The German side VfL Gummersbach and the Swedish club Ystads IF HF booked their tickets to the main round in the early set of the Round 5 matches who had sealed their berths in the next competition stage after Round 4.  GROUP DYstads IF HF (SWE) vs CSM Constanta (ROU) 38:29 (20:18) Ystad secured their progression to the main round so the gap between the rivals was just two goals at half-time the Romanian side took their only lead throughout the match but Ystad responded with a 5:0 run and did no slow down afterwards as their goalkeeper Alexander Linden boasted a 41 per cent saving efficiency His teammate Linus Fernebrad scored eight goals from as many attempts as Ystad cruised to a comfortable nine-goal win You said no to using cookies or similar tools that help improve your experience. To see this content, you would need to update your Privacy Preferences GROUP HVfL Gummersbach (GER) vs FH Hafnarfjordur (ISL) 32:24  (16:10) Gummersbach had become the first German team in the current competition to drop points comfortably taking two points against Hafnarfjordur The home side opened up a 5:3 lead early in the game but then the visitors from Iceland hit back as a 5:0 run powered them to a 8:5 advantage and as their goalkeeper Bertram Obling made 11 saves for a 52 per cent saving rate in the first half The hosts continued to have the upper hand and they ultimately claimed their fourth win in the group matches with Lukas Blohme becoming their top scorer with eight goals FEATURE: Latvian right back to play with Melsungen at Maschinensucher EHF Finals in Hamburg FEATURE: Thüringer HC left back becomes MVP and top scorer of EHF Finals Women after netting 29 times in Graz SUMMARY: Thüringer HC are crowned in Graz as the new EHF European League Women champions following an intense final against Ikast Håndbold FLASH QUOTES: Comments from players and coaches after the EHF Finals Women 2025 final and third place match FINAL REVIEW: THC come from behind to beat Ikast 34:32 at the EHF Finals in Graz THIRD-PLACE MATCH REVIEW: The French side beat their opponents from Germany at the EHF Finals Women FINAL PREVIEW: Ikast Håndbold meet Thüringer HC in final; Blomberg and Dijon play for third place SUMMARY: Ikast Håndbold and Thüringer HC celebrated semi-final wins in Graz as they get ready for the final on Sunday SEMI-FINAL REVIEW: The German side beat Dijon 35:29 in the second semi-final of the EHF Finals Women FLASH QUOTES: Comments from players and coaches after the EHF Finals Women 2025 semi-finals The 15th edition of the Swedish festival included Jan Lundgren Billy Cobham and an Esbjörn Svensson tribute is one of those summer treats I would never give up This year brought the 15th edition of the Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival (YSJF) Artistic director Jan Lundgren had worked hard to invite to the various stages in and around Ystad a wide array of renowned and up-and-coming musicians from around the globe This year there was a special focus on Brazil Before presenting his brand-new project (Inner Spirit release on ACT Music) on the third day of the festival Jan and Lars Jansson shared the main stage at the picturesque Ystads Teater a well-preserved 19th century building with 400 seats When two Steinways stare at each other in a way that would make Mr Bösendorfer a bit jealous things look all set for a brilliant moment and this was indeed one such Starting the set with a Lars Jansson original called Grandpa Dancing On The Table a sort of father-and-son dialogue was initiated the two Swedes shared their love for fancy melodies and swinging rhythms Pretending to leave the stage after the first half of a 90-minute set (as Abdullah Ibrahim did in 2013) the two men actually just switched places to perform a few more standards The concert would conclude with another Jansson original the grandpa had written the piece for his grandson who was jealous of his sister for whom the pianist had already composed a few tunes Keeping up with the tradition of ending the first night with an intimate gig at Klosterkyrkan Jan Lundgren invited the Catalan vocalist and trumpeter Alba Armengou Just as young as Andrea Motis or Alba Careta Armengou is a member of the new generation of successful female Spanish trumpeters Using more her vocal cords than the trumpet she formed a friendly duet with guitar player Vicente Lopez The duo explored Brazilian rhythms and included a João Bosco tune a sort of preview of what we were to expect the next day The star of the second day was indisputably the famous Brazilian singer-songwriter Bosco himself he has crafted his unique and recognisable style and together with three of his fellow countrymen he delivered a patchwork of all his famous songs a song encompassing part of Brazil’s musical heritage with references to Dorival Caymmi Brazil would remain on the agenda when 79-year-old Swedish vocalist Sylvia Vrethammar took the stage at Saltsjöbad the seaside hotel hosting most of the musicians Having enjoyed international recognition over a 50-year performing career the vocalist shared a memory of singing samba tunes with Sivuca and with Toots Thielemans whose Bluesette featured on the 2024 YSJF poster It was a perfect introduction for Jobim’s Só Danço Samba Although Ystad’s beach bears no resemblance to Copacabana she made us feel we were back in those days when Jobim had just written his famous tune Corcovado Sylvia Vrethammar moved on to sing her 2006 Champagne pouring a glass of water; a sign of the times perhaps time doesn’t seem to have much affected the singer’s voice YSJF has already welcomed Vincent Peirani and Emile Parisien on several occasions and in various settings we were back in Ystads Teater with cellist Vincent Segal and Ballaké Sissoko on the kora With their first album (Les Égarés) published last year the newly formed quartet is actually made up of two duos Segal and Sissoko have played together since 2009 In a constant dialogue based on observation the four musicians kept the audience focused throughout the gig magical moments where every silence and each note counted With the exception of Zawinul’s Orient Express their repertoire was mostly based on original pieces the YSJF has used various venues in the well-preserved medieval heart of Ystad and for the first time they booked an intimate concert in a private garden It was such a pleasure to sit there at 11am and listen to the Swedish trio Circle Magnus Dölerud on tenor saxophone and Oscar Johansson-Werre on drums featured music from their debut album released in 2022 I left the secluded garden grabbing the final notes of Charlie Chaplin’s Smile the Hos Morten Café’s small stage is the HQ for the Next Generation artists Among the seven projects selected this year pianist and vocalist Ebba Dankel’s trio clearly surpassed all expectations As a potential candidate for the ACT catalogue the leader of this young band delivered cleverly crafted originals her fresh voice gently floating above the keyboards With songs mostly about the sun (at least for the English lyrics the Berklee student forms a very coherent group with Simon Petersson on bass and Amund Kleppan on drums Confucius once wrote “Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives thinks and invents.” With these wise words in mind I entered one of Sweden’s most gorgeous churches The 13th century church was certainly the best host for Andy Sheppard’s first ever concert in Ystad The British saxophonist’s constellation features two other exceptional European musicians namely Rita Marcotulli on piano and Michel Benita on bass Sheppard’s divine melodies were enhanced by the church’s natural acoustics the sunlight beaming on the saxophonist’s face as if blessed by God 14 June 2008 was a sad day for many jazz fans for that is when Esbjörn Svensson left us His death preceded the creation of the festival and it is only now that his music can be properly celebrated in Ystads Teater there are many anecdotes around the celebrated trio’s tunes the 1999 album From Gagarin’s Point Of View might have remained in Svensson’s bottom drawer forever it feels great to play all these tunes more than 15 years later Ulf Wakenius on guitar and lastly Joel Lyssarides on piano; the two original E.S.T members thought this extension would add more colours to the music a piece Svensson wrote after a gig at Soho’s Pizza Express was a discovery for Belgium when they performed their first gig outside Sweden at the 1993 Gaume Jazz Festival the same effect could apply to the Danish chromatic harmonica player playing his first gig in Sweden since his Action 4’s band was set up in 2023 It was for me the best discovery in this Ystad line-up on piano and the already famous Anton Eger on drums and Conor Chaplin on bass The band’s compositions are a clever mix of modern jazz notably Anton Eger and his new Björn Borg look Jan Lundgren’s brand-new duo with Brazilian seven-string guitar virtuoso Yamandu Costa proved to be one of the essential gigs of the festival the two musicians met in Ystad in 2021 when Costa did a solo performance their upcoming release mainly features original compositions which they played live here for the first time Starting the gig with Lundgren’s originals dedicated to his Mare Nostrum partners the duo moved on with Costa’s compositions As his guitar needed some tuning before playing a homage he wrote for Michel Legrand Jan Lundgren joked about the fact that a piano has more strings and still it’s perfectly tuned They carried on with Lundgren’s Summer Kind Of Love and it seemed all the songs they played had been carved for a relaxed Scandinavian summer night where one would be sitting on the dock of Ystad’s bay When you think of pianist and vocalist Sarah McKenzie you don’t necessarily see a Brazilian connection she brought her recently published Jobim repertoire featured on her Without You CD notably her duo with Ulf Wakenius when they performed Jobim’s Once I Loved and allowed us to forget her rather strange arrangement of Girl From Ipanema came with a top-notch band consisting of Gary Husband on keys There could not be a better finale for the YSJF (not counting the Sunday gigs at Charlottenlund) than Cobham’s Time Machine the 80-year-old drummer delivered an impeccable set which we all wished would never stop with the percussionist even performing a shamanic dance in the midst of the performance he Leaving Ystad is difficult but since there are more summer jazz festivals to attend I guess I had no choice but to fly back home As for the wild geese flying over the old town it seems they had decided to stay a bit longer Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival © Unless otherwise indicated, all content copyright Jazz Journal 1948-2025 Considering a weekend getaway in Sweden Whether you’re a Swedish resident seeking the perfect mini-vacation or a tourist in the country searching for one (or several!) off-the-beaten-track spots to add to your travel list The following small towns are ideal for quiet retreats with ample relaxation as well as exploration opportunities Each has its unique charm and offers plenty of cultural check out these best small towns in Sweden for a weekend retreat it's the largest town on the island of Gotland Visby is proud of its well-preserved rich history from the medieval walls surrounding it to the 15 Gothic and Romanesque churches plan your visit around Medieval Week (held in August) The town turns into a living history museum celebrating its golden age you can still meander through the town's charming cobblestone streets and enjoy the historic architecture and local cuisine where you'll find artifacts and exhibits that tell the island's story from its formation through the Viking Age to modern times We highly suggest booking your stay at Hotel Helgeand Wisby housed in a 13th-century medieval building that will take you back in time an old monk cellar turned restaurant/nightclub Art lovers of all kinds will fall in love with the coastal town of Ystad Wander through the picturesque half-timbered houses and pop into the various art museums and exhibits in town Ystad Art Museum is home to a wide array of contemporary works from local and national artists but plenty of smaller mom-and-pop galleries are worth a visit as well Cineteket Ystad Film & Experience Center is also a neat attraction Take a guided tour through this celebration of motion pictures and explore film scripts plan your visit in late July to attend the Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival; the event is a vibrant celebration of music When you've had your fill of museums and music pop into Söderberg & Sara Stenugnsbageri for a traditional pastry walk it off with a beach stroll or forest hike at the town's natural reserve before retiring to a room at Ystads Gamla Vattentorn a charming little town bustling with friendly locals eager to share their home's rich history The streets of this once-mining town are lined with well-preserved historic wooden houses that now house cute eateries Book a room at Lilla Hotellet i Nora in the center of town you can explore local attractions such as Nora Church and the Nora Museum just next door The church is a gorgeous example of 18th-century Baroque architecture and the museum expertly shows off the town's local crafts and mining history Grab a cinnamon roll at Café Värmlandsmo and hitch a ride to Lake Stora Borken perfect for relaxing with a book and a picnic head to Falkenberg on the country's west coast This gem of a town offers ample opportunities to kitesurf and enjoy stunning coastal views as you fully unwind on your weekend getaway Skrea Strand is a hot spot for all of the above this close-knit community has done a great job preserving and showcasing its cultural history Check out the Ekomuseum Nedre Ätradalen if you have a chance It's a collection of 80 historical sites that will take you back through time You'll also want to visit Falkenberg Castle and the connected museum Stop for a bite at Restaurang Gustaf Bratt for delicious food and views of the Ätran River before you settle in for a cozy stay at the historic Hotell Hamngatan 27 The small town of Mariefred is renowned for its idyllic architecture and serene lake setting You can admire the well-preserved town on foot History buffs will appreciate a trip to Gripsholm Castle you'll find a number of exhibits showcasing Swedish art and royal history Museum Eastern Södermanland Railway is another noteworthy attraction Book a seat on the famous "Cake Tour," which will take you to Taxinge Castle via steam train to try 60+ different kinds