Living

South Sweden is where calm and pulsating life joins together and creates a perfect blend. You will find the oldest cities in the country that preserve history around each corner you turn, but you will also find a great infrastructure that creates a good business atmosphere. Just as there are business opportunities there is closeness to beautiful nature and sporting opportunities in high quality. South Sweden is also the part of the country that offers a mild climate during winter time and has warmer summers than the rest of the country.


Let yourself be inspired by south of Sweden's multiple offerings, this is the place where you don't have to choose the one or the other. Get a sense of the life power for companies and the life quality for residents and visitors.

Facts & statistics

  • South Sweden covers 46% of Sweden's total area.
  • The lowlands of the southern third of Sweden are home to most of the population, agricultural lands, and industries.
  • South of Sweden is also the place of the country's large cities and metropolitan areas.
  • Sweden's highest structure, Öresundsbron, the bridge connecting Sweden to Denmark which is 670 ft high is found in the region.
  • This part of Sweden is the part that has the most ferry connections to the Baltic region, Denmark, Germany, Russia etc. The ports provide both cargo, bulk and passenger traffic.
  • Kustbanan is a direct train connection between Malmö - Copenhagen, which takes you from of one Europe's big cities to another in just 20-30 minutes.
  • The High Speed X2000 train provides great services between all the large cities in this region.

Tourism

Beautiful and exciting scenery, awe-inspiring historical memorials, well-preserved towns from different epochs, lots of sunshine every summer, boating, fishing and a wide range of summer festivals and popular events are just a few things that are worth experiencing in south Sweden. Distances are short between the friendly towns - all of them inviting to leisurely strolls. This region offers a wide range of things to do, whether you want an active holiday or just some peace and quiet.

Blekinge County
Blekinge County is known as Sweden’s Garden due to its varied landscape. The county is also known for its beautiful archipelago. Blekinge has a central geographical position in Europe, and not only tourists, but also entrepreneurs and students have discovered Blekinge as a place to live and work. Among other events, the little town Karlshamn each year arranges the Baltic Festival (Östersjöfestivalen) which is one of the largest festivals in Sweden.


Kalmar County
Kalmar is one of the oldest cities in Sweden, with a history going back to the 9th century. HereGustav 1st (Gustav Vasa) entered in 1520 and rebuilt the castle of Kalmar to its presentappearance. In Sweden Gustav 1st isknown as the king who gave Sweden a centralgoverning.Kalmar is closelyconnected to Öland, “the Island of Sun and Winds”, via one of Europe’s longestbridges. South Öland is classed as world heritage by UNESCO for its unique landscape with “Alvaret”. Here you’ll find ancient castles, beaches, azoo and much more. South Sweden has a diverse flora and fauna, with a great variety of bird species.This represented at “Ottenby Bird Observatory”, where migrating birds are observed.

Have you heard of the strongest girl in the world? The famous Swedish author Astrid Lindgren who made up the character Pippi Longstocking was born in the town Vimmerby in Kalmar County in 1907. A theme park was built to her memory; Astrid Lindgren’s World. Here you can meet all the characters in her books; Pippi Longstocking, Emil, Karlsson on the Roof, and others.


Kronoberg County
Carl Linnaeus, one of the most well known Swedes, was born here 300 years ago. This year the scientist, philosopher and doctor who organized the whole natural world is celebrated throughout Sweden. Kronoberg County is also the home of IKEA. The founder Ingvar Kamprad was born here, and built the first IKEA in Älmhult in 1958.

One of the most visited tourist attractions in this area is the “Kingdom of Crystal”. Here you can buy the world’s most beautiful glass, watch glassblowers, visit exhibits and glassworks museums. Another popular place to visit is the “Swedish Emigrant Institute” in Växjö which preserves records and interviews relating to the period from 1846 to 1930 when 1.3 million Swedes emigrated. Most of them headed to the United States, which is why one of the museums permanent exhibitions is called “The Dream of America”.

