The flavors of Sweden's largest island are celebrated with film, design and food during one event-filled week in late October, early November.
From October 30 through November 5, “Gotland in New York,” an exhibition and event series at Scandinavia House will highlight the beauty, history, culinary heritage and artistic legacy of Sweden’s largest island. Located in the Baltic Sea, a convenient flight or ferry ride from Stockholm, Gotland is a favorite destination for international travelers and vacationing Swedes.
The “Gotland in New York” week is an initiative by The Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce in New York that partnered with Gotland and VisitSweden to create this event in connection with its Fourth Annual Green Summit in New York City. This year’s conference theme is “From Farm to Fork,” focusing on sustainability through the entire food chain.
For our earlier stories on Gotland, a favorite!, see, e.g.,
Gotland - Captivating Island of Art and Design
Scandinavia House is located at 58 Park Avenue (at 38th Street). For more info, see Scandinavia House
The program in New York:
The Inspiration of Ingmar Bergman – October 30-31 at Scandinavia House
Liv Ullman will inaugurate the “Gotland in New York” week. An acclaimed actress and director, Ullman is widely known as the muse of legendary Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, who lived much of his later life on Fårö, a small island adjacent to Gotland.
Bergman discovered Fårö while scouting locations for his 1961 film Through a Glass Darkly. The place suited him perfectly. ”If one wished to be solemn, it could be said that I had found my landscape, my real home; if one wished to be funny, one could talk about love at first sight,” he once said.
October 30 and 31 will be devoted to a Bergman film festival, featuring the films Persona and Shame as well as two documentaries he shot on Fårö and previously unreleased footage.
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Gotlandic Design Exhibition – October 30-November 2 at Scandinavia House
The work of artists and designers who live on Gotland will be on display at Scandinavia House throughout the “Gotland in New York” week. Today’s Gotland designers are especially known for their work with the typical materials from the island such as wool, wood, limestone and concrete.
The Flavor of Gotland at Restaurant Aquavit
A model for sustainable agriculture worldwide, Gotland yields outstanding produce, meat and fish. Perhaps most famous of all is Gotland lamb, which grazes freely on wild grasses and herbs that impart a distinctive flavor to the meat. During Gotland in New York week, New York’s Restaurant Aquavit (65 East 55th Street) will add Gotlandic specialties to its regular menu. For more info, see Aquavit Restaurant New York
See Gotland for Yourself
After whetting your appetite at “Gotland in New York”, see the island for yourself. Visby is Gotland’s historic core; a walled medieval city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, it’s the island’s main ferry port. From the beaches of the east and west to the southern moors where Gotland ponies roam, you’ll experience nature in all its splendor. In the dramatic landscape of north Gotland, with its sand dunes and limestone rock formations, you’ll feel like a character in a Bergman film!
For more info, see http://www.visitsweden.com/gotland
