Lund in Sweden
The best known period in Swedish history is probably the Viking Age. It is the Viking expeditions, undertaken with mixed purpose of plunder and trade, that have made people remember the Scandinavian Vikings. Sweden's expansion in the east continued during the 12th and 13th centuries through the incorporation of Finland. In 1389, through inheritance and family ties, the crown of Denmark, Norway and Sweden were united under the Danish queen Margarete I, but were later involved in many battles with these as well as many other European countries since the 19th century. But since World War I, Sweden has maintained a foreign policy of non-alignment and neutrality.
Lund exisited as early as the 10th century as a market town and by 11th century became a religious and cultural centre. Construction of the Lund Cathedral began at that time and for a long time served as the seat of the largest archbishopric in Europe. The oldest parts of the cathedral are considered to be the finest Romanesque building in Scandinavia and is one of Sweden's most popular tourist attractions. The characteristic double towers called 'Lunna Pagar, can be seen in this picture.
Kulturen is the largest cultural-history one air museum in the city, with buildings from the 17th century. The picture below shows the adjoining market place, Martenstorget and the Lunds Konsthall (The Gallery of Modern Art).
The picutre below is a bronze statue of a middle aged woman in the Konsthall.
The Lund University was established in 1666 and the Lund Institute of Technology(LTH) in 1968. At present 35,000 students are enrolled, out of which about 2,900 are postgraduates. about 3,000 teaching staff and researchers work ar the University. Shown below is picture of the University main building.
I came here on the invitation of the Head of the Atmoic Phyiscs Department, Prof. Sune Svanberg. The Atomic Physics Department comes under the umbrella of the Physics Department of the Lund Institute of Technology. A view of the Atomic Physics Department is shown in the picture below.
Also shown are some of the pictures taken in his laboratory and with his colleagues on the St. Lucia day celebration of the 13th of December 1999.Young girls came came with candles and sang carol songs to bring in cheer during the x-mas eve.
Later in the day, I was invited for a dinner with his family by his wife Dr Katarina Svanberg, who is also associated with the Lund Medical Centre. These are some of the pictures of taken that time. Also seen is their daughter Christina Svanberg, who also was a member of the Lucia carol group.
And finally a picture with Prof. Sune and Katarina Svanberg.