of cake If you're coming to Mariefred from Stockholm (which many do) a historic steamboat that has been running for over 100 years You can return to Stockholm that evening or enjoy a stay at the charming Svedängs Rum & Frukost Fjällbacka is a picturesque fishing village in southwestern Sweden perfect for nature enthusiasts and those looking to escape the hustle and bustle Book a room at Villa Evalotta and wander through the idyllic harbor popping into shops and quaint eateries as you go (make sure to try a shrimp sandwich at Snar Bar) Explore the hiking trails around Kungsklyftan Several routes are tailored to various skill levels all with remarkable views of the area's natural beauty We also highly recommend you hop on a sunset boat tour around the harbor and the archipelago beyond You can even go lobster fishing in the fall It's fun to note that this little town of less than 1000 has served as inspiration for several famous authors some of whose crime novels are set in Fjällbacka We would be remiss if we omitted Sigtuna from our list this little gem is considered Sweden's oldest town You can feel the history as you meander through the pedestrian-friendly streets lined with old wooden buildings you'll find artifacts from the Viking era and get a sneak peek into the town's significance during Sweden's medieval period Continue your deep dive into history with a visit to the ruins of the 11th-century Sigtuna Church and maybe even on a runestone walk There are 15 runestones scattered throughout town and just outside all unique artifacts of the town's multi-layered past Before you cozy into a romantic room at Sigtunastiftelsen you can't miss a trip to Augusta Janssons Karamellfabrik a historic sweets factory that's still up and running there you have it: our favorite small towns in Sweden that are perfect for a weekend getaway and experience some seriously charming nooks and crannies of det avlånga landet (the elongated country) photos and original descriptions © 2025 worldatlas.com Vocalist ​Stacey Kent performs at the Ystad Jazz Festival the jazz festival scene has been simultaneously enjoying and struggling through the processes of recovery and returning to regularly scheduled programming after being knocked down or out by the COVID cloud since March 2020 festivals are now warily blazing paths on a collective comeback trail That atmosphere of renewal had a special resonance at the Ystad Jazz Festival in southern Sweden rooted in an idyllic old city on the Baltic known as a resort escape during summer months Recovery and low-key revelry run through the city’s veins with worldly jazz as an added bonus and point of focus each August demonstrated that the Ystad fest has established itself on the ever-expanding international map of worthwhile jazz destinations Though disinclined towards adventurous musical fare the festival projects a solid musical agenda and vision this year made manifest in a program with a special spotlight on luminous and original jazz vocalists deserving greater recognition: Stacey Kent with her striking everything-in-its-right-place eloquence; the wily witty and soulful Cyrille Aimee; the solid Swede Viktoria Tolstoy; and She appeared with the regional Monday Night Big Band in a renovated “dance rotunda” dubbed Solhällan in the rustically charming agrarian municipality of Löderup To this already strong list came the late-breaking addition of ethereal musical beauty Ellen Andersson one of the more impressive new vocalists from the Swedish scene (Andersson’s opening-night slot was made available when travel snafus forced Kent to perform a revised noontime set on opening day — the best noon concert I’ve ever been privy to.) Along with a healthy roster of Swedish artists woven into the mix the festival features marquee artists from America the strongest of this contingent was master chromatic harmonica player Grégoire Maret joined by pianist Romain Collin and guitarist Marvin Sewell the lyrical virtuoso with singer-like melodic logic and an innate search mode as a player was in an often introspective frame of mind in a set keying off the distinctive and aptly named 2021 album Americana In other musical directions and topographies oud veteran and longtime ECM artist Anouar Brahem represented an ethnically flavored jazz aesthetic and Italian accordionist Rosario Giuliani and alto saxophonist Luciano Biondini memorably riffed on “Cinema Italia” at midnight in the ancient Klosterkyrkan (their segment treating Nino Rota’s classic score for Fellini’s 8 1/2 was a festival highlight) The climactic closer of the Yellowjackets handled the populist factor with brio but also folded in a surprising musicality A potent cross-cultural exchange and post-Coltrane adventurism arrived when Swedish tenor player Karl-Martin Almqvuist met commanding South African pianist Nduduzo Makhatini — a deep history-channeling pact originally arranged via YouTube and social media Among the several young emerging Swedish artists showcased in the outdoor Hos Morten Café was the refreshingly original guitarist Karin Pilhage The friendly charge in Ystad has been led by gifted mainstream pianist and ACT recording artist Jan Lundgren and a buoyant presence to match his calm but firm demeanor To wit: he’s a nice guy and a mean musician he appears as a reassuring emcee and overseer presence at concerts and figures into the program in musical terms he led a tribute to Oscar Peterson in empathetic collusion with Swedish guitarist Ulf Wakenius heat and conversational ease in a way reminiscent of the Peterson/Joe Pass duets Lundgren-as-musician returned to lead a mainstream jazz set honoring the 90th birthday of veteran drummer Ronnie Gardiner who boasts a resume with links to bygone jazz masters but who has lived in Sweden for much of his life and career an unsurprisingly SRO house filled the 1894-vintage Ystad Teater to bask in the Yellowjackets’ ear-friendly post-fusion sound questions about its commercial-versus-artistic intent and paling comparisons to Weather Report may have subsided and the band’s special chemistry has settled into an accessible — yet also sophisticated — majesty of its own Tenor saxophonist and sometimes EWI player Bob Mintzer also pinged as a “guest of honor” at the festival remains a focal point of the band’s more jazz-rooted expressive aplomb Young seven-string electric bassist Dane Alderson’s exciting hyper-dexterous outings may still lack soulful maturity but that factor is balanced out by founder Russell Ferrante’s ever-melodic and understated approach while vibrant drummer Will Kennedy keeps grooves fluid and resistant to easy As the band launched into the infectious gospel-tinged power of its hit “Revelation,” we suddenly got the sense of its being an unofficial healing anthem/earworm of renewed optimism after a time of global calamity It couldn’t have happened in a nicer town than this one “This is one of the great gifts that Coltrane gave us — he gave us a key to the cosmos in this recording,” says John McLaughlin In his original liner notes to A Love Supreme The Blue Note Jazz Festival New York kicks off May 27 with a James Moody 100th Birthday Celebration at Sony Hall Blue Note Entertainment Group has unveiled the lineup for the 14th annual Blue Note Jazz Festival New York “I’m certainly influenced by Geri Allen,” said Iverson during a live Blindfold Test at the 31st Umbria Jazz Winter festival Ethan Iverson performed as part of the 31st Umbria Jazz Winter festival in… we’re left with similarities,” Collier says “Cultural differences are mitigated through 12 notes.” DownBeat has a long association with the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference but it’s still kind of productive in a way because you have something that you can be inspired by,” Andy Bey said on a 2019 episode of NPR Jazz Night in America who illuminated the jazz scene for five decades with a four-octave range that encompassed a bellowing… About|Terms of Use|PrivacyCopyright © 2025 Maher Publications DownBeat is an internationally registered trademark of Maher Publications It is with a blend of excitement and trepidation that she sets out one morning for Kurt Wallander’s hometown of Ystad Will the correspondences between the fictional world of the past and her actual encounters in the present continue to be as moving as her Savoy experiences have been and will she find his version of Ystad unrecognizably different from the real place she is about to see The problems start as early as the Malmö train station where she learns that she will be unable to buy a roundtrip ticket to Ystad she has to purchase a one-way ticket and then get her ticket back to Malmö at the other end after a fifty-minute ride through rolling farmlands and occasional vistas of the sea only a faintly marked crossing on the train tracks rather dirty-looking plastic and metal shelter She crosses the road and looks for a ticket booth and he directs her back across the tracks to the nearest Pressbyrån—a kind of Swedish version of 7-Eleven who admits that they do sell tickets to Malmö but only within two hours of departure time but vaguely thinks the trains go once an hour on the half hour On her way into town she stops by the local library and there she gets her first whiff of the lethal virus even on the counter between her and the information-givers—are posters the real-life author who indirectly brought all this fame and prosperity to the town As she leafs through Ystad’s Best Guide to Wallander (offered in English she learns that forty-four Wallander films have been shot in Ystad since 2004 have taken on the part of the homicide detective The film studio built to produce these movies and television episodes is still the largest to be found anywhere in Scandinavia and all together the films have brought the Skåne region an estimated 250 million Swedish kronor (nearly $28 million at current exchange rates) “estimated the PR value of Wallander in social media at SEK 210 million The name Ystad has become known globally and has seen a large viral spread thanks to the Wallander films.” She understands that this is not her Kurt Wallander—that quiet fellow who misses his laundry appointments regularly monitors the outside temperature and spends hours thinking about his cases—but a grotesque cinematic avatar this filmic Wallander has apparently grown so real that his “locations” in the city are presented as part of the visible the bookstore in the town square where he shops for books even the street where he parks his old blue Peugeot: all are cited with exact addresses in the Wallander guide and marked with prominent dots on the tourist maps The situation brings to mind a passage from a novel she has just read recently There’s a scene in it where a couple of American tourists on a worldwide cruise are being taken around Saigon: “That was where Quiet American made bomb explosion “But The Quiet American was a novel,” he said When Ambler wrote this winking tribute to his colleague Graham Greene Greene’s prescient 1955 Vietnam novel had only been out for a few years and both authors were still very much alive What was gently satiric in that context becomes much more ghoulish here in Ystad with Henning Mankell already dead and his fictional creation dancing ever more heavily on his grave she begins to sympathize with Mankell’s expressed desire to get rid of Wallander an effort that finally ended (though only on the page it seems) with his giving the character terminal dementia cobbled streets and small pastel houses leading down to a working harbor though without the dramatic setting or the ancient ring wall to justify the number of day-trippers The old city center resembles a well-preserved stage set with a Stortorget catering largely to tourists and a pedestrianized row of shops purveying useless and often Wallander-related items to emerge from this deadening cuteness into the real-life suburbia that surrounds the old town There she makes her way along a nearly deserted traffic corridor until she reaches the long window-filled building that constitutes Ystad’s actual police station (Resembling as it does an unobtrusive office complex it is nowhere near scenic enough to have served as the televised police station which apparently moved over the years from a set inside the film studio to a disused railway-station building and thence to an abandoned handicraft factory.) the police officer with whom she has an appointment comes down to greet her in the small lobby where she has been sitting among numerous families who are at the police station to get passports A portly middle-aged man dressed in partial uniform he leads her up to his office on the second floor mentioning as they climb the stairs that she is the second writer to come asking about Wallander in a ten-day period a colleague of his had an interview about Wallander and Mankell with a Stockholm journalist The town of Ystad is far too small to require its own homicide department and when an unusually high number of murders took place in the district— five within an eight-month period back in 2014 and 2015—they had to call in outside help “We don’t have the capacity to solve it on our own,” Patric tells her “so we have to have help from Malmö.” But he has been present as part of the first-response team at a couple of murders that took place just outside of Ystad One of them involved a son killing his father probably over drug-related matters; in the other Though he had been working as a policeman for years at that point he still found the sight of the dead bodies shocking he and his partner had just finished one job and were eating burgers in their car when they got the call they arrived at exactly the same time as the ambulance team What most upset Patric was seeing the wife’s body “A small woman lying just inside the main door of the house Afterward me and my colleagues always sit talking because it’s not normal to see dead people in this way.” At that time Patric was a sergeant heading up a team of five men and three women responsible for monitoring Ystad’s nightclubs and pubs He regularly works with these liquor-purveying establishments in an effort to reduce the number of assaults eighty to ninety percent are related to alcohol,” he points out They might have only one murder a year in Ystad but they are likely to have three assaults a week The drinking problem during the weekend is when the assaults outside the pubs happen “Do the number of assaults go up on holidays like Walpurgis Night and Midsummer’s Eve?” “Sometimes an increase in crime is related to those special occasions