Articles for Inspiration

"Paradise Harbour", "Sea mead", "Hillside Fall", "Golden Den" - experience the taste of the soft, Scanian names. "No province in Sweden is comparable with Skåne, and a better one is not to be found anywhere in Europe", Carl von Linné once wrote, seduced by the climate and the variety of species one finds in Skåne. A more contemporary visitor, too, will find that Skåne is a province of contrast: Swedish, a bit Danish, but most of all - Scanian.

Here, Sweden and Denmark have connected again, nowadays thanks to a bridge. Here, flat land meets forests. You will find castles and cottages, medieval alleys and big city life. Here, wine is being grown, and you can find rook on the menu. You can be fascinated by a UFO or climb a volcano, and you can play golf throughout the whole year.

Bordering on three seas - the Cattegatt, the Sound and the Baltic Sea - the coast is never far away, at some places angrily sharp-edged, at others tenderly soft. Up country, towards the north, deep forests and lakes take over. You can actually find every Swedish type of nature, apart from mountains, in this little area called Skåne.

And don't forget to climb up - from Romeleklint on the "Rommel Ridge" (Romeleåsen), you can see almost a quarter of Skåne.

Skåne's largest and deepest stretch of water is the lake Ivösjön. This is were the Ivö Island (Ivön), with its valuable bed of limestone and kaolin, is located. Researchers who have searched the area carefully have recently found fossils from a mosasaurus, the world's most rapacious predator. It was about 55 feet long and had a body looking like a cross between a snake and a crocodile. Luckily, it disappeared from Skåne some 60 million years ago.

Until 1658 and the Peace of Roskilde, Skåne was an important part of the Danish kingdom. During the Middle Ages, it was mainly herring fishing that yielded money for the king. The centre for the fishing was Skanör-Falsterbo, where, at times, there was so much fish it could be scooped up. During spring and autumn some 40 000 people lived around the shores, which made it the biggest market in Scandinavia.History has left some clear marks in the landscape. Several castles, cities and churches make a reminiscence of the Danish time. According to the legend of Finn the Giant and to King Niels' list of monarchs, the building of the Dome of Lund started around the year 1100. At Hovdala Manor, you can still see bullet holes and stabbing marks from the fights with the guerilla who fought on the Danish side after the Swedish conquest of Skåne.

The "Church of the Holy Trinity" (Heliga Trefaldighets kyrka) in Kristianstad was once called the most beautiful renaissance temple in Scandinavia. Fortunately, however, the city's last Danish commandant, Steffen Timme, did not have to witness Denmark's loss of Skåne - he died February 7, 1658. Nine days later, the Peace of Roskilde was signed. Archeological findings take the visitor even further back in history - dolmen, rune stones and tombs. 58 raised boulders form the majestic Ale Stones at Kåseberga. A tomb or an astronomic calendar? Opinions differ

The short distances make Skåne perfect for expeditions on your own. Cycle, stroll, experience. Enjoy being in a province that has a devoted relationship to food and primary produce. Extolled restaurants that will arouse your appetite are frequent.

Visit small fishing villages, many of which transformed into rich ship owner neighbourhoods at the turn of the century. Poor fishers became affluent ship owners and ship masters when the cities' trading privilege disappeared. The centre of the shipping business was Brantevik. When the trading traffic was at its peak, 118 sailing ships anchored in the small harbour. The Brantevik Shipping Museum houses many memories from this golden age.

Experience walking over wild shore grasslands or in austere palace gardens. Stroll in Fyledalen, where the ground is covered with cowslip, pasqueflower and primroses. Or why not visit Falsterbonäset, when migratory birds fill the air? If you're lucky, you might find amber along the beach, washed ashore by stormy waves and ready to be collected when the wind has calmed...

An astronomer named Tycho Brahe did many of his heavenly observations from the island Ven. This is the place where the image of the planets, that many of us take for granted today, was formed over 400 years ago. Stjärneborg ("Star Castle"), where Brahe performed his work, disappeared a long time ago, but parts of the observatory still remain. The wine-growing, the durum wheat and the pink mallows of Backafall makes you wonder if this is not in fact a little Mediterranean island that has drifted away and ended up further north. A vehicle that is typical for Ven is the yellow bicycle, which easily takes you round the island.

The Bjäre Peninsula (Bjärehalvön) and the Kulla Peninsula (Kullahalvön) are full of experiences. Båstad, the city of tennis, where the world champions enter the court in July. The gardens of Norrviken. Hallands Väderö ("the Weather Island of Halland"), where birds and seals share the space. Perhaps you will stay the night in one of the lighthouse-keepers' old buildings. In Ängelholm, a sports car called Koenigsegg, which has won the award for "Excellent Swedish Form", is being produced. Ängelholm also has its very own spaceship - however built in a scale of 1:16. Mölle carries memories of the sinful life around the turn of the century, a time when daring men and women went swimming together. Kullaberg, located close by Mölle, attracts mountaineers, children's families, "hole-in-oner's", people longing for fresh air, and those wanting to visit the tiny "republican monarchy", Ladonia.
   
If you branch off from the coast and head further up country, you will find forests, lakes, fishing- and bird land. At the two waterfalls at Forsakar, the visitor will find a dramatic peace of Scanian nature. In order to preserve theunique nature around the river Helgeån, the Ekomuseum Kristianstad Vattenrike ("Eco-Museum the Rich Wetlands of Kristianstad") has been created. It consists of about 20 miles of water landscape with wetlands, swamp forests, bogs and ravines. The visitor can learn more about the wet surroundings and the inhabitants walking on the planked paths, or by boat.

Malmö, Helsingborg, Lund and Kristianstad are the largest cities in Skåne, each one of them with its own character. Universities, roulette tables, music, restaurants, shops and crowded streets. Several of the companies that are included in the "Medicon Valley" project, a co-operation between universities and companies in the Sound region, are located in these cities. "Medicon Valley" forms one of Europe's strongest areas for research within biotechnology and medicine. Some of the companies have their origin in "Ideon", a research village in Lund which has become a forum for new ideas and products.

There is also room for art and culture in Skåne. Malmö Art Hall has one of Europe's largest rooms for contemporary art and in Helsingborg there is the Dunker Culture House In the Art Hall of Lund, admission is free, and in Kristianstad, installations on the subject "Time" will be shown this summer.
If big city life should become tiring, perhaps you would want to try entering a monastery. There are several of them around Skåne that will offer a few days' peace and quiet.

By Marie Skoglund