An updated edition of the definitive history of Scandinavia over the past five centuries Despite certain distinctions and differences, the lands of Scandinavia, or Norden—Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, and the Faroe Islands—are united by bonds of culture, language, and geography, and by a shared history that comes richly to life in this landmark work. Now in an expanded, updated edition, this authoritative chronicle of five centuries of Scandinavian history incorporates the geopolitical developments and momentous events that have marked the Nordic world in recent decades. Scandinavia since 1500 situates the region’s political history within the traditional European chronology—in which the long “modern” period is subdivided into the Renaissance, early modern, modern, and contemporary. Within this framework, Byron J. Nordstrom traces the various ways in which economic, social, and cultural ideas and practices have come to Scandinavia from abroad, only to be modified and recast in a uniquely Nordic character. Long-unquestioned national mythologies come under Nordstrom's scrutiny, along with historical blind spots and erasures, as he ranges from canonical figures like Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden and Christian IV of Denmark to the constitutions of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the resistance movements in World War II, and the Scandinavian welfare states, literary culture, and modern design. Expanded to include the nature and realities of the increasingly postindustrial economies of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries—including environmental concerns, integration with Europe, globalization, and immigration—Scandinavia since 1500 offers a comprehensive yet nuanced portrait of this unique region in all its political, diplomatic, social, economic, and cultural complexity. Cover alt text: Bold white title and author name across breathtaking snowy landscape of sun-touched cliffs beside a waterway and scattering of homes.

Experience a smorgasbord of Viking ships, brooding castles, and emerald fjords with Rick Steves! Inside Rick Steves Scandinavia you'll find: Comprehensive coverage for spending a week or more exploring Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Estonia Rick's strategic advice on how to get the most out of your time and money, with rankings of his must-see favorites Top sights and hidden gems, from the Tivoli Gardens, the Viking Ship Museum, and Hans Christian Andersen's house, to prehistoric monoliths and sleepy fjord villages How to connect with local culture: Admire the fjords on a summer day, bask in the hygge of a cozy cabin café, grab a picnic of Nordic cheese and smoked fish from a farmers market, and chat with friendly locals over a glass of avkvavit Beat the crowds, skip the lines, and avoid tourist traps with Rick's candid, humorous insight The best places to eat, sleep, and relax with a cup of coffee Self-guided walking tours of lively neighborhoods and incredible museums Detailed maps for exploring on the go Useful resources including a packing list, phrase books for Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, and Estonian, a historical overview, and recommended reading Updated to reflect changes that occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic up to the date of publication Over 400 bible-thin pages include everything worth seeing without weighing you down Complete, up-to-date information on Copenhagen, Roskilde, Æro, Odense, Justland, Oslo, Flåm, Aurland, undredal, Sognejord, Gudbrandsdal Valley, the Jotunheimen Mountains, Bergen, Stavanger, The Setesdal Valley, Kristiansand, Stockholm, Sigtuna, Uppsala, Vaxholm, Grinda, Svartsö, Sandhamn, Växjö, Glass Country, Kalmar, Öland, Helsinki, Tallinn, and more Make the most of every day and every dollar with Rick Steves Scandinavia. Cruising Scandinavia instead? Try Rick Steves Scandinavian and Northern European Cruise Ports.

Politically and militarily powerful, early modern Scandinavia played an essential role in the development of Central European culture from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century. In this volume, Kristoffer Neville shows how the cultural ambitions of Denmark and Sweden were inextricably bound to those of other Central European kingdoms. Tracing the visual culture of the Danish and Swedish courts from the Reformation to their eventual decline in the eighteenth century, Neville explains how and why they developed into important artistic centers. He examines major projects by figures largely unknown outside of Northern Europe alongside other, more canonical artists—including Cornelis Floris, Adriaen de Vries, and Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach—to propose a more coherent view of this part of Europe, one that rightly includes Scandinavia as a vital component. The seventeenth century has long seemed a bleak moment in Central European culture. Neville’s authoritative and unprecedented study does much to change this perception, showing that the arts did not die in the Reformation and Thirty Years’ War but rather flourished in the Baltic region.

Covering Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Greenland and more, this concise guide reveals the natural wonders and cultural frontiers of these countries with, transport options from motorcycling to Finnish ferry-hopping.

ISBN 9042003170 (paperback) NLG 60.00 From the contents: Scandinavian or Nordic? (Egil Tornqvist).- The position of the Scandinavian languages in a unified Europe (Harry Perridon).- East is east and west is west: on the cultural identity of the Finns (Paivi Schot-Saikku).- Echoes from the North in the heart of Europe: public and published opinion about Scandinavia in Belgium (Godelieve Laureys and Michael Maertens).

Can we predict the future of Scandinavian welfare states? Are the models of equality, solidarity and social justice going to survive in an enlarged and united Europe? How will the processes of globalization and regionalization affect the uniqueness of the societies of this region? What role will Scandinavia play in terms of politics, culture and the economy in a new Europe? These and other questions of urgent concern are examined in Scandinavia in a New Europe. Written by fifteen leading Scandinavian sociologists and social scientists, this volume gives a vivid portrait of a world apart in the process of integration and transformation.