Sweden, the land of moose tests, IKEA and Astrid Lindgren, has a good reputation. The Scandinavian countries regularly occupy top places in rankings of quality of life, gender equality and general prosperity. Sparsely populated Sweden also has a lot of nature to offer, with a full 15% of the country's land area counted as national parks. There is a lot to discover in Swedish culture and history. Did you know, for example, that Sweden has the world’s second highest density of metal bands per capita?

With the "Partner Country of the Month" campaign, we want to shine a spotlight on the countries, regions and partner universities of TU Dresden that our exchange students don't necessarily think of first.

General facts and figures about Sweden

Capital: Stockholm
Population: 10.3 million
Official languages: Swedish, regional languages (Sámi, Finnish and Meänkieli)
National holiday: 6 June
Currency: Swedish krona (kr). 1 € = 10,1 kr

Further facts and figures can be found on wikipedia, on the official info website of Sweden or e.g. at visitsweden.com.

© panthermedia/Tartezy

Small language excursion:

• Hello - Hej
• How are you? - Hur är läget?
• My name is ... - Jag heter ...
• How much is this? - Hur mycket kostar det?
• Thank you - Tack
• Bye - Hej då!

Swedish is the most widely spoken of the North Germanic languages, a group which also includes Norwegian, Danish, Faroese and Icelandic. Swedish, Norwegian and Danish are very similar. When Swedes read Norwegian or Danish texts, they can directly understand about 75% of the words. Spoken communication is more difficult because of the different ways of pronunciation. Speaking, Swedes get on best with Norwegians. These days, however, people often just use English.

About 90% of Swedes speak English, which puts Sweden in the top ranks of English proficiency in Europe. Many Swedish universities offer a wide range of courses in English. It is not uncommon in Sweden to study entirely in English, so you should have no problem doing the same. However please check the exact requirements before applying.

Basic knowledge of the national language certainly never hurts, and its similarities to English make Swedish rather easy to learn. You can study Swedish in Dresden with TUDIAS, at VHS or e.g. Antje Milde Sprachkultur.

Did you know that ....?

• Swedish students can vent their exam stress by screaming together? In the student district Flogsta in Uppsala, people are at their windows every evening around 10 pm and simply scream. If you start screaming, you can expect lots of screams in response. This tradition has existed since the 1970s and has since spread to other cities. However, people there often only scream on a certain day of the week. Be careful: screaming at other times is not regarded favorably.
• nowhere else in the world people use as little cash as in Sweden? The typical means of payment for Swedes are credit cards. Only 15% of Swedish children receive their pocket money in cash, and the Swedish National Bank is testing the digital currency e-krona. So, don’t change cash for a stay in Sweden, it’s unnecessary.
• Europe’s oldest living form of music can be found in northern Scandinavia? Joiks are a part of the Sami culture. The Sami are indigenous people who live across borders in northern Scandinavia. About 20,000 of them are living in Sweden. Traditionally, the Sami are reindeer herders, and they used to live as nomads. Despite a long history of oppression, they have preserved their distinct culture.
• every year, the city of Gävle fears for its giant Christmas goat, the Gävlebock? Straw goats (Yule goats) are a traditional Christmas decoration in Scandinavia. Gävle has put up a giant version every winter since 1966 and has already been in the Guinness World Records. How festive! Well... The 3.6 tons of straw that make up the goat attract a lot of arsonists. The goat was burnt down in its very first year and since then, despite various protective measures, it’s everyone’s guess whether it will survive this time. Bookmakers offer bets on the outcome. And arsonists are not the only danger lurking. 2010 there was an attempt to kidnap the Gävlebock by helicopter and bring it to Stockholm.
• Sweden is good at sustainability? Since a few years back, taxes on repair costs have been lowered in order to make repairing goods cheaper than replacing them. Also, only 1% of Swedish household waste ends up in landfills - the rest is recycled, or used to generate electricity or heat.
• Swedish royal couriers in the 17th century travelled on sleighs pulled by moose in winter? Moose can be tamed surprisingly well when raised by humans, and they are much more agile and faster in ice and snow than horses. Allegedly, the Swedish king also tried to form a moose cavalry to avoid having to import horses - but this is probably more legend than truth.

© panthermedia/kavalenkava

Cooperation with TU Dresden

You can find an overview of all cooperations of TU Dresden that you can use for your exchange in our database. It is also often worth your time to ask professors in your own faculty who might have direct contacts to your partner university of choice.

Erasmus cooperations of TU Dresden with universities in Sweden

• Göteborg: Chalmers University of Technology

  • Mathematics

  • Architecture
  • Electrical Engineering and Information Technology
  • Mechanical Engineering (Faculty)

• Karlstad: Karlstad University – Computer Science

• Linköping: Linköping University

  • Law
  • Computer Science
  • Physics
  • Mechanical Engineering (Faculty)
  • Electrical Engineering and Information Technology

• Luleå: Luleå University of Technology – Hydro Sciences

• Lund: Lund University

  • International Relations
  • Mathematics

• Östersund / Sundsvall: Mid Sweden University - Business Administration and Economics

• Stockholm:

  • Stockholm University – Communication Science
  • Kungliga Tekniska högskolan (KTH) - Electrical Engineering and Information Technology

• Uppsala / Alnarp / Umeå: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

  • Forest Sciences
  • Landscape Architecture

• Borås: University of Borås - Textile Machinery and High Performance Material Technology

• Gävle: University of Gävle – Geo Sciences

Don't miss...

