event. LeaBecker at the YMCA summed up thisbazaar up as a “hyggelig” occasion. We

both struggle to find a good, Englishtranslation, but my best shot is “charm-ing” and “cozy”.

*gløgg, glögi a term used for mulled wine inthe Nordic countries.

Scandinavian Christmas Fairs in LondonBy Anna Lindgren | Photos: Courtesy of the Scandinavian Churches

The Swedish Church Christmas Fairat 6 Harcourt Street London W1H 4AG.18 Nov, 11am - 8pm as well as 20 Nov;11am - 6pm and 21 Nov; 12pm - 5pm.

The Norwegian Church Bazaarat 1 St Olavs Square London SE16 7JB.19 Nov; 11am - 6pm, 20 Nov; 10am -5pm and 21 Nov; 12.30pm - 5pm.

The Finnish Church Bazaarat 33 Albion St, London SE16 7HZ.19 Nov; 12pm - 8pm, 20 Nov; 10am -6pm, 21 Nov; 12pm - 6pm, 24 - 26 Nov;12pm - 8pm and 27 Nov; 10am - 4pm.

Danish Christmas Bazaarat the YMCA at 43 Maresfield GardensHampstead NW3 5TS27Nov; 12pm - 5pm and28 Nov; 12pm - 4pm.

Scan Magazine | Culture | Music & Culture Calendar

Denmark hasproduced a newpop boy withwhat sounds likea very promisingtalent in craftinga tune. Xanderreleased his de-but single DetBurde Ikk VæreSådan Her lastmonth, and it isalready burning

its way up the Danish singles chart. It’s anirresistibly sweet record that sounds likea cross between Owl City’s Fireflies, andan early 90s Michael Jackson track. Def-initely one to watch out for in the future.The single is on YouTube, should you wish

to investigate further - and you definitelyshould!Robyn finalises her Body Talk trilogy

this month, when she releases the thirdinstalment in the UK on November 29. Itwill be preceded a week before by the sin-gle Indestructible. An acoustic version ofthe song appeared on Body Talk Pt2, buta full-on disco arrangement is beinglaunched as the new single. The new ver-sion is an epic number with gorgeous 70sstrings and 80s synths, building up to aclubland crescendo for the final blow outchorus.And finally, dansband music is contin-

uing to weave itself into a new generationof music society in Sweden with the startof the latest series of Dansbandskampen.The much loathed genre has seen its

stock rise in recent years, as younger peo-ple start to realise that it’s actually a per-fectly acceptable outlet for music, throughwhich musicians can build a sustainablecareer, and where record sales are stillquite high. Dansbandskampen is like XFactor, but for dansbands. And one of thecontestants in this year’s series, CC &Lee, has just released a fantastic singlecalled Better Best Forgotten. It soundsexactly like you would imagine an Abbasong to sound if they were still makingmusic today, and you HAVE to check itout!

Scandinavian Music By Karl Batterbee

[email protected]

NOVEMBERA-ha on UK tour (Nov)After nearly 30 years together the worldfamous Norwegian pop group A-ha haveannounced that the band will split at the end ofthis year. As part of their last world tour theywill play at various venues in the UK thismonth. www.a-ha.com

Lisa Ekdahl (13 Nov)Swedish singer and composer Lisa Ekdahl isback in London this month. She will beperforming at the Shepherd's Bush O2 Empire,Shepherd's Bush Green, London W12 8TT.www.lisaekdahl.com

Experiments in Black by Lotta Antonsson(Until 14 Nov)Permanent Gallery presents Swedish artistLotta Antonsson’s first UK solo exhibition at theRegency Town House in Hove. The installationincorporates photography, collage and foundobjects. The Regency Town Hall, 13 BrunswickSquare, Hove BN3 1EH.www.permanentgallery.com

Emilia Mårtensson (15 Nov)Emilia Mårtensson will perform at Oliver's JazzBar this month as part of London Jazz Festival2010. Her jazz is influenced by Swedish folkmelodies. Oliver's Jazz Bar, 9 Nevada St, SE109JL. www.londonjazzfestival.org.uk

John Storgårds conducts the ScottishChamber Orchestra (16 Nov)A Scandinavian-themed evening of music withFinnish conductor and violinist John Storgårdsand the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Threerenowned Scandinavian composers’ work willbe featured here: Nielsen’s Little Suite Op 1,Sibelius’s Rakastave and Grieg’s Holberg Suite.St Cuthbert's Parish Church, Edinburgh.www.sco.org.uk

Oddjob (19 Nov)Swedish eccentric jazz group Oddjob will playat the Vortex this month. It is jazz with a twistand a nice beat, inspired by 60s and 70s souljazz. The Vortex Jazz Club, 11 Gillett Square,London N16 8AZ. www.oddjob.cd

Scandinavian Culture Calendar– Where to go, what to see? It’s all happening here!



Scan Magazine | Culture | Culture Calendar

John Storgårds conducts the ScottishChamber Orchestra (20 Nov)John Storgårds and the Scottish ChamberOrchestra will perform music by Beethovenand Schuman as well as a piece bycontemporary Swedish composer AlbertSchnelzer. Queen's Hall, 85-89 Clerk St,Edinburgh EH8 9JG.www.sco.org.uk

The Thing (21 Nov)Norweigan/Swedish legendary jazz trio TheThing will perform at the Vortex this month.The Vortex Jazz Club, 11 Gillett Square, LondonN16 8AZ. www.vortexjazz.co.uk

Malin Christensson (29 Nov)Swedish soprano Malin Christensson will playmusic by Strauss, Wolf and Brahms together

with pianist Simon Lepper. A lunchtime concertat Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London,W1U 2BP. www.wigmore-hall.org.uk

Scandinavian Christmas Bazaars (Nov)Yes, it's already that time of year! TheScandinavian Churches are holding theirannual Christmas Bazaars between the 18–28November where you will be able to stock upon Scandinavian Christmas food, gifts, crafts,sweets etc. See page 97 for details.

Christmas Carol Concert at the FinnishChurch (11 Dec)The Do-Mi-Nutz choir from Finland willperform Finnish Christmas carols. Tickets canbe bought at the Finnish Church in London, 33Albion St, London SE16 7HZ. Tel 020 7237 4668

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Scan Magazine | Issue 24 | November 2010

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Transcript of Scan Magazine | Issue 24 | November 2010