You've definitely seen them on windowsills this winter, but what is the history behind Sweden's advent candlesticks? We find out in today's Advent calendar.
In the early 1900s, a motorcycle-riding, tobacco-smoking young woman changed Swedish journalism and introduced a powerful new female role model to Swedish literature.
Småland-based writer and historical researcher Victoria Martinez explains why Sweden once thought coffee was so dangerous they banned it no less than five times.
Immigrants to Sweden have made a huge contribution to architecture, journalism, science and more, explains Victoria Martinez, an American historical researcher, writer and author living in Småland, Sweden.
The January blues may exist all around the world, but they hit particularly hard in Sweden, especially for those who live here far from friends and family, writes Victoria Martínez.
The Local's columnist Victoria Martínez, who grew up in Texas in the US, writes about why she and her husband have chosen to raise their children in Sweden.
For anyone willing to venture outside the usual destinations, Sweden offers some unexpected opportunities to discover history. From a shrine to a heavy metal music icon to the birthplace of a favorite Swedish candy to Native American culture, here are eight places off the beaten path in Sweden where you can experience history in ways that just might surprise you.
Sweden's rise to one of the most gender equal countries in the world did not occur because women won the "battle of the sexes", but rather because their access to equal rights benefited all of society.
One hundred years ago, the Swedish parliament voted to give women the right to vote. The Local's contributor Victoria Martínez tells the story of how the fight was won.
In the first half of the 20th century, Sweden implemented an unconventional campaign to transform it from a country with the lowest standards of housing in Europe to one of the highest in the world.
In early 1968, Sweden brought tensions with the United States to a head when it doubled down on its anti-Vietnam stance by granting asylum to four American military deserters.
As an American in Sweden, little more than the whims of fate and politics separate my situation from that of British citizens living here, writes Victoria Martínez.
Stockholm Olympic Stadium defied those who said Sweden wasn't advanced enough to host the Olympic Games in 1912, and has survived to become the world's oldest Olympic stadium actively in use.
In spring 1945, as the Second World War was nearing its end, Sweden carried out the biggest humanitarian relief expedition ever to take place within Nazi Germany.
On November 20th, 1918, a tragic ferry accident claimed the life of a Swedish artist whose enchanting depictions of folk and fairytale creatures still capture the imagination.
