Nordstjernan

The Swedish Newspaper of America

Exploring engineering in Sweden

Last year, Nils Nordström, a driven student, embarked on an educational journey that bridged two continents, bringing him from the United States and the University of Minnesota to study materials engineering at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.
Read more »

Sweden's flattest hike - a winner!

An unexpectedly exotic yet playful hike that offers great variation and ends at, well, a savannah. Not a mountain grouse in sight, much less a mountain or even a serious hill. Mörbylångaleden on Öland offers surprises despite very few shifts in altitude.

Premium content Read more »

SWEDEN TODAY

Something to talk about...

Weather! You know it: Swedes LOVE to discuss the weather.
Read more »

Chocolate balls x 4

Variations on a perennial Swedish favorite - the classic, with additional coffee taste, with strawberries and with rum and peanuts,
Read more »

Swedish Emigration to the United States

A variety of factors in Sweden led to the beginning of mass emigration in the 19th century.
Read more »

Swedish News:

More Swedish dollar millionaires. The danger of texting and driving. 'Suicidal' plants may solve food crises. More cases of breast cancer.
Read more »

Viking Age migrations can be seen in Swedes' DNA

Many Swedes still carry genes from the wave of people from England and Ireland who moved to Sweden during the Viking Age.

Deep in the forest

The Holavedsleden trail between Tranås and Gränna runs in beautiful, hilly primeval forest. It’s the same idyllic landscape with bath-friendly lakes that inspired the great artist and illustrator John Bauer, the same forest in which thieves once lurked behind every other tree. Nordstjernan's Emil Sergel and Roger Borgelid instead encounter a magical tranquility in the deep forests of the Småland province.
Premium content Read more »

AWESOME and SWEDISH

Allemansrätten - 'Everyman’s right'

There are certain things that are so Swedish, they could be symbols for the country. Not just traditional ornaments like a midsommarstång or a Lucia krona...
Read more »

Ruben Östlund nominated for three Oscars

The film world's biggest gala, the Oscars, will be held for the 95th time on March 13 this year. When it was announced which films are nominated the Swedish "Triangle of sadness" was nominated for three awards. Among other things for best film.
Read more »

Blue and yellow: the Swedish national costume

We wanted to offer a little history on nationella dräkten, the national costume, and in our research we discovered there is more to the blue and yellow than meets the eye.

Summer salad with salmon

Swedes love fish and what's not to love when it's combined with fresh, spicy ingredients?
Read more »

In search of new frontiers

"With the help of the James Webb telescope, we will be able to see parts of the universe and other things we have not been able to see before. And what we have already been able to see, we will be able to see better." - astronomer Jens Melinder at the Department of Astronomy at Stockholm University.
Read more »

The future is electric

With a master’s degree from Chalmers University of Technology, maybe your next job will be at the forefront of the electrification field?

Putin does the unthinkable

The invasion of Ukraine and the war that Kreml begun February 24 is an attack on the entire European collective of nation states, goes against international law and indeed common sense.
Read more »

Sweden condemns Russia’s actions

Putin's recognition of two pro-Russian breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine and subsequent invasion unilaterally condemned.
Read more »

Taking the waters

What happened to 'taking the waters' in Sweden? Did it ever cure anything or was it just a way for the rich to mingle?

The lucky Swede.

One of the classic stories of rags to riches to rags is the career of the Swedish immigrant Erik Olof Lindblom.

Five great reasons to study at Stockholm University

Are you considering studying or doing research at Stockholm University? The positive incentives are numerous.

The Importance of Being Swedish

Part I: The Fundamentals of the Swedish Immigration

Premium content Read more »

The box that changes the way we wash

This is how a small-scale innovation that started at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden got its founder into Forbes '30 under 30' list.
Read more »

Distance math made easy

A digital tool that is already boosting mathematics education in Sweden will soon launch in the United States after a successful test run in Florida.

Swedes and citrus in the Sunshine State

They're a symbol of the Sunshine State. When you think oranges in the United States, you think Florida. You certainly don't think Sweden.
Premium content Read more »

We take the rough with the smooth, the ups with the downs ..

The first issues of our 149th year of consecutive publishing of Nordstjernan, have been published.
Read more »

Walkabout Tour of Stockholm I

.. walk in the city of my youth: Leif Rosqvist goes for a walk through his old neighborhoods in the heart of Stockholm.
Premium content Read more »

A Swede's dream job in America

Niklas Lundberg landed his dream job with Spotify just a few months after a Master’s degree in Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

The 'Swedish' Island in the Caribbean

Dreaming of sun, sand and beaches? Here's a story of what could have been Sweden's remote 26th 'province.'

Premium content Read more »

Building on tradition

From the Royal Family and their summer mansion on the island of Öland, to the apartment-dwelling Swede who spends summer evenings on the outskirts of town at a quaint little "shed" in his own miniature garden - the act of getting away from conventional residential surroundings is a passion built into the Swedish national mentality.
Premium content Read more »

Go outside, enjoy the spring weather!

In this time of the coronavirus, many may feel anxious about going out, something that's strongly discouraged by some experts.

Mountain facilities open - new rules

All lodges in the Swedish mountains that have been closed for some time will open in June.

Record number of people shop food online

Not surprisingly the online food trade has doubled in Sweden during the pandemic.
Read more »

Orienteering: It's all about finding your way

Orienteering is a sport that mirrors the Scandinavian spirit - a love of the outdoors, a rational approach to detail and a respect for healthy competition.
Premium content Read more »

Gamla Stan: The Cultural Heart of Stockholm

... island in the middle of Stockholm and no doubt the city's cultural core.

Premium content Read more »

Remember our institutions ...

... organizations and events organizers—visit them online, find out more about activities and ways to stay in contact in the digital realm.

Meandering The 'Gota Kanal'

The Gota Canal, or The Blue Ribbon as it is often called, takes its voyagers past castles, monasteries, palaces, medieval churches, and a number of picturesque towns.

'Gamla Stan?'

Stockholm's Old Town — how and when it got its name

Mountain Hiking in Sweden

- it’s for everybody not just for survivalists and hardcore connoisseurs.
Read more »

Hiking trails in Sweden

Some are 4 or 5 hours away by car, others accessible from any of the major cities by night train or an hour and a half by air.
Read more »

For the love of tulips

And in some countries a declaration of love.

Food in the wintry north

Sami culinary traditions in Jokkmokk, kaffeost (coffee cheese) in Kangos and food served on ice in Jukkasjarvi.
Premium content Read more »

The world's most expensive cities

Living in Stockholm is expensive, but here’s some good news: There are 55 other cities in the world that are more expensive to live in.

Building tall in Sweden

Today, there are not many skyscrapers in Sweden, but this may change within a few years.

Learning (and teaching) Swedish

As we work on offering you more opportunities to practice your Swedish, we had the opportunity to hear from a teacher of Swedish in Sweden.
Read more »

Moving to Sweden

What is it like to actually move to Sweden? A recently relocated Californian about his first year in Stockholm.
Read more »

Green chemistry

Sustainable chemistry, also known as green chemistry, is a broad field that addresses and solves important environmental problems related to climate change. The goal of experts in this field is to support the change of industrial production toward a no-waste generation and almost zero pollution.

A Swedish Midsummer!

'Svensk Midsommar' - the traditions, the table and a selection of the most popular recipes.
Read more »