She tries to find out whether any of the other crimes resemble the extreme events depicted in Wallander novels They have very little problem with rape in Ystad not higher or lower than any other part of Sweden.” Two women officers who work downstairs from him handle those crimes against children There is some smuggling at the port (“We know that a lot of things stolen in Sweden pass out of the country through Ystad port but not much of it is connected with violence he cannot recall a single one in the immediate Ystad neighborhood and he is pretty sure there have been others in Sweden who was convicted in 2012 of crimes that took place in 2009 and 2010 was a native-born Swede who was killing people of other nationalities—“dark-haired people,” as Patric puts it Suicide is something he has had to handle locally and what makes him sad is that it so often involves young people—“young love that was broken,” he hypothesizes A few years ago there was a rash of teenagers jumping in front of trains and more recently there were three young guys who killed themselves The suicide rate in Ystad isn’t as high as in the big cities but it rises near Christmas and in the summer Because there are higher expectations in the warm She wonders aloud why Henning Mankell chose Ystad I think he did know one person inside this police house.” Patric says he is just guessing at this but other people at the station have come up with the same theory “Many of the things about this character Kurt Wallander fits this person here The man was named Kurt Ingvar Wald—not all that different from the fictional character’s name—and he was always put in charge of the bigger crimes “He was a man who could answer many questions you could go to him and he had good answers both inside and outside the police station A very kind person.” Patric asserts this with a certain authority about the effect Wallander’s fame has had on the town a German tourist actually came to the police station wanting to meet Wallander and they had to inform him that the detective wasn’t real if Patric is downtown wearing his uniform during the summer at least two or three tourists a week will come up to him with questions And they ask about his house—where he lived.” the real-life police force and the filmed Kurt Wallander and then goes on to tell her about other things that have changed in Ystad because of Wallander There used to be an annual summer celebration every July called the Monks’ Festival named after the monks who inhabited the town centuries ago People would dress up as monks and party together in the streets And there was also a race called the Monks’ Race—not marathon-length with one race for adults and one for children Now the former is called the Wallander Festival And even the café where the movie-Wallander drank As she wends her way back through the tourist-filled town toward the train station (where she does succeed in buying a ticket at the Pressbyrån she thinks to herself that she has rarely felt so desperate to get away from anywhere Excerpted from Scandinavian Noir: In Pursuit of a Mystery Masthead About Advertisers: Contact Us Privacy Policy Become a member for as low as $5/month As darkness falls in the port town of Ystad 72-year-old Roland Borg heaves himself up the spiraling church tower and cries out every 15 minutes between 21.15 and 01.00 to the pretty hamlet below Mr Borg is a tower guard — the only one still going in all of Sweden — warning Ystad’s citizens of incoming danger with his honks and cries every night of the year Some tourists believe his cries are that of a robot but the septuagenarian really does stand there each night and when I catch the eye of my waiter and ask him where the tower guard is I never do find out where the mysterious tower watchman of Ystad disappeared to on that balmy summer’s evening But I do discover that Ystad is the city of Wallander the hit TV show based on Henning Mankell’s crime novels you can trace his tracks along the Wallander crime tour or book a room in the former train station That’s the thing about road trips through Skåne — Sweden’s untamed southern province: you can dip into off-grid villages discover unsung stories and round the corner for hit-the-brakes scenery when you least expect it we reach the sleepy fishing village of Vik where salty-haired sailors once set a course for the trading routes of the Far East I discover it’s the site of an ancient sandstone volcano better known in Vik as ‘the bath of the priest’ after a man of the church once bathed in the ‘eye’ of the volcano ‘The bath of the priest’ is an ancient sandstone volcano in Vik named after a man of the church who once bathed in the ‘eye’ of the volcano.On we go a mysterious megalithic monument known as the Stonehenge of Sweden hazy lavender and sunflowers reaching for the skies and a black kite and a flock of cranes cruise along the waterfront The trees are in blossom and ripe rowanberries cling to branches a barbecue paradise for the unswerving carnivore For dessert: ‘holy smoked’ vanilla ice cream I arrive at Immeln — Skåne’s third largest lake with a scattering of 200 tiny islands — and push off from shore in a canoe, led through the inky water by Jon Marin, the owner of canoe rental company Outcraft their lower branches dipping into the water and a mini pier juts out for adventurers to climb back on land for nights beneath the stars moored up on an island in the middle of Immeln the first stars have begun to appear and the sparks of our makeshift fire are dancing around Jon’s face We’re eating pytt i panna — a slow-cooked hash-like dish — and stare into the flames where owner Lisa Wohlfahrt crafts ceramic pieces in her pottery workshop and its neighboring hip beachside cafe dishes up homecooked plates and her husband pours the wine as the kitchen prepares our Neapolitan pizzas I’m already wishing I could stay a little longer: for the peace of the wild for the homegrown food and for the olde worlde enclaves I might never have discovered visitskane.com If you have done all of this and still can't find the email OX2 and Ingka Investments have signed a Letter of Intent with Ystad Port to build an operations and maintenance base that will serve the Triton offshore wind farm in Sweden the parties will investigate the possibilities of constructing offices and storage buildings as well as access to the quay and equipment in the port for the future operation of the up to 1.5 GW offshore wind farm “We look forward to contributing to the development of the port of Ystad and creating offices The port will play a central role in building and then operating Triton which will bring a significant amount of cost-effective and renewable renewable electricity to southern Sweden,” said Lise Toll Project Director of the Triton offshore wind farm The offshore wind project is planned to be situated 23 kilometers off the coast of Skåne and has an installed capacity of up to 1.5 GW the County Administrative Board of Skåne gave Triton permission to be built in accordance with a regulation concerning Sweden’s exclusive economic zone the construction of the project could start in 2027 The Triton offshore wind farm comprises 129 wind turbines The planned production of electricity from the project amounts to approximately 7 TWh per year which is equivalent to about half of Skåne’s annual electricity consumption OX2 is developing three offshore wind farms in Sweden together with Ingka Investments: Galene on the west coast, Triton, in the south of Sweden, and Aurora The final approval of the projects is made by the Government of Sweden and the projects have the potential to produce more than 30 TWh of electricity Daily news and in-depth stories in your inbox Leveraging 20 years of experience with offshore windDecember 2023 will forever mark a milestone in our company history as we became part of the world-wide CS WIND group The acquisition goes beyond a mere change in ownership; it marks a leap into a future where our combined strengths will pave the way for optimized production […] Rohde Nielsen A/S has successfully completed the dredging and reclamation works for the Swedish Ystad Harbor expansion project The main goal of this development program was to accommodate the construction of two new ferry terminals The Copenhagen based company started the Ystad dredging and reclamation operations in May 2019 Idun R and Thor R were utilized to remove 800.000 m3 of clay The material was pumped into the reclamation area paving the way for further expansion of the port’s industrial area tug boats and survey vessels contributed greatly to the success of the project the scope also included precise mechanical dredging for underwater concrete casting and filling of precast pier heads This family home is quite simply immaculate and offers pretty much everything you would want for horses and humans alike Boating enthusiasts are catered for at Ferryside or the nearby marina at Burry Port The city of Swansea and the Gower Peninsula is approximately a 40-minute drive away while the town of Carmarthen is approximately 10 miles away It is approximately 17 miles to the country market town of Llandeilo which provides a good range of amenities together with rail link on the “Heart of Wales’s” line There is some good hacking in the local area as well as forestry riding in Pembrey Small Woods by permit Local equestrian centres include Beacons Equestrian (16 miles) Ffos Las Racecourse is just one-and-a-half miles from the front door Dyffryn Tywi Equine Clinic is 15 miles away you can head out with either the Llandeilo Farmers or the Sennybridge Farmers This property is on the market with Fine & Country for offers over £1m The equestrian facilities include 22 stables and a barn for equipment storage The property also includes a former riding arena with drainage that can be easily reinstated There is a heated swimming pool set in a paved garden The landscaped garden features multiple raised flower beds and various areas for outdoor furniture You enter this property via electric double gates with an intercom system there is an entrance hall with a staircase Off the entrance hall is a cloakroom and toilet plus a lounge with a bay window and log burner that can also be accessed from the family area via double doors The open plan kitchen/diner/family room features an array of windows and bi-folding doors The kitchen has a range of wall and base units topped with quartz worktops along with integrated appliances including a Smeg double oven with grill double sunken sink with instant hot water Insinkerator tap and a breakfast bar for three/four stools completes this space There is also a utility room off the kitchen area there is access to five bedrooms and the family bathroom It also has an en-suite with a double walk-in shower Bedroom two also has access to the terrace area and an en-suite Bedrooms four and five are on the second floor The family bathroom is fully furnished with a toilet wash basin with vanity and bath with hand-held shower head which has the potential to house four cars and is equipped with a toilet Kenneth Branagh is back on our screens for the final series of the popular crime drama whose storylines are enhanced by the brooding landscapes of Skåne county I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice There was a dead body in Ystad harbour when I arrived This is the stamping ground of television detective Kurt Wallander and the great man (in his current manifestation at the hands of Kenneth Branagh) was indeed in town that very morning filming the final BBC series which started this week but there was no sign of a Branagh-Wallander on the quayside and it was removed quietly and without fuss real dead bodies are pretty rare here – on average I am told – but Ystad has become a bit like Morse’s Oxford or Midsomer’s Cotswolds: a place with a continuous feed of fictional fatalities This coastal town in southern Sweden has a population of just 29,000 meditative landscape of rolling fields and manorial farmhouses where lines of pollarded willows and linden trees separate huge expanses of sugarbeet and rapeseed Stretches of sandy beach on either side of town (where Wallander has often ended up towards the end of each episode walking his dog or gazing thoughtfully out to sea) have long been family holiday destinations for Swedes The whole region took a big step forwards with the opening of the Oresund bridge and now locals can get to Copenhagen (an hour by car far quicker than they can to Stockholm or Gothenburg this part of Skåne is drenched in what has become known as “Wallander weather” and the latest Branagh trilogy was filmed in the haunting mid-winter with big skies and a meditative loneliness “The wind blows viciously across this flat landscape It is a landscape of extremes.” Heaps of atmosphere for the plotlines in which small stories reflect on the big sins of the world it is a beguiling place of half-timbered houses and Hansa Gothic red brick architecture and there’s a measured calm to its historic centre which is lined with rows of neat pastel-coloured cottages Much of downtown is pedestrianised in the summer season radiating out from the Town Hall on Stortorget square which usually has a pretty little crafts and local produce market Wallander-watchers will be able to enumerate as many as 25 different scenes shot around this square over the years Historic Ystad has two key medieval buildings at its heart: the 13th-century monastery and the nearby Church of St Mary which dates from 1240 and still has a tradition of a nightwatchman blowing his horn from the church tower to mark the hours and in season an old converted fire engine does a regular guided tour of key film locations – where Kurt lived the café (Fridolfs) where he used to eat Wallander cake and so on All this is shown to me by local guide Karin Erlandsson who turns out to be married to a local policeman and is regularly consulted on procedure (although it did veto the British crew’s request to have everyone drive on the left during filming) Certainly the town has prospered in the 22 years since the first Swedish-language Wallander film – tourism has increased by 70 per cent – and it is very much seen as a home grown product with many locals appearing as extras and acquiring new technical skills in the British version which were set up by Wallander author Henning Mankell (who himself lived in Ystad in the 1980s) on a former military area just outside the centre including the Branagh interpretations and two different Swedish versions and today they are busy with both Branagh and The