Welcome to the Grain Belt: The Swedish-American Institute

Sunday, February 19, 2012

The Swedish-American Institute

Minneapolis and Saint Paul have their share of organizations celebrating Minnesotans' European heritage: the Germans have the Germanic-American Institute (where I work). The Danes have the Danish-American Center (where they have amazing Danish pancake breakfasts). The Norwegians have the Viking Age Club & Society - Sons of Norway (best name of them all!). And the Swedes have the Swedish-American Institute (nicest building by far).
On this sunny Sunday afternoon, I decided it was time to get in touch with my Swedish heritage, so I put on my Scandinavian sweater and checked out the Swedish-American Institute in Minneapolis (my sweater is actually Norwegian, so my ancestors are probably turning in their graves :-/).
The SAI is located in the former mansion of the Swedish newspaper tycoon, Swan Turnblad. He owned the Svenska Amerikanska Posten, which, due to the large Swedish population in the area and lack of competition, was a very profitable venture in the late 19th/early 20th century.

The Turnblad Mansion

Vaelkommen!

Covered entryway and solarium

Nordic figure carving exhibit - about as interesting as one would expect.

Swedish Consulate - also housed in the Turnblad mansion.

Being Swedish in the solarium

Swedish kakelugn: ceramic tile fireplace/furnace

Nordic wood figure exhibit

Close-up of Kakelugn

Dala horse exhibit

No comments:

Post a Comment

Welcome.

Minnesota, a state truly worthy of the numerous appellations which it has been given: the Corn Belt, the Grain Belt, Land of 10,000 Lakes, the Upper Midwest, the Gopher State, and home of Al Franken, only to name a few. Minnesota, a state whose natural beauty is exemplified in its name, the Dakota word for "sky-tinted water."

Minnesota is a state in which I had never dreamed of living. If not a European capital, I assumed that I would always reside in a U.S. city located not more than 350 miles inland from the East or West Coast. The notion of relocating from Munich to a city in the U.S. Midwest with limited public transit and even harsher winters than NW Pennsylvania was not particularly appealing. Moreover, the thought of bringing a European to a U.S. city with no U-Bahn was frightening as well.

The inception of our relocation to the Midwest happened last spring when David was offered a research position in Minneapolis. The only previous knowledge we had of Minneapolis was obtained through my layover in the MSP Airport in 1999 and through watching the Coen Brothers' cult classic "Fargo" twice.

Despite our many initial doubts, after doing thorough research, we were convinced of the livability of the Twin Cities. It didn't hurt that a number of college and grad school classmates and coworkers - including a former Smith College DJ from Minnesota whose judgement I trusted - assured me that the Twin Cities was a wonderful place to live.

So far, those friends and coworkers have been correct in their assertions. Minneapolis and Saint Paul form a cultural center in the Upper Midwest which includes theaters, museums, art galleries, music venues, funky ethnic restaurants, and microbreweries. What's more, the Twin Cities are much more progressive than I realized. The Twin Cities are also in the forefront of the eco-friendly movement, claiming the title of the number one biking city in the United States. And the cities' prime location on the Mississippi River as well as the myriad of lakes within the city limits create a truly unique landscape.

As I had intended to start a blog while in Munich about bad European fashion trends and tragically never did realize that goal, I am determined to regularly update this blog so that my colleagues and friends who live so far away can see what I am experiencing here. It is with these opening words that I say welcome to the Grain Belt.