Sjölunden ''(Swedish: sjö: lake, lund: grove)'' is the

Swedish language Swedish ( ) is a North Germanic language spoken predominantly in Sweden and in parts of Finland. It has at least 10 million native speakers, the fourth most spoken Germanic language and the first among any other of its type in the Nordic countr ...

camp site associated with

Concordia Language Villages Concordia Language Villages (CLV), previously the International Language Villages, is a world-language and culture education program. Since beginning in 1961, it has grown to offer summer camp in 15 modern languages and school-year weekend progra ...

and is located at the Concordia site at Turtle River Lake, near Bemidji,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. After 30 years without an architecturally authentic Swedish site, the first step towards a village was taken on August 11, 2006 when groundbreaking for the new site took place. Sjölunden can house approximately 85 people at a time. Sjölunden is a village for language immersion where American villagers come to live and experience Swedish language and culture.

History

The Swedish language was added to Concordia Language Villages in 1975 as the sixth language, following German (1961), French (1962) Spanish, Norwegian (both 1963) and Russian (1966). Sjölunden moved to Salolampi, the Finnish site, shortly after it was built in the early 1990s.

The new site

Groundbreaking for the new Sjölunden site took place on August 11, 2006. Architectural inspiration has been taken from Swedish fishing villages, of which there are a lot on the Swedish west coast. The village was designed by

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

architect Kerrik Wessel, AIA, in 2004. The new Sjölunden is located right next to the Finnish site at Turtle River Lake. Rather than being a village on its own, it is designed to complement the Finnish site. Some facilities will be missing from Sjölunden, such as a soccer field, beach, and a camp store. Additionally, the three cabins will not be sufficient to house all villagers and staff. A list of the new site buildings and the years they were completed, in order of completion. * ''Vävstugan'' (the weaving studio) 2007 * ''Båthuset'' (the boathouse) 2007 * ''Visby*'' (villager cabin) 2008 * ''Birka*'' (villager cabin) 2010 * ''Gamla Uppsala'' (the staff housing unit) 2009 * ''Biblioteket (the library)'' 2014 * ''Sigtuna* (villager cabin)'' 2019 * ''Matsalen (the dining hall) anticipated''

References

External links

Sjölunden Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sjolunden Summer camps in Minnesota Concordia Language Villages Language camps Swedish-language education