Bridge which with The Killing and Borgen are the leading exponents of the storytelling excellence that is Nordic Noir most recently with actor Krister Henriksson with the detective beginning to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease as it too has the detective entering the early stages of dementia has pretty much put the seal on any future offshoots (for example featuring Wallander's daughter Linda) However the Studios which Mankell helped create certainly have a life of their own beyond a single television detective They have become a focal point for all manner of programme-making The recent creation of a Copenhagen Film Fund will keep the home fires burning a public-facing exhibition right next to the Studios a chance to create your own special effects images and background material for various Wallander episodes with the co-operation of the production companies it can be possible to get into the Studios themselves to watch programmes being made All this should be enough to maintain the momentum of Ystad’s new television-tourism drive A new economy has been established here; it is not going to fade away with the decline of one detective Andrew Eames travelled with Cox & Kings (020 7873 5000; coxandkings.co.uk) which offers a 3-night stay in Copenhagen including a private guided tour of the Wallander sites from £925 per person twin share The price includes international flights from London private airport transfers and accommodation at the four-star Kong Arthur hotel with breakfast daily wallander.ystad.se ystad.se visitsweden.com Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Sweden","description":"Kenneth Branagh is back on our screens for the final series of the popular crime drama Brian Blade and Ron Miles perform as Still Dreaming during the Ystad Jazz Festival in Sweden the densely-packed Copenhagen Jazz Festival has been a bold calendar marker on the European jazz festival scene smaller up-and-comer corner of that scene—and that global vicinity—the jazz fest compass tilts slightly northward in early August an hour’s drive from Copenhagen (thanks to the Øresund Bridge between Denmark and Sweden) to the idyllic Medieval southern Swedish town of Ystad (pronounced the eighth annual Ystad Jazz Festival lived up to the ample promise laid out in past editions which bumped up past the 10,000-attendee mark is modest by comparison to larger urban festivals but also offers a densely-packed program for anyone willing to take in the fullness of its menu in the 12th-century vintage Per Helsas Gård and run past midnight at the central Ystads Teater (home to such headliners as unplugged fusioneers Al DiMeola and Hiromi Lundgren’s duo with trombonist Nils Landgren clean-burning “Postdamer Quartet,” and a hard-blowing post-hard-bopping set led by Tim Hagans and Jerry Bergonzi) The action continued into the wee hours over at the Marina jam sessions overlooking the Baltic led by the formidable and sometimes wily Swedish pianist Sven Erik Lundeqvist A list of the 2017 festival’s highlights would have to include a visit from the sublime Swedish pianist Bobo Stenson in empathetic cahoots with saxophonist Lennart Åberg (in the 12th century abbey and the poetic power trio of Norwegian youngsters Marius Neset on saxophones and Morten Lund on drums with veteran bassist Lars Danielsson all riding high on the cachet of their impressive ACT album Danish pianist Carsten Dahl—with the Carsten Dahl Experience—also grabbed the ears and other senses with a mix of inside and outside sensibilities (so far “outside” jazz has amounted to a style non-grata in this festival; maybe they’ll open up to that down the road) has played a role in the festival’s agenda from the beginning a solo piano series featured Bugge Wesseltoft Iiro Rantala and the coolly commanding Dutch vet Louis van Dijk the Ystads Teater played host to the large ensemble energies of the great Scottish National Jazz Orchestra (led by dazzling tenor saxophonist Tommy Smith) with charismatic vocalist Eddi Reader waxing poetic and bawdy to the tune of Scottish bard Robert Burns’ songs of olde and some fascinating fresh ideas from the Ann-Sofi Soderqvist Jazz Orchestra the enterprising and increasingly impressive German/Swiss saxophonist Nicole Johaenntgen made her third appearance here this time with her group SOFIA II—an all-female band which only met and cohered a day before its intriguing multicultural performance at the famous spa known as the Saltsjöbad my favorite item on the festival’s smorgasbord was also its potent finale—the quietly enthralling project known as Still Dreaming what makes this band special is its democratic distribution of voices—luminous bassist Scott Colley subtlety-is-king drummer extraordinaire Brian Blade and supremely tasteful cornetist Ron Miles they genuflected in the direction of Coleman himself with his “Open And Close” and an elastically ecstatic take on the classic Coleman tune “Turnaround” as an encore slyly tweaked “turnaround” chords leading inexorably back to the tonic—offered up an ideal conclusion to the concert one in which the implicit turnaround changes are signaling a bright future to come The lightly locked-down Sweden managed to put on a 2020 Ystad Jazz Festival including appearances by Scott Hamilton and Jan Lundgren came to me – as it did for many thousands of enthusiasts it was something of a miracle that Ystad 2020 took place at all under the continuing inspired leadership of indefatigable festival president Thomas Lantz and artistic director Jan Lundgren with the co-operation of Musik I Syd CEO Susanne Rydén Travel and health factors understandably necessitated a concentration on Swedish musicians If I found the very popular concert by the big and well-loved names Nils Landgren (tb the audience – which because of Covid-19 considerations was restricted to 50 people as with all the concerts – clearly did not share my reservations about Landgren’s English vocals Pieces like Straighten Up And Fly Right shone but I would have happily traded fewer vocals for more extensive examples of Landgren’s vibrant trombone flurries and flourishes I also didn’t care that much for all the guitar tuning and stage chat which went on – and was really surprised to witness a couple of brief instances of memory loss on the part of two of the participants where the soul-and-gospel-inspired Sand came into her own I found the dominant Swedish strain in this year’s festival very much to my liking This was so whether it involved the assured now up and affirmative vocals – and high-quality scat and vocalese – of Elisabeth Melander’s JazzAppear set with her tasty quintet of Fredrik Davidsson (t) Göran Schelin (b) and Lars Beijbom (d) or the (at times) minimalist-inflected grooves and musings of the Post-sun-vision Trio concert from Alice Hernqvist (p) The overall quality of matters Swedish was epitomised by the opening tough and fusion-kicked but also modally sprung now fiercely swinging Debut by the vastly experienced Anders “ Chico” Lindvall (elg) and his quintet This featured the excellent Håkon Broström (as kyb) in both coruscating and poetically pitched mode underpinned by the equally impressive Johnny Åman (elb Lindvall also played in the very different context of a Chet Baker tribute concert at Solhällan Very different from but no less arresting than Lindvall’s Debut gig a shape-shifting sax and clarinet-fuelled set from Joakim Milder Per “Texas” Johansson & Fredrik Ljungkvist Åman (b) and Cornelia Nilsson (d) offered sparely wrought ad libitum material by Charles Ives as well as some richly crafted and rhythmically adventurous pieces from Johansson and Ljungkvist including the title track from Ljungkvist’s recent and excellent Atlantis album Best of all for me was Spirit of Sweden – Music of Lars Gullin by Fredrik Lindborg (bar ss) with Martin Sjöstedt (b) and Daniel Fredriksson (d) complemented by the perfectly attuned string quartet of Daniel Migdal (vn) Ylva-Li Zilliacus (vla) and Sabina Sandri Olsson (clo) Covid-19 had meant that the scheduled release concert in Stockholm for Lindborg’s A Swedish Portrait Gullin album (Prophone: Swedish Jazz PCD201) had had to be cancelled So this Ystad concert was the first time that this music had been played live If Swedish musicians dominated this year’s events there was also some welcome representation of first-class neighbouring Danish jazz Jacob Christoffersen (p) and Thomas Fonnesbaek (b) all of whom participated in a vibrant Charlie Parker 100 Years concert led by Swedish saxophonist and arranger Karl–Martin Almqvist Vivian Buzek (v) and Zoltan Csörsz (d) also contributing strongly to classic Parker pieces such as Yardbird Suite Danish drummer Kristian Leth supplied tasty drive and texture for an engagingly melodic mellow and diversely swinging concert from The Jan Lundgren / Scott Hamilton Quintet with Ulf Wakenius (elg) and Hans Backenroth (b) which featured the Quincy Jones classic Stockholm Sweetnin’ as well as a range of folk-touched material from Sweden and Denmark And that fine Danish pianist and composer Kathrine Windfeld contributed crisply sprung lines to the delightful Sisters of Jazz concert in the spot-on company of Pernille Bévort (ts) the Peggy Lee-inspired Anna Pauline (v) introduced and performed a welcome wide-ranging tribute to female jazz players and lyricists including Lee and ranging from Lil Hardin Armstrong and Mary Lou Williams to Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Marian McPartland who shone in the 4 Wheel Drive concert at the 2019 festival had been advertised as appearing in the concluding trio concert with Jan Lundgren and Lars Danielsson (b) his place was taken by soprano saxophonist Emile Parisien from France whose patiently pitched and characterfully delivered lines contributed greatly to an outstanding while Danielsson (long a stalwart of the Ystad festival) fused melody and rhythm reflection and momentum in the most magnetic manner: there was a wonderful rendition of his lovely lilting Folk Song (To All Children) from his 1991 Dragon album Poems Apart from his delicious range of soprano figures Parisien conjured some special floating passages of judiciously generated electronically enhanced texture and atmosphere Lundgren – who like Danielsson had not worked with Parisien before – was so impressed by the Frenchman that he immediately invited him to next year’s festival with his own Parisian quartet So JJ readers can make up their own minds about what I experienced as a typically uplifting Ystad blend of the contemporary and the historical The quality of the filming for the live streaming was consistently excellent with an astute blend of wide-spectrum and close-up the whole underpinned by a consummate command of the key factors of duration and transition of shot and overall rhythm of (real-time) montage If you would like to experience the music in the order in which it was presented the sequence is: Debut by the Chico Lindvall Quintet; Scott Hamilton / Jan Lundgren Quintet featuring Ulf Wakenius; Joakim Milder Per “Texas” Johansson & Fredrik Ljungkvist with the Mathias Landaeus Trio; Sisters of Jazz; Spirit of Sweden – Music of Lars Gullin; Charlie Parker 100 Years; Elisabeth Melander & JazzAppear; Post-sun-vision Trio; Nils Landgren and Johan Norberg with Ida Sand; Jan Lundgren Full details of personnel are screened at the end of the concerts each of which is prefaced by a brief panoramic introduction to both Ystad’s picturesque charms and the sweeping beauty of the Baltic coast the festival profiled Next Generation jazz in Sweden Appreciable financial reward went to 15 of the musicians thanks to the efforts of Jan Lundgren in setting up an Ystad Jazz Festival “Next Generation” award scheme Concerts at the charming outdoor venue which is Hos Mortens Café featured a range of artists Niklas Bergström (p) and Johanna Pettersson (v) There was also the traditional JazzKidz slot and Dan Bornemark (v g) and Bengt Badtoft Johnson (d) gave a light-hearted family concert at Ystads Bibliotek Underlining Ystad’s admirable commitment to its local community Rolf Olsson (b) and Hjallis Persson (g) played three outdoor concerts for the residents of various elderly care facilities in the area Visual art has always played a strong role at Ystad and this year was no exception The pop and graffiti-inspired photographer and multi-media artist Karl Valve (born 1978) supplied a striking ice-blue cover image for the 25pp virtual festival brochure and exhibited his work at Galley M1 at Hotel Continental in the centre of Ystad from 25 July to 7 August Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival 2020 was certainly something different one crucial thing remains constant: quality Congratulations must go to each and every one of the many people who worked so hard to make this year’s festival happen in a most timely demonstration of the power of the human spirit at its best All the Ystad 2020 concerts can be seen in the video gallery at the YstadSwedenJazzFestival website – ystadjazz.se This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Specifically, the project, which began in May 2019 aims at increasing the capacity of the Port of Ystad facilities to be able to host larger ro-pax vessels the expansion project will enable the port welcome “greener” and more sustainable LNG vessels of over 240 meters in length ferry berths at a new pier located in the outer port basin with associated facilities in reclaimed areas located to the east of the new berths it includes dredging works in the existing outer basin of the port the construction of a new breakwater south of the existing eastern breakwater with a new reclaimed platform for future port activities expansion and the extension of the breakwater at the western part of the port [smlsubform prepend=”GET THE SAFETY4SEA IN YOUR INBOX!” showname=false emailtxt=”” emailholder=”Enter your email address” showsubmit=true submittxt=”Submit” jsthanks=false thankyou=”Thank you for subscribing to our mailing list”] the port aims to enhance its climate performance by also improving the on-shore power supply for berthed vessels and reducing emissions by manoeuvring vessels due to easier berthing Port of Ystad will soon be well prepared to further consolidate its position as the third largest ferry passenger port in Sweden in an even more environmentally friendly way Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id" "a9f71ab2fa20de2abd236f956af76e92" );document.getElementById("c08a1a06c7").setAttribute( "id" This year the usual haunts hosted jazz now haunting Unlike so many