The sovereigns, heir couples and presidents of the five Nordic countries met this Monday, October 21 in Berlin. The Nordic embassy, a complex bringing together the diplomatic residences of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Finland, celebrated its 25th anniversary.
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25 years ago, a new complex of diplomatic buildings was built in Berlin, after the capital was moved from Bonn. To the southwest of the large Tiergarten park is an embassy complex. The complex includes a pavilion for each of the five Nordic countries, built by an architect from each country, and a large common building. The Nordic countries are Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Finland. These five countries are members of the Nordic Council and the Nordic Passport Union. With the three Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), which are not present in the Berlin complex, they also form the union of the Nordic-Baltic Eight. These three countries have observer status within the Nordic Council.
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On October 21, 2024, King Frederik X of Denmark and Queen Mary began their state visit to Germany. The visit coincides with the festivities of the 25th anniversary of the inauguration of the Nordic embassy. This is why, in the afternoon, the Danish royal couple met up with other royals in Berlin. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife, Elke Büdenbender, were also present.
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden represented her father, King Carl XVI Gustaf, accompanied by her husband, Prince Daniel. Crown Prince Haakon of Norway also represented his father, King Harald V, accompanied by Crown Princess Mette-Marit.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who has just concluded a state visit to Norway, was present with his wife, Suzanne Innes-Stubb. Finally, Icelandic President Halla Tómasdóttir, who has just made a state visit to Denmark, was present with her husband, Björn Skúlason. Each representative from the five Nordic countries delivered a speech in the joint building and then visited their respective embassies.
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Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Nordic Embassy in Berlin
The Scandinavian countries have maintained close ties, due to their common histories, since the Viking era. In 1387, Queen Margaret I of Denmark also became Queen of Sweden and Norway. Ten years later, she created the Union of Kalmar, which united the three crowns into one. In 1523, the Union broke up when Sweden gained independence and elected its own king, Gustavus Vasa. Norway will remain linked to the Danish Crown until 1814. At that time, Norway will join the Swedish Crown. Finally, Norway gained its definitive independence in 1905 by electing its own King.
Iceland, for its part, was Danish from 1536. Iceland obtained a certain autonomy in 1876, then its independence in 1918, while keeping the Danish sovereign as head of state. The monarchy was finally abolished in 1944. Finland was a territory of the Kingdom of Sweden until the establishment of the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1809, a state of the Russian Empire. After the fall of the Russian Empire, Finland was briefly a kingdom with its own King, until the creation of the Republic in 1919.
In addition to the diplomatic and historical ties between the five Nordic countries, the three Scandinavian kingdoms also have an important connection between the ruling families. When Norway gained independence from Sweden in 1905, one of the sons of King Frederick VIII of Denmark was elected as the first king of Norway. The Bernadotte dynasty, which reigns over Sweden today, is a bit unusual since this French family, originally non-noble, was established during the Napoleonic period, and therefore has few kinship ties with other royal families. . However, many descendants of Swedish kings married foreign princes or kings, which allowed them to still have cousins with other royal families. Ingrid of Sweden, for example, became Queen of Denmark through her marriage. She is the grandmother of King Frederik X. As for Märtha of Sweden, she married the future King Olav V of Norway. She is the mother of King Harald V.
The anniversary meeting was attended by foreign ministers from the five Nordic countries and Germany, as well as the Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers, Karen Ellemann. The Nordic Council is an organization that brings together the parliaments of the five Scandinavian countries and the three observer countries in the form of forums. The Nordic Council of Ministers brings together ministers from these same countries in order to improve cooperation between the Nordic countries, like the Council of Ministers of the European Union.
Nicolas Fontaine
Editor-in-chief
Nicolas Fontaine has been a designer-editor and author for numerous Belgian and French brands and media. A specialist in royal family news, Nicolas founded the site Histoires royales of which he is the editor-in-chief. [email protected]
