VWW: SWEDISH WIEN TOUR - Whoosh goes Nordic

This is a tour about the ways Sweden has influenced Vienna. We want to bring together the Swedish community, and Whoosh fans interested in a new perspective on their home town diversity.

So what is Swedish Wien? From Ikea to Schwedenbomben, Per-Albin-Hansson Siedlung to Bruno Kreisky’s wartime experience in exile, H&M and Abba parties, Spotify and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Midsummer madness festivals and northern lights, innovative educational ideas, paid paternity time, crime drama (Nordic Noir) and Stieg Larsson, meatballs and smorgasbord, a Nordic church and Schwedenplatz. Skiing connects us, and Austria’s men beat Sweden 3-1 in Stockholm in Autumn 2023, adding extra spice to the rivalry between the footie teams, before the Euros in Germany in summer 2024. A school in Mariahilf and a park in Donaustadt are named after Astrid Lindgren, to honour the creator of Pippi Langstrumpf.

People like Sweden - we will explore why that is. And this being a Whoosh tour, we bring our usual mix of politics and ridiculousness. Sweden has a bright, inclusive pop music scene, and has won the Song Contest more than any other country.

This tour was originally developed to mark Sweden hosting the Eurovision Song Contest (again!) in May this year. The walk is part of our Walking Week, to show Viennese do not need to travel to experience the exotic, fresh and fun - a holiday feeling in your home town.