Stockholm

Estonians in Sweden

While pre-World War II only a few hundred Estonians lived in Sweden, Estonians fleeing the war in 1943-1944 increased the number to some 20 000 after the war. With the birth of new generations in the 1950s and 1960s this figure rose to 30 000. About 7 000 coastal Swedes, who lived on the Estonian islands and on the west coast, fled from Estonia to Sweden. Presently, more than 10 000 Estonians live in Sweden, with the majority of them living in and around bigger towns.

1994 marked the 50th anniversary of the arrival the thousands of Estonian refugees to Sweden. As a highlight of the year a monument – named a Gate of Freedom – was erected to present gratitude towards the people of Sweden. The monument was blessed and inaugurated on 7 October 1994 and the opening ceremony was also attended by His Majesty, King Carl XVI Gustaf. In September 2024, the 80th anniversary of the Great Flight was commemorated on Gotland, where the Speaker of the Riigikogu, Lauri Hussar, thanked the Swedish people for their hospitality and support in accepting our refugees and called for strengthening cooperation between neighboring countries so that similar events never happen again.

Due to a lack of descendants, graves being neglected and other similar reasons, an important topic during the past few years has been the reinterment of famous Estonians to Estonian soil. So the remains of exiled politicians Jüri Uluots, August Warma and August Rei and poets Marie Under and Artur Adson among other have been brought back to Estonia and reburied in local cemeteries.

From the post-war years onward, the Estonian community has successfully integrated into the Swedish community. The Estonian community also worked actively to preserve its national heritage and to raise awareness about Estonia through its many associations, societies and unions (the Estonian Committee, the Union of Estonians in Sweden, the Estonian Culture Society etc). During the peak period, some 400-500 Estonian organisations had been active in Sweden, today approximately 100 are still active. In Stockholm, there’s an Estonian nursery school and an Estonian primary school (grades 1-9) with about 200 pupils. Estonian Houses also function as important centres for preserving and developing the Estonian heritage in Sweden.