Southern Sweden´s two major metropolitan areas, Göteborg in the west and Malmö in the south, are of course also major hubs for culture of every kind.

There are so many attractive museums in the rest of the region that it is very difficult to single out just a few. However the Duncker Culture House in Helsingborg, set in a spectacular modern building by Danish architect Kim Utzon, and the Kulturen culture house in Lund, are two dynamic multicultural centres, with interesting exhbitions and events year round. Both are located in the Skåne region. Some art scenes of special interest include the beautiful Wanås sculpture park in northeastern Skåne, the Nordic Watercolour Museum on the island of Tjörn on the west coast, splendidly set in a spectacular waterfront building designed by Niels Bruun and Henrik Corfitsen.

Skåne and the island of Gotland are favourite regions for artists and artisans, including many famous names who have left the big cities for the countryside. There are many interesting smaller galleries and shops, and many of the artists also open up their studios to the public for special visits. In spring, summer and autumn, special art tours are arranged around southern Sweden, with visits to artists and galleries. You’ll find dynamic contemporary and traditional craft scenes throughout southern Sweden, with plenty to see and buy. For industrially produced design, the Småland and Västergötland regions are the places to visit outside the big cities, with the famous Kingdom of Crystal, and with major clusters for both furniture and interiors and textiles.

If ancient history is your passion, there is also lots to see throughout the region. Västergötland in the west is a region of special interest, referred to as the cradle of Sweden, with cultural-historical sites outdating the Pyramids in Egypt, such as the monumental rock carvings in Tanum, included on Unesco’s World Heritage List.

As the year 2007 is the 300th anniversary of Sweden´s groundbreaking natural scientist Carl von Linné, known in the English-speaking world as Carolus Linnaeus, there will be a wide variety of exhibitions and events throughout southern Sweden celebrating one of the greatest Swedes in history, the creator of Systema naturae, a classification system of plants and animals, and considered perhaps the most important predecessor of Charles Darwin.