other jazz festivals based just around one main venue and a couple of satellites the Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival (YSJF) is a festival that makes the town vibrate with jazz for four consecutive days From a parade on the streets on the opening day to restaurants bars and churches crowded with jazz aficionados it has nine different venues hosting gigs of all kinds it is and always will be the historic Ystads Teater a well-preserved 19th-century building with 400 seats even after 14 years (because the YSJF was never cancelled the Ystads Teater welcomed Jan Garbarek’s quartet for the first time in the history of the festival The Norwegian saxophonist has long partnered with maestro Trilok Gurtu who brought along his impressive set of percussion of all kinds While the Indian percussionist is an essential member of the band the other two members of the quartet are top-notch musicians as well namely Yuri Daniel on bass and Rainer Brüninghaus on keyboards Garbarek led his all-star crew for a two-hour gig – a feature of the YSJF is to present full-length concerts that always end with an encore – allowing each member to impress the audience with an outstanding solo it was time to cool down a bit with a solo performance in Klosterkyrkan Martinique-born pianist Gregory Privat brought a captivated audience into his own world taking the time in between pieces to explain the source of his inspiration The pandemic has reminded us of the importance of the audience and Gregory Privat was genuinely impressed with the exchange he got with the crowd for this late-night gig that ended around midnight In between Garbarek and Privat’s performances the watchman tower tradition dating back to 1748 was kept alive at 10pm sharp with trumpeter Angela Strandberg playing a standard from the top of the tower and thus perpetuating the festival’s own tradition to send a musician up there every year she and had been playing in the afternoon through the old streets of the town If last year the spirit of Ennio Morricone was floating in the air notably thanks to Grégoire Maret who was introducing his upcoming Morricone project to be released soon on ACT Music the maestro’s music was back this year as well this time through Kyle Eastwood’s tribute to his father’s impressive filmography Clint Eastwood became famous for his roles in the spaghetti western films for which Morricone wrote the film scores It therefore came as no surprise to hear a jazz arrangement of A Fistful Of Dollars As part of the last gig of their summer tour Kyle Eastwood’s quintet also honoured the great John Williams and Lalo Schifrin Since Kyle and his father collaborated on the film score of Gran Torino referring of course to Eastwood’s biopic about the legendary saxophonist Before this great homage emphasising the importance of music for cinema gypsy jazz guitarist Gustav Lundgren briefly honoured Ennio Morricone’s music for Cinema Paradiso coincidentally in the same place (Klosterkyrkan) where Rosario Giuliani and Luciano Biondini had played last year as part of their Cinema Italia project Together with French guitar player Remi Oswald and double bass player Edouard Pennes the trio mostly played a repertoire made famous by Django Reinhardt If Ennio Morricone is undeniably one of Italy’s greatest film composers Krzysztof Komeda is the most celebrated Polish jazz and film composer Who else than Marcin Wasilewski to pay the best tribute to Komeda’s music and by the same token commemorate Roman Polanski’s famous Rosemary’s Baby from 1968 and his 1962 thriller Knife In The Water For his Komeda tribute featured on Friday afternoon at Ystads Teater the Polish pianist chose the quintet format which apart from Swedish saxophonist Joakim Milder This Swedish-Polish connection acts as a reminder of the lengthy collaboration between Komeda and saxophonist Bernt Rosengren Just as this collaboration was certainly fruitful for both sides the nearly 30 years where Marcin Wasilewski played with Tomasz Stanko have certainly helped the pianist to establish himself at the forefront of European jazz No wonder that YSJF artistic director Jan Lundgren selected him for this year’s edition Jan was also enthusiastic about inviting US pianist Bill Charlap loves to play standards from the Great American Songbook and he truly did a great job with his trio when he aligned them in a precise manner that left no place for misinterpretation but still allowed enough room for improvisation lyricists have also had a key role to play in the film industry particularly in the golden era of Hollywood musicals For the only gig hosted at the beautiful premises of Sta Maria Kyrka together with chamber orchestra Musica Vitae and pianist Carl Bagge paid tribute to the great American lyricist Dorothy Fields whose career spanned close to 50 years it must have been hard for the Swedish vocalist to select the pieces she would play from the song that made the lyricist famous in the first place Lundgren reminded us of the initial collaboration between Dorothy Fields and Jerome Kern for the 1936 musical Swing Time and the Oscar she got for best composition As the concert was coming to an end with Sunny Side Of The Street I couldn’t help but gaze through the stained-glass windows to catch a glimpse of the sun that luckily shone through the entire festival It was time then to return to Ystads Teater to enjoy Jan Lundgren’s duo with countryman bassist Hans Backenroth The duo was presenting their recent release on ACT Music Although the two Swedes have known each other for quite some time In the footsteps of a tradition initiated by Jan Johansson in the 1960s they played an arrangement of a traditional Swedish folk song named Gardsjanta Jan Johansson played with all the American luminaries visiting Sweden at the time and one of those was double-bass player Oscar Pettiford whose famous piece Tricotism was also featured that evening They followed with NHOP’s My Little Anna and ended with W.A another Frenchman mesmerised the religiously seated crowd at Klosterkyrkan Starting his solo performance with his own Choral the accordionist Vincent Peirani moved on with what he called a family suite made of the tunes he wrote for his two children (Enzo and Izao) and his wife a fact that made his outstanding performance that day even greater Just as Choral first appeared on his 2013 album Thrill Box so did the cover of the traditional Shenandoah which he played both with accordina and accordeon would also be tempted to play that famous Missouri tune later with Jan Lundgren be it with his own material or his takes on standards such as the much celebrated Bebe by Egberto Gismonti All good things must unfortunately come to an end and time it was for Jan Lundgren’s trio to close the 2023 YSJF edition with vocalist Deborah Brown who was a source of inspiration in the early part of his career when he had the chance to play with her beautifully interpreted in a way that was a bit reminiscent of Ella Fitzgerald her carefully selected repertoire kept the audience focused until the very last moment It was only then that she got rid of her shoes which seemed to have been unbearable to wear from the start Before joining the barefoot artists’ club that this year included Peirani and Rhoda Scott she had played closely with bassist Mattias Svensson and drummer Zoltan Csörsz not forgetting of course her duo with Jan Lundgren for a reprise of Hoagy Carmichael’s The Nearness Of You “There are such good vibes here” she said And that’s why 8,000 people attended the festival and 10 concerts were sold out The people of Ystad seem to live happily in their beautiful town flocks of wild geese fly over the roofs of the old city they might be on their way to another jazz festival quite possibly the Gaume Jazz Festival where I’m heading next Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device these idyllic villages continue to be splendid places that tourists keep coming back to So venture into a dramatic land brimming with bears and berserkers and experience all the runic and rustic enchantments that Sweden’s small towns have to offer On the whimsical Swedish island of Gotland, the fairytale village of Visby delights travelers with its hometown atmosphere. As one of Sweden's UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Visby has “outstanding universal value” for everyone who wants to find contentment and excitement in the Baltic Sea Visby is chiefly famed for its well-preserved medieval Hanseatic architecture Among these ancient stone edifices are church ruins such as St the Visby Cathedral (formerly Visby Saint Mary's Cathedral) still welcomes the faithful to God’s house the formidable 2.17-mile-long medieval ring wall—the Visby City Wall—and the original 1200s watchtowers still stand protectively around the village The Gotland Museum’s Fornsalen (Hall of Antiquities) exhibits numerous Viking artifacts Visby was the filming site of the famous Pippi Longstocking movies and the original Villa Villerkulla can be found at Kneippbyn Resort fulfill your fairytale adventure by staying a while at fine domiciles like Scandic Visby If you have ever watched the famous detective show Wallander then the town of Ystad will be a nostalgic location Journey to this mysterious coastal town at the southern tip of Sweden where the titular detective gallivanted through the pastel-colored houses and cobblestone streets to solve his latest cases Ystad is so renowned for its film-suitable atmosphere that Scandinavia's largest film studio the 25 miles of sandy beaches and beautiful Skåne countryside lull travelers to blissful relaxation then spend the day and evening at the Villa Strandvägen or Ystad Saltsjöbad Sigtuna is a tranquil little village halfway between Uppsala and Stockholm This community may look simple and laidback but Sigtuna may be the most historically vital town in all of Sweden because it happens to be Sweden’s oldest town Sigtuna’s runestones tell an epic saga of the many people who lived and thrived in this ancient dwelling Stora Gatan said to be Sweden’s oldest main street dates back to the reign of 10th-century King Erik the Victorious The first Swedish coin was minted in Sigtuna and Princess Ingegerd—Sweden’s first female saint—was born there Beautiful buildings from different periods of time dominate the town from the Baroque Skokloster Castle and Rosersberg Palace to the 12th-century ruins of St Consider strolling through the serene Lake Mälaren and consider booking rooms at the STF Sigtuna Vandrarhem or Sigtunahöjden Mariefred is an idyllic town rife with ideal attractions The town derived its name from Mariefred Charterhouse a Carthusian monastery translating to "Peace of Mary." The town will certainly give travelers peace of mind as they roam the medieval halls of Gripsholm Castle who played a vital role in Sweden's formation Consider riding a historic steam locomotive along the Narrow Gauge Railway that winds through Mariefred and its neighbors you can take boat trips through Lake Mälaren or you can sample at least 60 different kinds of cakes at Taxinge Castle The Callanderska gården functions as a museum and a 1780s manor house for coffee-brewing meditation one might chance upon deer at the Gripsholms hjorthage (deer park) Remember to schedule a stay at the Gripsholm Inn Far north of Swedish Lapland, where the Northern Lights burn the cold skies the town of Kiruna welcomes travelers with a bracing atmosphere Kiruna is renowned for the massive iron ore mine owned by Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara Aktiebolag (LKAB) the LKAB ore mine contains an underground visitor center with an educational exhibit on mining the 19th-century residence of LKAB’s first managing director serves as a museum featuring the history of LKAB and its many mining enterprises You might want to visit Kiruna Church for its bell tower and its fitting resemblance to the traditional huts of the indigenous Sámi people. Moreover, you might want to spend your time at the lovely Camp Ripan, Husky Lodge, or the unique Ice Hotel of Jukkasjärvi Either you can stay in the summer to experience the Midnight Sun—a 24/7 phenomenon when there is perpetual daylight—or in winter when the Aurora Borealis blazes brightly is another heartwarming town in the frigid Swedish Lapland The quaint town is known for the centuries-old Jokkmokk Winter Market an annual event where one can eat exotic food and watch live shows thousands flock to the Winter Market for handicrafts fashioned by the Sámi people visitors can find them on display at the Ájtte Museum Within the museum is the unique Jokkmokk Mountain Garden a botanical chamber featuring alpine flora You will also be treated to enticing water adventures at the Arctic Camp Jokkmokk Do consider checking in at the Hotell Akerlund The dynamic town of Rättvik is widely regarded as the birthplace of Swedish tourism Turisthotellet (literally “tourist hotel”) the town campaigns many more unique structures such as the Rättvik Church and the impressive Vasa Monument Rättvik is visited by vehicle enthusiasts who wish to attend the annual Classic Car Week an Oldsmobile festival celebrating the veneration of veteran cars from July 26 to August 1 Rättvik also commemorates a cheerful Midsummer at Rättviks Gammelgård (Historical Farm) on June 21 the most exciting event for each year is Dalhalla a spectacular concert held in Rättvik’s closed limestone quarry from June to September International and national artists flock to the acoustic-perfect natural amphitheater to enchant and enthrall So please enjoy your stay at the Stiftsgården Overlooking the Baltic Sea, the town of Kalmar is a site of strategic value. The Renaissance-style Kalmar Castle, home of King Gustav Vasa, testifies to Kalmar’s vital period as a military and political stronghold on the Swedish-Danish border during the Middle Ages No need for museums to exhibit the past because you need only saunter down the cobblestone streets and ogle at the 18th- and 19th-century buildings lining your travels On your journey, you might stumble into Kvarnholmen, a walled neighborhood with unique ties to the past. Among the stunning structures, there are Castenska Gården and Kalmar Cathedral, designed in classical Baroque by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder. Perhaps you might fancy traversing the Öland Bridge to the sun-gleaming island of Öland, one of the largest islands in the Baltic Sea Or you might enjoy seeing the Regalskeppet Kronan a 17th-century shipwreck in the Kalmar County Museum you should spend the night at the