The popular track and field star Carolina Klüft comes from Växjö, which is the residential city of Kalmar and Kronoberg Counties.

Skåne County
Skåne County has a landscape of contrasts, which offers great diversity within easy traveling distance. The countryside is varied – from the wide open plains, rolling fields of rapeseed, and 400 km of coast lined with white sandy beaches, to the deep forests of the north east and the steep cliff faces of the north west. It is only a short journey from peaceful countryside and picturesque fishing villages to the vibrant cities of the region: Malmö in the southwest with its cosmopolitan atmosphere, Helsingborg in the northwest and Kristianstad in the northeast.

Skåne is recognised as the culinary heartland of Sweden, so it is no surprise that the region boasts many award-winning restaurants - not only in Malmö and Helsingborg, but also scattered throughout the region’s rural areas.

Skåne is a golfer’s Mecca. This is where you will find some of Northern Europe’s most delightful and inviting links courses, parkland courses and heathland courses. Skåne has more than 70 golf courses on offer within around an hour’s drive.

Skåne is perfect for outdoor activities , with its 900 km of walking trails, a seemingly infinite number of narrow picturesque roads that constitute a paradise for cyclists, and vast lakes and clear rivers for canoeing and fishing excursions. You can also have a go at mountaineering in north western Skåne.

Culture & Arts

Culture & art
Many recognize parts of South Sweden as a haven of art and culture. This region has a great engagement to art, literature, music and theater. Here you’ll find high quality cultural life. In spring/fall artist’s weeks are arranged in both Skåne and Blekinge Counties, as in Kalmar and Kronoberg Counties.

Blekinge County
Blekinge’s konstrunda is a popular yearly event when local artists join in exhibiting their work. Besides this event there are plenty of other musical and theatrical events that occur every year. South Sweden has many influences by both the Baltic countries and Denmark Blekinge needlework (Blekingesöm) is a well-know specialty, as are traditional woodworking and the unique black granite (diabase). Festivals as the “Baltic Festival” and “Sweden Rock Festival” are held in Blekinge each year. Thousands of people, young and old, then get to enjoy what Blekinge has to offer.

Kalmar County
At the County Museum you’ll find Sweden’s largest treasure of gold coins. Themuseum also has a permanent exhibition about the Royal Ship “Kronan”; the ship that capsized in a battle with the Danish-Dutch Fleet in 1676.One of Sweden’s most loved illustrators and painters, Jenny Nyström, was born in Kalmar. Jenny Nyström illustrated many children’s books.

Kronoberg County
Kronoberg County has a long tradition of glass blowing and development. The “Kingdom of Glass” or“Kingdom of Crystal” in Kronoberg County has 15 glassworks which are all located within a short distance of each other. The county museum in Kronoberg documents the cultural history of the county as well as that of the Swedish glass manufacturing industry.Among the most acclaimed artists/designers are Ulrica Hydman-Vallien, Bertil Vallien and Ingegerd Råman. They have made Scandinavian Design known throughout the world. Råman, a designer at Orrefors, was responsible for the artistic decor of House of Sweden in Washington D.C..

Skåne County
Skåne County is the home of more than 400 museums. There are also 200 castles and manor houses in Skåne. One of the magnificent castles is “Sofiero Palace and Gardens” in Helsingborg. The castle has been summer residence for Swedish kings and queens and has a large collection of rhododendrons. Another castle is “Glimmingehus”, a medieval castle in the summer paradise of Österlen on the east coast. It is the best-preserved castle of this kind in the Nordic countries. The foundation stone was laid in 1499. A unique cultural environment is kept alive here, to increase the understanding and the sense of our cultural heritage.

Malmö is the third largest city in Sweden and hosts south Sweden’s own Opera house. MalmåOpera and musical theatre offers a broad repertoire with classical operas and modern music events.

Skåne’s "art rounds" are a well-known Easter tradition, where more than 300 workshops and galleries open their doors to the general public. Småland’s speciality is its world-famous glass art, while north western Skåne is renowned for its ceramics.