The Royal Court

Linnaeus Celebration Concluded in Jukkasjärvi

The King and The Queen at the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi. Photo: Thord Nilsson/Scanpix

The King and The Queen at the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi. Photo: Thord Nilsson/Scanpix

Warm fires lit up the dark December evening in Jukkasjärvi (in the Swedish province of Norrbotten) where the Linnaeus Celebration was concluded in the presence of The King and The Queen and some 400 other guests on December 15th.

The theme of the evening was Carl Linnaeus´ curiosity and creativity in combination with the ice of Lappland.

In his speech, The King summed up the Linnaeus Celebration Year and handed over the baton to the International Polar Year. The aim is the same as the Linnaeus Celebration´s, to inspire young people to become more interested in natural sciences and research.

King Carl XI Gustaf also presented prizes to students who won the competition “The Polar Trip," organized by amongst others the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat and the Linnaeus Celebration.

The Linnaeus Celebration has received large international attention. 28 countries, apart from Sweden, have in various ways celebrated the birth of Carl Linnaeus 300 years ago.