Slottshotellet Kalmar or Hotell Hilda The town of Marstrand, on the captivating island of Marstrand, remains a testament to the nation’s maritime beauty. The formidable Carlsten Fortress, a 17th-century stronghold, looms majestically atop a rocky hill overlooking the North Sea and courtyards to learn how this fortress contributed to Sweden’s maritime defense July is a special month for Carlsten Fortress since war reenactment games are hosted annually Marstrand’s jetties and marinas still service the many sea vessels braving the awesome North Sea tides labeling Marstrand as Sweden’s sailing capital The Strandverket Konsthall (Strandverket Art Museum) showcases many modern or medieval sculptures and artworks There are many more wonders to find in this town built by Norwegian king Håkon Håkonsson Do stay a while at the Marstrands Havshotell and the natural Scandinavian wonders of the Swedish towns You will feel like a raven traveling over vast seas and finding a land of new promises and endless opportunities Today’s globalised world requires new approaches from managers to keep up with an ever-changing business environment and to embrace new opportunities and the Port of Ystad constantly endeavours to stay ahead of developments in the maritime transport business to ensure the current growth in the port continues in the long term The Port of Ystad in southern Sweden serves as a perfect example of how the success and future development of ports relies on a combination of proactive management “It is of utmost importance that national governments prioritise infrastructural projects and focus on securing easy access to and from ports” investment from national governments alone is not sufficient To achieve proper infrastructural coherence and efficient transportation flows cooperation across borders and regions is crucial to support future growth.” Ystad has been the leading port for ferry traffic to Poland The port also connects the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic with the rest of Scandinavia through high-speed ferries and a highway by the fixed link to Copenhagen The island is highly dependent on fast and stable ferry traffic and the Port of Ystad delivers this essential service “Our partners – the ferry companies Polferries and Molslinjen – have already ordered new and we have to be ahead of this development” “The Port of Ystad is preparing to invest in two new ferry berths where larger vessels can call We know hinterland connections will be affected by traffic volumes and we are doing everything we can to raise this question on a regional “We are positive that Europe will benefit from prioritising the Port of Ystad and the Ystad-Poland corridor With European investments in this corridor the whole Baltic Sea would be better connected and efficient infrastructure would bring growth to the region” The Port of Ystad will continue to do what it takes to stay ahead of regional and industrial developments and ongoing communication with influential decision-makers is time-consuming and not part of the core business of a port but it is nevertheless key to success in an increasingly interconnected business world Sign In Subscribe Now Dialogue and debate are integral to a free society and we welcome and encourage you to share your views on the issues of the day. We ask that you be respectful of others and their points of view, refrain from personal attacks and stay on topic. To learn about our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines ShareSaveLifestyleTravelGet Pampered At This Oceanfront Resort In SwedenByAdrienne Jordan Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights 10:38am EDTShareSaveThis article is more than 5 years old.Aerial view of Ystad Saltsjöbad After you’ve done sightseeing in Ystad (take the impressive a centuries-old Franciscan monastery and museum and St Mary’s Church known for its night watchman's horn signal) spend a few days getting pampered at Ystad Saltsjöbad which is most famous for being a world-class spa destination: Seaview at night from the Lido Club & Spa Imagine a moody day with thick clouds and dark, crashing waves rolling onto a rocky beach. At the property’s Lido Club & Spa you can glimpse this view from several different places outside and inside the venue The social spot to meet other guests would be the Pool Club where you can grab a lounge chair and order drinks and snacks The other features of the spa to experience would be the heated indoor pool; the low tide pool; and four hot springs outdoors Because the resort knows how to “do it big” there is also a jacuzzi; steam room; dry sauna with a view of the sea; and a cold bath to top off the amenities and Stretch and Balance-offered every day of the week visit the club’s dressing room equipped with showers The most standout treatment at the property might be the two-hour long Creek SPA Experience where you and a partner or friend experience a guided spa ritual This completely unwinding treatment involves different “stations” including a foot bath using salt from the Dead Sea; a steam room; sauna; Turkish hammam where you soap and scrub your body; and ends with a Rasul ritual with a special mineral-rich Moroccan clay wrap combined with steam Spa Creek Experience starts with a dead sea salt foot bath and massages like active peels and aromatherapy massages with body exfoliation Be sure to book one of the hotel suites that affords that seaside scenery where you can see and hear the crashing waves the newly renovated ‘double room with a seaview’ has a direct view over the ocean and comes with a minibar and room for a sofa bed for plus ones then the top of the line suite is the ‘seaview grand suite’ located on the top floor and comes with your own outdoor jacuzzi on a private balcony Check out my website for more travel ideas Kadetten Schaffhausen were a handful in the first leg of the Last 16 in EHF European League Men the Swedish club’s chance to qualify for the quarter-finals is up on Tuesday the first leg of Last 16 games were played - including Kadetten Schaffhausen against Ystad IF HF the Swiss could rejoice in a six-goal victory of 38:32 over the Swedes which is too many when you look at how the game went I wish we could have kept the ball better in the final stages and throughout the game we hope to be able to do better in the second leg,” says Ystad star Jonathan Svensson there is a six-goal gap to close for Svensson and co. which must be achieved if the dream of a quarter-final place is to be kept alive – a vision that Svensson still believes in I think; we have a good chance if we get to play our handball We have shown before that we can beat even the best opponents Svensson's good performances this season in the EHF European League Men have got him a call-up to the Swedish national side recently HANDBOLLSFABRIKEN FORTSÄTTER ATT LEVERERA!Ystads IF kan stolt presentera ännu en egen produkt som tar plats i handbollens absoluta finrum. Solberg har fått upp ögonen för Jonathan Svensson och tagit in honom i herrlandslaget nu på onsdag! Lycka till, Svesse!#vitahjärtat pic.twitter.com/OR4PmwNXNl If Ystad can deliver the goods and get a big win over Kadetten Schaffhausen then it wouldn’t be the first time that they deliver as underdogs the Swedes surprised with a four-goal victory against SG Flensburg-Handewitt – an achievement that most fans did not see coming But can Ystad use that victory for inspiration now “We know that we have the opportunity to surprise - and even against the best teams we can at least take it with us that we know that you can win against such teams,” asserts Svensson If Ystad IF HF takes the scalp and knocks Kadetten Schaffhausen out of the tournament it means advancement to the quarter-finals The importance of progressing once again is immense for this side A win means we will face even better opponents - and it could be fun to try it will mean a lot.” “It also means a lot to the club we want to do as well as possible and put our club on the European map,” says Svensson who has had an excellent season and is currently top scorer for his team with 71 goals I have taken many shots and played a lot - so it has gone very well” but you also want to do as well as possible yourself But it’s always important to win the games as a team - and then it’s a bonus and a little extra fun when things go well for yourself,” asserts the 25-year-old Swede AEK Athens HC took a step towards winning their first ever international title beating Ystads IF at home 30:26 in the first leg of the EHF European Cup Men final and although the second-leg match on Sunday will also take place in Greece Ystad will certainly have a chance to overcome a four-goal deficit FIRST LEGAEK Athens HC (GRE) vs Ystads IF (SWE) 30:26 (16:12) Thomas Bauer has helped Athens to win in many matches on their way to the final And now the Austrian goalkeeper again showed that he is one of the key players for AEK His multiple saves helped the Greek time to pull clear early in the game and stay in front later on Athens will have a big chance to claim the trophy DRAW REVIEW: AEK Athens HC have the home right in the first leg of their final against HC Alkaloid in May DRAW PREVIEW: The two finalists await draw to find out who gets the first leg home right for the EHF European Cup Men final SEMI-FINALS REVIEW: Intense clashes in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Norway decided the finalists for the EHF European Cup Men 2024/25 SEMI-FINAL PREVIEW: Fight for the trophy heats up as HC Izvidac Runar Sandefjord and HC Alkaloid eye final seats ROUND REVIEW: AEK Athens and HC Alkaloid both took comfortable victories in the first leg of the EHF European Cup Men semi-finals SEMI-FINAL PREVIEW: The first leg takes place this weekend with matches in Greece and North Macedonia REVIEW: A penalty shootout decided the last team to progress to the EHF European Cup Men 2024/25 semi-finals OFFICIAL STATEMENT: The European Handball Federation has rescheduled the EHF European Cup Men quarter-final DRAW REVIEW: The EHF European Cup Women 2024/25 final starts in Spain following to the draw conducted by the EHF on Tuesday NEWS: The second leg of EHF European Cup quarter-final is set to be rescheduled at a neutral venue Located in Northern Europe and one of three countries (along with Denmark and Norway) that together form Scandinavia In addition to exploring the capital city of Stockholm savvy vacationers will also want to include some of the country’s most interesting small towns on their travel itinerary From Ystad on the south coast with its medieval architecture and cobblestone streets to Sigtuna with stops at Mariefred with its attractive castle and Visby’s UNESCO World Heritage landmarks along the way these towns are among some of the prettiest in Europe Find out more and be inspired by this list of towns in Sweden that have the best main streets along with several beautiful churches including the 13th century St Sigtuna is also famous for its ancient runestones. Scattered throughout the town and its surroundings, these engraved stones served as memorials to the dead and date back as far as the Viking Age and early Christian period More can be learned about them and other facets of the town’s fascinating history at the Sigtuna Museum with its rare archaeological finds One of the most southerly small towns in Sweden, Ystad is much closer to the Danish capital city of Copenhagen a scenic 90-minute train ride away than it is to Stockholm six hours to the north Its south coast setting has served Ystad well down the centuries especially during the medieval period when it served as an important European trading place its remarkably well-preserved Old Town and cobblestone main street is a delight to wander on foot with its boutique shops an example of Brick Gothic architecture dating from 1267 that’s now home to a major art museum; and the Ystad Theatre an exquisite 19th-century building that continues to host performances Ystad is the setting for Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander detective series with guided tours available that include locations featured in the books and films Falköping is located a scenic hour’s train ride from Gothenburg, Sweden's second biggest city it’s surrounded by some of the country's most significant prehistoric sites that date back to the Viking Age is a vibrant thoroughfare that’s fun to wander and makes a good jumping-off point from which to explore the many ancient monuments and sites dotted around the town The most important of these old attractions is Ålleberg mountain, a flat-topped hill (or mesa) that’s home to one of Sweden's largest collections of petroglyphs dating back to the Bronze Age as well as its spectacular views over the plains of Västergötland A visit to Falbygdens Museum is another must-do and is popular for its detailed exhibits from the Stone Age to the present day Handily located just 90 minutes south of Stockholm, Trosa is for good reason considered one of Sweden's most idyllic small towns. In addition to its picture-perfect coastal setting overlooking the Baltic Sea it possesses one of Scandinavia’s prettiest main streets it follows the Trosa River almost as far as the town’s waterfront and marina and is a picturesque setting for leisurely walks and dining (go for the seafood!) Trosa Stadsmuseum provides insights into the town's past showcasing its development from a medieval fishing village to one of the country’s top small-town tourist destinations is another popular attraction and offers guided tours and insights into Swedish royalty while the Trosa Archipelago is a draw for outdoor enthusiasts for its boating Hjo’s pretty lakeside setting is a real boon for this small town’s tourism industry. Set on the western shore of Lake Vättern mid-way between Stockholm and Gothenburg the town is known for its well-preserved wooden buildings many of them located along its main street some fine examples can be seen surrounding Hjo Stadspark a beautifully landscaped park that borders the lake that’s used for events including music festivals and the much-anticipated Yearly Arts and Crafts Fair Popular tourist attractions include the Hjo Museum with its displays relating to the town's history and cultural heritage with the town’s harbor area being especially fun to explore Visby’s location on the Baltic Sea island of Gotland certainly adds to this small town’s appeal. