Portal:Sweden

Einar Jolin at home in 1960

Einar Jolin (7 August 1890 – 29 August 1976) was a Swedish painter best known for his decorative and slightly naïve Expressionist style. After studying at Konstfack, Stockholm in 1906 and at the Konstnärsförbundets målarskola (the Artists Association Art School), Jolin and his friends Isaac Grünewald and Einar Nerman went to Paris for further studies at Henri Matisse's academy from 1908 to 1914.

He painted portraits, still lifes and cityscapes, always accentuating what he called "the beautiful" in his motifs. He mainly worked in oils and watercolors, using delicate brush strokes and light colors. His most noted works are his paintings of Stockholm during the 1910s and 1920s in his trademark naïve style. (Full article...)

The Swedish Empire or the Age of Greatness (Swedish: stormaktstiden) was the period in Swedish history spanning much of the 17th and early 18th centuries during which Sweden became a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region. During this period it also held territories on the North Sea and some overseas colonies, including New Sweden. The beginning of the period is usually taken as the reign of Gustavus Adolphus, who ascended the throne in 1611, and its end as the loss of territories in 1721 following the Great Northern War.

After the death of Gustavus Adolphus in 1632, the empire was controlled for lengthy periods by part of the high nobility, such as the Oxenstierna family, acting as regents for minor monarchs. The interests of the high nobility contrasted with the uniformity policy (i.e., upholding the traditional equality in status of the Swedish estates favoured by the kings and peasantry). In territories acquired during the periods of de facto noble rule, serfdom was not abolished, and there was also a trend to set up respective estates in Sweden proper. The Great Reduction of 1680 put an end to these efforts of the nobility and required them to return estates once gained from the crown to the king. Serfdom, however, remained in force in the dominions acquired in the Holy Roman Empire and in Swedish Estonia, where a consequent application of the uniformity policy was hindered by the treaties by which they were gained. (Full article...)

• ... that Sweden was a major power in Europe during the 17th century?
• ...that Klarälven, Sweden's longest river, was the last Swedish river where log driving was practised, ending in 1991?
• ... that one of the richest people in the world, Ingvar Kamprad, is Swedish?

Malmö Fotbollförening (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈmâlːmøː ˈfûːtbɔlːfœˌreːnɪŋ]), commonly known simply as Malmö FF or MFF, is a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö, Scania. They compete in the Allsvenskan, the top division of Swedish football, and play home matches at the Eleda Stadion. Malmö FF is Sweden's most successful football club in terms of domestic trophies won. They hold 24 Swedish championships and 16 Svenska Cupen titles, both of which are national records.

The club formed in 1910 and is affiliated with the Scania Football Association, winning its first national championship in 1944. Their most successful period was the 1970s, during which they won five Swedish championships, four Svenska Cupen titles, and became the only side from the Nordic countries to have reached the a European Cup or UEFA Champions League final. They finished as runner-up in the 1978–79 European Cup, losing 1–0 to English club Nottingham Forest in the final. For this feat, Malmö FF was awarded the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal. Malmö FF also became the only Nordic side to be represented at the Intercontinental Cup, the predecessor of the FIFA Club World Cup, by competing in the tournament's 1979 edition. The club is the leader of the overall Allsvenskan table maratontabellen, meaning that they have won the most matches of any side in Allsvenkan history. They also lead the table in terms of total goals scored. (Full article...)