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Lunchtime patter reveals the delights of … Malmö
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According the city’s promotional blurb, conveniently yet curiously translated into English, Malmö is not just the commercial centre of southern Sweden, but also claims to be an international city inhabited by 300,000 residents. As 170 different nationalities live there, it claims to be a harmonious multi-cultural community.
The seaside town, with a rich maritime heritage, is conveniently located less then 20 minutes from beech forests and picturesque countryside. And thanks to the Öresund bridge’s road and rail links, Malmö is where Scandinavia meets mainland Europe, with the centre of Copenhagen less than half-an-hour’s drive away.
By now you must be scratching your head wondering why on earth I am banging on about a Swedish town whose claim to fame, in the minds of most Brits, was having been beaten 1-0 by Nottingham Forest in the 1979 European Cup Final.
I can’t say I have ever given the place much thought. Nonetheless, I recall the Hairy Bikers passing through last year on their gastronomic road trip around Europe, sampling bread en route. Bet they were pleased with the short cut provided by the Öresund bridge. It certainly reduced the miles and fuel consumption, allowing Si and Dave more time to spend in bakeries.
It was our Environment Minister’s after-lunch address last month to a bemused audience of business types that got me researching this northern city. Apparently, the ‘continental atmosphere and its street-life and restaurants satisfy even the most fastidious’.
Refraining from reaching for the bread rolls to hurl in his direction, the assembled bewildered throng heard Deputy Rob Duhamel speak of his admiration for Malmö and the city’s ultra-green credentials. Having time on my hands when my television died over the weekend, I thought I’d enlighten myself and see what our little rock can learn from the place.
To my great delight, I discovered that Malmö is hosting this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Forget the eco-tourism, environmentally certified accommodation, plentiful vegetarian cuisine and endless cycle paths – the world’s kitschest, campest and glamour-rockiest television festival is coming to town!
Songs sung by the strangest collection of performers ever assembled under one roof (well, until next year’s Eurovision) offer the opportunity to spend an entire evening poking fun at Johnny Foreigner’s taste in pop music without the PC lobby coming over all fractious. Jeremy Clarkson’s and yours truly’s idea of a fun night in front of the telly!
So, having won me over, what else has Malmö got to offer visitors? Well, there is just one very tall tower sticking up like an extremely sore thumb from a fairly consistent low townscape skyline. At 190 metres high, architect Santiago Calatrava’s Turning Torso is the tallest building in Sweden. The tourist blurb claims that it has put the town on the map, and if you get lost approaching the place it serves as a handy directional aid.
The Stapelbäddsparken skateboard arena claims to be the second-most popular attraction, with the Lilla Torg outdoor recreational area – home to some of Malmö’s best-known restaurants and clubs – coming in third. So, there’s clearly plenty to do while waiting for the song contest to start …. though I’m wondering whether my skateboard qualifies as hand luggage, or will it have to go in the hold?
On the cerebral side, there’s also a library, a splattering of museums and historic fortifications, a few art galleries, St Peter’s Church and the Folkets Park, where ‘it is permitted to spread colourful blankets for the purpose of relaxing on the grass’. Damn handy if they also erect a large screen outdoors for those unable to get a ticket to watch the proceedings in the Malmö Arena.
Lastly, there is the Kallbadhuset with its saunas and ‘abundant saltwater swimming opportunities’ and – very useful for the Eurovision fans who have travelled from all over the continent and beyond – the Möllevångstorget. This is where the 170 nationalities that live in the town come together in a huge multi-cultural melting pot – so room for an extra score of races and more!
Like our own fair rock, the town is trying very hard to attract new business. It is developing the waterfront and, taking advantage of Sweden being a world leader in the realm of IT, is also investing heavily to create ‘a hub for high-speed bandwidths’.
Looking good for live Skype coverage of the contest as the tension mounts when the Maltese television presenter says: ‘Hello, Malmö, this is Valletta calling …’. I should be able to beam it back to Jersey via my PC quicker than Abba could say ‘Waterloo’.
Notwithstanding its admirable green credentials, enviable lifestyle, high standard of living and idyllic location, there is an unsavoury side to Sweden’s hottest city. It comes in the form of the Swedish Ken Livingston, Malmö’s long-serving mayor, Ilmar Reepalu, who is as famous for putting a foot or two in his mouth as Red Ken and our very own Deputy Duhamel et al.
Mr Reepalu sparked a national scandal last year with anti-semitic remarks associating the town’s Jewish community with Sweden’s anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim movement, and igniting racial tensions in this supposedly role model multi-cultural town.
Which just goes to show that whenever a political head appears above the parapet, controversy is usually close behind, quickly followed by the flak of irate opinion.
If only life was as simple as a song contest.
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