© panthermedia/grashuepfer

Abisko National Park. Located in Kiruna, Sweden’s northernmost municipality, Abisko is considered the area with the best prospects in the world for seeing aurora borealis. They are visible almost every evening from September to March, especially between 10 and 11 p.m. You can also experience the seasons of the Arctic Circle in Abisko. From June to mid-July, the midnight sun never sets, while in December the polar night prevails. Of course, there is also wonderful hiking in the area.

© panthermedia/bbgreg

Stockholm. Sweden's capital is spread over 14 islands, connected by 53 bridges and a metro system that resembles an art gallery. In the Bay of Stockholm you can explore an archipelago of 30,000 pretty islets by boat. And in the Vasa Museum you can admire an impressive state-of-the-art warship from 1627, which sank after its first kilometer due to structural defects and was then almost perfectly preserved by the harbour water. For food, we recommend Hermans.

© panthermedia/Cameris

a moose park. Sweden is home to around 300,000 moose but seeing one up close in the wild is a rare thing (and has its dangers). The alternative is a moose safari or a visit to the moose park. Here, you can often even pet these huge animals. Also, you can buy the most popular Swedish souvenir - a moose warning sign - without increasing the risk of road accidents.

© panthermedia/StudioLightAndShade

Gotland. Sweden's largest island has a lot to offer to history buffs. You can find stone burial ships from the Viking Age, ancient rune stones and Visby’s medieval ruins. Gotland also has plenty of sunshine, sandy beaches and seals, cute villages with Gotland sheep, spectacular limestone pillars, and even Pippi Longstocking's Villa Villekulla.

Let's get cooking...

Swedish cuisine is simple and uncomplicated. Many ingredients come from local nature, such as fish, game, berries and mushrooms. Köttbullar and smörgåstårta are typical dishes. Another specialty is Northern Swedish surströmming, a dish of dubious fame due to its stench and exploding fish cans.

Those with a sweet tooth can feel at home in Sweden. Supermarkets have entire walls of lösgodis, loose sweets from which you can make your own mixes. Specialised sweet shops also offer countless varieties. To ensure that all of this isn’t too unhealthy, Swedes have the established tradition of lördagsgodis. Saturday is the day reserved for sweets. People hold back the rest of the week and then indulge their sweet tooth on Saturdays.

Another important part of Swedish food culture is Fika, the social coffee break. People eat pastries with their coffee, typically kanelbullar (cinnamon buns). Fika takes place at least once a day, and cosiness and conversation are a big part of it.

Pannkakstårta - Pancake Pie with Berries

In summer, people like to go berry picking in Sweden. Blueberry bushes cover almost a fifth of the country, but wild strawberries, raspberries, cranberries and many other types also grow wild in the countryside. Eating berries means summer and sun. A pannkakstårta can be prepared with all kinds of your favorite berries. If you like, you can also add other ingredients such as chocolate sauce. In Sweden, pannkakstårta is very popular as a dessert or as a birthday cake - just like in "Pettson and Findus" for the birthday cat.

© panthermedia/Sevablsv

Ingredients:

For the pancakes:

• 300 g wheat flour
• 700 ml milk
• 3 eggs

• 1 pinch of salt

• 2 Tbsp. of melted butter

Additionally:

• 300 ml whipping cream
• at least 200 g berries. Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries – whichever you want
• matching berry jam for spreading
• some icing sugar to sprinkle on top

Preparation:

Step 1: Prepare the pancake batter. Mix the flour, the eggs and half of the milk until the mixture is smooth. Then stir in salt, butter and the rest of the milk.

Step 2: Fry many thin pancakes in a heated pan with a little butter. The batter is enough for about 12 pancakes. Leave the pancakes to cool after baking so the cream doesn’t melt when assembling.

Step 3: Whip the cream until it reaches a firmer and frothier consistency.

Step 4: Depending on their consistency, slice or crush most of the berries. Save the prettiest berries for decorating the top of the pannkakstårta.

Step 5: Now assemble everything on top of each other as follows: A pancake, a thin layer of jam, whipped cream, berry puree / berry slices. Repeat this until you have used up all the pancakes. Spread a layer of cream on the last pancake and then decorate it with the whole berries. Sprinkle a little icing sugar on top.

Step 6: Leave to set in the fridge for a while.

(Many thanks to kochenwiedieschweden.jimdofree.com and swedishfood.com)

Contact and further contact persons

Have you had a great time in Sweden? Successfully spent a semester abroad in Gothenburg, hiked along the King’s Trail and celebrated Midsommar? Do you have tips for places and experiences that are not to be missed? We would be happy to share your experiences here, on social media or, if you want, in information events for other TUD students. Get in touch with us:

© Sven Ellger/TUD

Advice on studying abroad

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Ms Federica Serra

Infocenter/ Study abroad; TUDworldwide: America

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Contact Information

Organization Name

International Office

International Office

Address work

Visiting address:

Fritz Foerster Bau, Office 161 Mommsenstraße 6

01069 Dresden

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Address postal

Postal address:

TUD Dresden University of Technology International Office

01062 Dresden

work Tel.

Office hours:

Tuesday:

09:30 - 11:30

12:30 - 14:30

Thursday:

09:30 - 11:30

Please register at the SCS (FOE, floor 0).

Office hours by phone:

Keine Sprechzeit zwischen 20. - 28.02.2025

Looking for first-hand information?

Would you like to know more about …? Ask our alumni ambassadors - TUD alumni who are active in many countries around the world and can give you information and advice for your stay abroad.

Getting in touch is very easy: On this interactive world map, markers indicate the cities where our alumni ambassadors live. There is a short profile with contact information for each ambassador.

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