Malmö, the capital of the Skåne province in southern Sweden, is the third largest city in the country. It is an economic and cultural hub, thanks to the Øresund Bridge connecting Sweden to Denmark. A vibrant young city with almost half of the population under the age of 35, it is also a promising venue for start up businesses, educational pursuits and career development.
According to Wikipedia, 174 countries and 150 languages were represented in Malmö in 2011. The Øresund Bridge gives the city an exposure to diversity, making it a melting pot of different cultures. In fact, it recently has 43% of its population having a foreign background. In 2011, Iraq has the most number of immigrants to Malmö, followed by Serbia, Denmark, Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Here are some of the things I saw and did in Malmö:
The Turning Torso. It is the tallest building in Scandinavia, with a height of 190 meters. The structure was built built and owned by HSB Sweden, and has won the Gold Emporis Skyscraper Award in 2005. Designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, the Turning Torso is a commercial tower and rental apartments. And thus, visitors are not allowed to enter the building.
Emporia. This is one of the biggest shopping malls in Scandinavia, but trust me, it is not as big as you might think. But the architecture and interior design is really, really impressive! It is within easy access, as the train stops directly at Hyllie, the district where the mall is located.
Malmö Arena. Not far from the Emporia is the Malmö Arena, the second largest indoor arena in Sweden. The 28-meter high arena hosted several big events like the Eurovision Song Contest, the Junior Hockey World Championship and the Nordic Congress of Radiology.
Technology and Maritime Museum. This is one amazing museum, absolutely fun and enjoyable, even for those who are young only at heart! It houses interactive exhibits and installations, features the history of transportation techonology, and offers a hands-on tour to a U3 submarine used during World War II! What more? The veterans of the submarine work as guides! Totally worth a visit! Btw, the submarine is not for claustrophobics though, as it involves some crawling inside!
Malmö Harbour. The harbour and promenade are wonderful at night, as many sailboats pass by. There are also many restaurants, and parties are happening everywhere.
Malmö Central Station. Built in 1856, the train station is the third busiest in Sweden, next to Stockholm and Gothenburg. It won the Brunel Award for its architecture in 2011.
There you have it! Malmö has lots to offer, and I probably missed a lot during the short period I was there. Oh well. 😉 There’s much to love about good, old Sweden, and who would have thought that the guy who would manage to capture my heart is Swedish? ❤ Hope to experience more of Sweden in the near future! Cheers!
PinayOdyssey 