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site Visby is famous for its remarkably well-preserved town wall which encircles the old town Built between the 13th and 14th centuries during the Hanseatic League era to protect the town’s important trading status and cathedral from marauders Visby Cathedral was built in the 1200s and makes for a great selfie backdrop (Tip: get close up to capture the twin spires towering above you!) More can be learned about the island and the cathedral at the Gotland Museum which offers a deep dive into the island's rich history from its early roots and beyond through its Viking treasures and medieval artworks Strolling Mariefred's cobbled main street is another must-do as is a ride aboard the Mariefred Steam Train a historic railway that offers a nostalgic journey through the picturesque countryside between Mariefred and Läggesta and Falköping each promise to provide curious travelers with no end of fun experiences particularly around their historic main streets Still bustling after centuries have passed these charming locations provide a look into Sweden’s past with tourist attractions that paint a fascinating picture of its people and their rich culture  Learn more about these unforgettable destinations and be inspired by this list of towns in Sweden that have the best main streets which offers painting and craftsmanship services throughout Skåne reinforces its painting unit in the Ystad region through the acquisition of Ystadmålarna AB Stoby Måleri AB has been part of Layer Group since its inception in 2020 and is a well-known brand in southern Sweden “The fact that Ystadmålarna becomes a part of Stoby and thereby also Layer Group is very positive which are factors we seek in companies joining Layer Group They have a strong presence in Ystad and will complement Stoby's operations in the area in a very good way” Layer Group has only been in existence for just over three years but the companies joining the group have many years of professional experience has been around for 55 years and is one of southern Sweden's most sought-after providers of qualified craftsmanship services the vision is to offer customers strong local market partners with breadth This offering is now strengthened in the Ystad region as Stoby in Ystad and Ystadmålarna establish a close collaboration “I am very happy to welcome Ystadmålarna to Stoby They have skilled painters and an experienced leader in Rickard Persson who will add specialized expertise to our operations I am proud that Stoby can continue to evolve and move forward in a time of tougher market conditions” "It feels exciting to embark on something new Becoming a part of Stoby and Layer Group gives us access to resources we haven't had before It's also inspiring to gain several new colleagues and access to a network of all the skilled entrepreneurs within the group I hope to contribute with my experiences and strengths locally but also to the entire Stoby and Layer Group," says Rickard Persson Layer Group is one of Sweden’s largest groups in the surface coating industry and consists of leading local companies with driven entrepreneurs and strong brands the group is a national player that can offer competitive services to both large and small customers Today Layer Group has around 1,600 employees and a turnover of just over SEK 2.6 billion from Trelleborg in the south to Kiruna in the north Layer Group is owned by entrepreneurs and the Nordic investment companies Litorina and Bragnum Invest which together are the largest shareholders Litorina and Bragnum are investment companies investing in small and medium-sized companies in the Nordic region They aim to develop companies into industry leaders together with their management through growth profitability improvement and increased professionalism This year's slightly reduced event on the Swedish Riviera includes Jan Lundgren this August the festival returns with much of its characterful force jam sessions hosted by Swedish drummer Cornelia Nilsson and her trio major interviews with bassist Georg Riedel – the festival’s guest of honour this year – and ACT producer Siggi Loch both conducted at Ystads Konstmuseum by Susanne Rydén and six Senior Jazz concerts delivered at local elderly care homes: all make for a vibrant and engaging programme at the scenically striking event which this year features over one hundred artists in all two concerts –  by the Scandinavian Jazz Orchestra with Isabella Lundgren (v) and Jan Lundgren (p) and Georg Riedel (b) – will also be live-streamed The chief venues for Ystad 2021 are the much-loved Ystads Teater Ystads Stadsbibliotek and Solhällan plus two new spaces: Saluhallen in Ystad and Hammenhögs Gästis Seating restrictions will apply: for example this year a maximum of 220-250 will be allowed. The artist for 2021 who contributed the festival brochure’s cover She will be exhibiting her jazz paintings at Saluhallen in Ystad and the festival’s “jazz ambassadors” are Susanna Alakoski and Karl Fredrik på Eklaholm One of the very best of the 10 excellent live-streamed concerts which constituted Ystad 2020 (all of which were reviewed in JJ) was given by the French soprano saxophonist Emile Parisien in the electric company of festival director Jan Lundgren (p) and Lars Danielsson (b) this superb session was recorded and the CD The Ystad Concert II  (Lundgren’s The Ystad Concert: A Tribute To Jan Johansson came out in 2016) will be released at the trio’s concert this year on 4 August Parisien will also improvise the traditional introductory festival fanfare from the bell-tower of S:ta Maria Kyrka and appears again in the programme with his own quartet.Ystad 2021 covers an especially wide historical range: while the entire programme for 6 August is devoted to celebrating the 250th anniversary of The Royal Swedish  Academy of Music the Next Jazz Generation selection of up-and-coming contemporary bands features Tre Öar the Alexandra Schabo Collective and the Wallander Kvintett BC Business Ystad-Sweden_5.jpgBack: The BCBusiness Guide to World Travel Ystad-Sweden_5.jpgBack: The BCBusiness Guide to World Travel The sprawling 114-year-old Ystad Saltsjobad hotel, on the outskirts of town, is situated right on a sandy beachfront on the Baltic Sea. ysb.se While Ales Stenar is Sweden’s top elliptical attraction there’s also the Dag Hammarskjold peace circle it’s the place to be for late June’s Midsummer Festival At the detective’s favourite café a tooth-jarringly sweet cake with blue marzipan glaze the shade of a Swedish police uniform BCBusiness is your go-to playbook for what’s going on in the province right now Our magazine aims to inform and entertain you about the companies big and small making waves in your backyard the issues affecting the province and the people you really should get a coffee with Copyright © Canada Wide Media Limited. All Rights Reserved — Terms of Use & Privacy Policy Could this tranquil medieval town of Ystad in Skåne really be the stamping ground of Kurt Wallander I had expected something bleak and industrial which is how Wallander's world emerges in the novels The detective first appeared in Faceless Killers in 1991 and over the course of nine more novels became an international bestselling phenomenon only with more hard-hitting social commentary His books have been published in 33 countries generating a global there is an entire industry devoted to him where Krister Henriksson has played him in 13 films and Rolf Lassgård in seven more Kenneth Branagh has persuaded the BBC to adapt three of the novels One Step Behind and Firewall; they are due to be screened in November with Branagh in the lead role In Ystad, the surprises kept on coming. I had breakfast in the dining hall of the Continental (hotelcontinental-ystad.se) on Ystad Docks sitting at the same table where Wallander began the investigations in One Step Behind But the only real mystery in this elegant room was how they got the pancakes so fluffy Despite Ystad's reputation for culinary innovation a row of fishermen's cottages overlooking the ferries to Poland Only footsteps away was the market square where a body is discovered at the beginning of Firewall But all I could see were pretty houses and smiling faces while a smell of freshly ground coffee hung in the air hoping to commune with him further over a slice of pizza This wasn't the drab fast food joint I had expected from the books At Ystad Studios, the Cineteket visitor centre (cineteket.se) props and footage from the Swedish productions alongside general exhibitions about film The only skinny I could get from the guide was that Branagh's Wallander would lose the opera habit he has in the books lest he become confused with that other detective from Oxford I was staying at the Saltsjöbad spa hotel (ysb.se a stylish homage to the holistic Swedish view of health but while my companions lounged in flotation tanks I headed out along the sand for which Skåne is famous though thankfully a dearth of actual bodies (in Sidetracked a retired politician had been scalped and left under one of the fishing boats) towards a mystery much older than any of Wallander's an oval of standing stones crowning the clifftop were thought to mark the burial site of a Viking longship but have since been dated to neolithic times gives the granite sentinels an aura that seems the perfect place to meditate on the unknowable I followed Wallander to Malmö, but in the space of a decade the redundant docks have been transformed into a triumphant fusion of ecological housing, offices and parks. It had come a long way from the fretful city portrayed in Sidetracked. I spent my last night at the Hotel Duxiana (malmo.hotelduxiana.com where fine Swedish engineering has been applied to the most comfortable beds imaginable well-fed society living in beautiful cities and mellow countryside I may just have cracked the cure for the iconic detective's insomnia · Sterling Airlines (0870 787 8038, sterling.com flies Gatwick-Copenhagen, from £62 rtn, inc tax. For Copenhagen-Malmö trains, see raileurope.co.uk. Further information: ystad.se, skane.com What really stirs behind the pretty facades of villages like the Swedish one in which mystery series Wallander is set Henning Mankell sets his Kurt Wallander novels in Ystad All around here the bloody brutalities were acted out under this vast sky hanging like an ever-changing canopy over these golden fields of rape plants in bloom Lone wolves and serial killers walked through this photogenic landscape and along these orderly streets of tidy They hid behind the doors of remote country houses in this sparsely populated region ritual murderers did their dreadful business and cyber-hackers plotted the downfall of the world's economic system to be triggered from the ATM machine in the town square where cheerful fruit sellers offer swollen ripe grapes and tart apples while old folk sun themselves on benches outside cafes Death and menace made their home in this charming place We are in southeast Sweden and around the port town of Ystad is where frightful murders occur At least they do in the fiction of Swedish writer Henning Mankell the 13-episode series for Sweden television and in the award-winning BBC adaptation starring Kenneth Branagh - the character of thoughtful flawed and driven Wallander has global fame The books have been translated into 40 languages with more than 25 million copies sold worldwide the Swedish series gets its first airing on New Zealand television then next month the third in the Branagh series (the first two already available on DVD) also goes to air but for television audiences he is compelling viewing and for Ystad and the surrounding region of Skane a boon for tourism Ystad (population fewer than 20,000) has Wallander Walks and you can go to where he buys hotdogs the exterior of which substitutes for the police station in the BBC series) and have your photo taken at the ATM While Wallander stories have been good for tourism The region has had fewer than 10 reported murders in more than a decade Picturesque Ystad never did much harm to anyone - you have to wonder why Mankell chose this lovely genteel place for such murderous brutality and his exploration of the Swedish character The answer lies in that port on the other side of the railway line It is the gateway to Europe through Poland and Germany just across a narrow stretch of the Baltic xenophobia emerged in this crossroads region a place he has repeatedly referred to as "the Texas of Sweden" or "the South" Drugs and illegal workers passed through this town so locals became increasingly suspicious of outsiders and itinerants The pretty little town quietly seethed in a way which the polite face of the Swedish character masked The progressive trends in society sit in brutal contrast to the conservative nature of the collective Swedish psyche the insularity of the southern region and its small population seemed to magnify such tears in the social fabric Those endless blue skies sometimes punctuated by glorious cloud formations can turn thunderous and glowering Some days in winter there are as few as six hours of daylight At that time the windswept Baltic sea breaks gloomily against that stormy shore and those remote homes in the pines look less like idyllic getaways than mysterious places holding secrets Mankell - who grew up in remote Sveg in central Sweden - knows small towns and their mentality Sveg had fewer than 2000 people when he went to school there and lived with his father the landscape's character impressed itself in the writer's mind But his Wallander series was always as much about changing culture as solving murders and that has made Mankell (who is married to Eva Bergman one of Swedish film-maker Ingmar Bergman's daughters) a forensic analyst of his country's psyche Media-shy Mankell has spoken of a darkness which spread through Swedish society after the murders of Prime Minister Olof Palme in 1986 and Foreign Affairs Minister Anna Lindh in 2003 both killed on the streets of sophisticated The country which prided itself on a liberal industrious and egalitarian society suddenly doubted itself Wallander is the cypher for this subtext in the novels and a believable character whose life and attitudes change in the course of the stories He is separated but doesn't take off his ring despite his former wife having a new partner; works too hard eats poorly and falls asleep on the couch; has a difficult relationship with his daughter who worries about him; sometimes snaps impatiently at colleagues senile father (an artist who paints the same landscape over and over) dies so Wallander worries whether he has been a good son All this plays out while around him the substructure of his society rips itself apart it