Georgia-Sweden historical ties revered at Stockholm museum

Sweden’s oldest museum is hosting a month-long celebration that pays homage to Georgian culture and the ties between the small Caucasian nation and the Scandinavian country.

Stockholm’s Royal Armoury held two Georgian Evenings events on November 5 and 7 where medieval contacts between the two countries, recent scientific expeditions and facts about the Georgian language were reviewed.

And for the rest of the month the Swedish capital will host more family-friendly Georgian cultural events.

The first two Georgian cultural evenings were opened with an address by the Adviser to the Georgian Embassy in Sweden Giorgi Meskheli and Museum director Malin Grundberg, after which an expo on the 17^thCentury ties between Georgia and Sweden and a talk on the Viking travels to the Caucasus followed.

A highlight of the medieval discussions was a report by Uppsala University Professors Mats Larsson and Gunilla Larsson on their 2004 expedition to the Caucasus to support their thesis on Viking travels to Georgia in late 10^th to early 11^th Century.

A talk on Georgian and other Caucasian languages and their development was also held, followed by a Q&A session with the audience and a tasting of Georgian wine.

More Georgian cultural events will be held in the Swedish capital over the month of November. The family-friendly events include reading of Georgian fairy tales in Swedish and a talk about the late Swedish geographer Sven Hedin’s travel to Georgia in the 19^th Century.

Stockholm’s Royal Armoury Museum boasts a unique collection of medieval items and a collection illustrating the history of Sweden’s monarchs, beginning in the 15^th Century.