By the time you pit stop to see the peasants in Skåne at Kulturen and marvel at the Tanum rock carvings, you’ll have culture coming out your ears. And as for your arts? Southern Sweden is a bit of a museum mecca for showcasing local as well as international talent.
Castles & gardens
Southern Sweden is awash with near 300 castles and gardens from various historic eras ranging from the 12th to 19th centuries. Due to their general magnificence, it’s hard to pick out any one, but if you are near Helsingborg, breathing in the blooming, lovely rhododendrons at the opulent Renaissance style Sofiero castle and gardens, is a must. And if you are bound for Kristianstad, catch an art exhibition at lakeside Wanås Castle and park, simply dotted with stunning sculptures.
Cultural centre & museums
Scandinavian architecture at its best? The Kim Utzon designed Dunker Culture Centre in Helsingborg. Opened in 2002, this paragon of light and space that reflects the sea, overlooks the Öresund Sound, and houses the full kit and caboodle regarding cultural heritage, art, music, drama and experimental art forms. Catch exhibitions and events from international, regional and local artists.
To see life through the eyes of a peasant from the Skåne region of southern Sweden, make for the impressive multicultural ‘Kulturen’ culture house and (the adjoining) world’s second oldest open-air museum in Lund. Meet the village people and experience how Swedes lived and worked through the ages.
Prehistoric Southern Sweden
Picture this: Bronze Age, Sweden, 3,000 years ago, hunting on ice and domestic bliss. But you don’t have to picture it – see it with your own eyes in more than 350 vividly coloured rock carvings at Tanum as captured by the Bronze Age people. Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, visit the onsite Vitlycke Museum and see the Bronze Age village reconstructed. And if you’ve been looking for a rock carving reference library all your life, this is the spot.