doesn't translate that way in the film-length episodes of the BBC series which many Swedes concede is superior to the earlier Swedish adaptations careworn Branagh plays the harried Wallander with understatement Branagh's Wallander is seen quietly driving through that flat Unlike so many on-screen characters who seem emotionally immune to the world they confront - Jack Bauer in 24 is credited with over 250 killings in the eight seasons - Branagh's portrayal of Wallander invites the audience to enter his thoughts and doubts He feels each death or confrontation deeply and is changed by them more grainy and moody than the equally fearful Swedish series - is remarkable Shot on cutting-edge digital cameras in often-muted colour suggesting Swedish optimism and innovative interior design gone to seed in sometimes claustrophobic spaces the glowering sky or the sea-battered shoreline oppressive in their elemental power the landscape in all its moods seems a gift to a cinematographer and Ystad is so toy-town picture perfect it had to have a seething undercurrent cyclists pedalling down a quiet cobbled street Getting there: Cathay Pacific operates up to two flights a day from Auckland to London via Hong Kong. Ryanair flies regularly to Stockholm from Stansted and there are frequent trains to Ystad via Malmo * The 13 episodes of the original Swedish series of Wallander screen weekly on the Rialto Channel from September 5 at 8.30pm The first two series of the BBC adaptation starring Kenneth Branagh are available on BBC DVD The third season starts on UKTV on October 15 at 8.30pm Graham Reid flew to London with assistance from Cathay Pacific own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment University of Technology Sydney provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation AU View all partners Nordic Noir fans are currently indulging in a prolonged festival of Scandinavian culture. The SBS and the ABC are both broadcasting Wallander, the Swedish and British television series based on crime novelist Henning Mankell’s character, Inspector Kurt Wallander On SBS fans are watching the latest Swedish series starring Krister Henriksson as Wallander; brilliant opera and whisky-loving but burnt out solving complex and often depraved crimes and murders – to the detriment of his inner life Alas, this is the final Swedish series and, in the most recently screened episode we saw Wallander rush to his closet and pull back the clothes to reveal a storyboard of mug shots and name tags it’s not a crime he is trying to solve – these are his work colleagues and he is desperately trying to remember their names The great detective has Alzheimer’s and is slowly losing his memory We had to wait two years for the series to make it to Australian screens, and now SBS is making us wait until next week, June 2, for the next episode. (The series has been interrupted for the Giro d’Italia bicycle race.) But fans need not despair – tune in to the ABC. Repeats of the British adaptation starring Kenneth Branagh as Wallander are screening once a week and available to watch on iView dishevelled and drained than his Swedish counterpart – often falling asleep fully clothed in his armchair then being abruptly woken with yet another grisly crime to solve At least the armchair is a vintage Scandinavian design and comfortable as well as stylish, for he cannot rest – Ystad The Wallander novels have been translated into 40 languages and have sold more than 30 million copies in 100 countries. They were first adapted to feature films starring Swedish actor Rolf Lassgard before the television series with Swedish stage actor Krister Henrikssen in the lead there have been around 30 television episodes produced many of them written by screen writers from new plots penned by Mankell The success of Nordic Noir has seen it develop into a genre of its own. As a cultural export, it is an important source of soft power for Scandinavian countries with their melancholic characters and dark landscapes and has even spawned a new breed – Celtic Noir – which he says is “strangely Nordic in tone” But back to Wallander – he is getting Alzheimer’s Kenneth Branagh has just finished filming his fourth and final series in Ystad the Skane region and scenes in South Africa But what do the Swedes think of this English accented detective living and working in Scania with Swedish language signs everywhere He is pronouncing his name not as Krister Henricksson does - “Kort Vallander” - but phonetically as “Kert Wollander” they take place in the same area and they speak English and have Swedish names and they can’t pronounce the names and its kind of – it doesn’t matter for the English audiences but for us its kind of corny Kenneth Branagh can take heart – his series has earned accolades and six British Film and Television Awards Henning Mankell actually wrote his books in the southern coastal town – inspired by the wild windy beaches half wooden houses and cobbled medieval streets surrounded by undulating rapeseed fields local authorities began to notice a different type of visitor one that came specifically for the Wallander experience They then marketed the television locations, created a Wallander app and walking-tour brochure and quickly invested money in the Wallander television adaptations Euroscreen is a pan-European project that recently published a three-year study on the value of film and television locations it found that the combined value of the Swedish and British Wallanders amounted to a £17.5 million (A$34.7 million) injection in publicity and promotion for the town Petra Rundqvist is the film strategist for the Municipality of Ystad she told me that the town owes everything to the fictitious sleuth Wallander has meant a lot by selling the brand of Ystad abroad Many people that did not know about Sweden and Skåne know about Ystad as the hometown of Wallander We also know that a lot of tourists – actually 15% – come just because of Wallander Rundqvist says that the town capitalised on the character and invested heavily in turning the former garrison town into a tourist and industry destination with state of the art film studios and events – such as the Detective Film Festival and Pixel In just a decade Ystad has reinvented itself as a film hub hosting 37 international film co-productions and 94 productions The two Wallander series created 263 local jobs Rundqvist says Wallander’s mental decline and the television series coming to an end leaves her heavy of heart Without Wallander we would not be able to be a movie town at all – since everything started with Wallander It is of course sad in a way – we would love to see a continuation – but we need to believe that other television series and films will come here as well And that’s not all: Bollywood has beckoned. So far, three Bollywood productions have been filmed in Ystad including 1920 – Evil Returns (2012) Wallander would think he’s losing his mind VIEW GOOGLE MAPS Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox. Melina Keays is the entertaining director of Wallpaper* She has been part of the brand since the magazine’s launch in 1996 and is responsible for entertaining content across the print and digital platforms and for Wallpaper’s creative agency Bespoke Melina takes inspiration from the whole spectrum of art and design – including film Her work for the brand involves curating content and creative direction – conceiving luxury interior landscapes with a focus on food Welcome to motorship.com. This site uses cookies. Read our policy webinars and articles on innovations and current trends in the shipping industry Alternatively REGISTER for website access and sign up for email alerts the Port of Ystad in southern Sweden played host to an event demonstrating the benefits of shore-to-ship power systems Already subscribed? SIGN IN now Want to read more before deciding on a subscription It only takes a minute to sign up for a free account and you’ll get to enjoy: Get more free content sign up today Ready to subscribe? Choose from one of our subscription packages for unlimited access Site powered by Webvision Cloud SEARCHThe global authority in superyachting The small township of Ystad is often referred to as Sweden’s most southern city and is a perfect destination to start your Swedish adventure Founded during the 13th century the town has rich historical roots something that can really be seen in the older parts of the city Karlskrona is situated in the eastern corner of the Blekinge archipelago. The town was originally a 16th century naval base, and is today the centre for marine history in Sweden. The southern part of the city with the old navy area is part of the UNESCO World Heritage List Situated just west of Karlskrona you can find the Eriksberg Nature Reserve Eriksberg consists of more than 1,340 hectares which makes it one of Europe's largest wildlife reserves Among the inhabitants you will find red deer and the reserve has a summer population of about 1,700 animals If you are interested in nature and wildlife this is not to be missed Anchorage is available outside the reserve Eriksberg also offers two excellent restaurants with specialties such as red deer and different types of salmon Picture courtesy of Mediagram/Shutterstock.com The Island of Gotland is situated North East of Karlskrona Gotland is famous for its high coastline and the impressive limestone formations Visby is often called “the town of roses and ruins” because of the surrounding ruins and the old houses The city is still surrounded by the old city wall which used to protect the city during its days as a Hanseatic trading centre Visby is today one of the main jet set summer resorts in Sweden It offers a combination of first class entertainment and dining the picturesque 11th century town turns into a top party destination when “Stockholm week” is in town The Stockholm archipelago is completely unique consisting of some 30,000 islands and skerries linked together by narrow straits and beautiful bays or going on a guided RIB charter tour would be the best way to experience the beautiful nature of the Stockholm archipelago up close You are allowed to go ashore on any of the islands and water toys can be used in the bays Situated in the middle of the Stockholm archipelago Rågskär specialises in providing first class service to small groups such as corporate executives Here the guests can relax and enjoy the breathtaking archipelago scenery eat seafood caught by joint owner and manager in the bay or use the seaside sauna and wooden heated spa Picture courtesy of Biggan Vi/Shutterstock.com Sandhamn is the sailing capital of the Swedish east coast The small village at the end of the archipelago hosts the annual ÅF Offshore Race-regatta one of the largest in the world for privately owned boats Here you will find first class dining and entertainment all wrapped in a genuine archipelago environment Sandhamn is also a prime luxury resort for the Stockholm region during the summer period Picture courtesy of Stefan Holm/Shutterstock.com Being the capital of Sweden and the country’s largest city Stockholm combines historical heritage from the oldest parts of the city with all the characteristics of a modern metropolitan capital the final resting place of the 15th century war ship Vasa whose famous Blue Hall hosts the Nobel Prize festivities or head to the Royal Castle situated in the old town In Stockholm you will, of course, also be able to enjoy some of the world's best restaurants PIcture courtesy of Oleksiy Mark/Shutterstock.com SubscribeSign up to our newslettersSign up to BOAT International email newsletters to get the latest superyacht news, business analysis, exclusive event invitations, and more. Boat International Media Ltd © 2008 - 2025. Content presented under the "BOAT Presents" logo is an advertising feature and Boat International Limited has been paid to include this content. And while Stockholm should be a stop on every traveler's Swedish itinerary there's so much more to this California-sized country than one urban hub Here are ten of the best spots to start exploring once you've had your fill of the city timbered houses; sun-kissed squares; and nearly 25 miles of sandy beaches Sarek National Park lays claim to six of Sweden's 13 highest mountains and nearly 100 glaciers within its borders north of the Arctic Circle but also draws visitors for its wildlife—think Arctic foxes as well as building a home.) Connected by ferry to the larger island of Gotland Fårö is a popular summer destination for Swedes making time to stop and learn about the island's history at the Gotland Museum don't miss trying a saffranspannkaka (or three): this Gotland specialty a saffron pancake topped with fresh cream and salmonberries 20-suite hotel with an art gallery and bar The idyllic island is also popular with sailors and serves as the base for the annual Marstrand Regatta thanks to its clear weather and coordinates up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse We understand that time is the greatest luxury which is why Condé Nast Traveler mines its network of experts and influencers so that you never waste a meal or a hotel stay wherever you are in the world Who's in the band: Chris Schafer on guitar Michael Rush on guitar and Mike Ystad on electronics Story behind the band name: It was taken from an article on the collapse of Far Eastern markets Web site:www.lightsoutasia.com and www.myspace.com/lightsoutasia Describe your sound: It's post-rock electronic . . .  We kind of like the description "sleep rock." We hear: Futuristic soundscapes with an obvious debt to '70s psychedelia Unofficial beverage: Bottled beer and coffee First gig: A friend's birthday party in 2003 Worst gig: It was a Milwaukee club gig where everybody stayed at the bar Schafer installs hardwood floors and Rush is an art design teacher Favorite music movie: "Platoon" or "K-Pax." Last movie you saw: "Burn After Reading." Last book you're read: "Death by Black Hole" by Neil deGrasse Tyson and "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson Song you've written that you're most proud of: "Outstretched to the Mud and Sky." First album you bought with your own money: "Freedom of Choice" by Devo and "Houses of the Holy" by Led Zeppelin Five CDs for a desert island: The soundtrack to "K-Pax," "Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks" by Brian Eno "Led Zeppelin IV," "Enemy of the Sun" by Neurosis "Heaven or Las Vegas" by Cocteau Twins Biggest achievement: Releasing three albums and still being a band and making music we enjoy