Text Pavel Lon!k Foto Profimedia.cz

Za polární zá!í a bor"vkovou polévkou

Co v#echno nabízí $védsko? Nobelovu cenu, nejstar#í zachovalou historickou

lo% Vasu, bezpe&ná auta zna&ky Volvo, zvykové právo na voln' pohyb v p!írod(

a také slavn' Vas"v b(h.

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What does Sweden have to o"er? The Nobel Prize, the oldest existing historical ship

Vasa, safe cars made by Volvo, common law allowing for free movement through the

countryside and, last but not least, the famous Vasa Race.

Northern Lights and blueberry soup

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V zemi, kde jsou od sebe nejsevern(j#í a nejji)n(j-#í bod vzdáleny dlouh'ch *+,, kilometr", obje-

víte ideální podmínky pro b()ecké ly)ování. Muslim má podle koránu alespo- jednou za )ivot vykonat pou. do Mekky, k!es.an#tí poutníci mí!í do V(&ného m(sta /íma a ctí ka)dého $véda je zú&astnit se Vasova b(hu – nejslavn(j#ího ly)a!ského závodu na sv(t(. B(há se ka)dou první ned(li v b!eznu na trati mezi Sälenem a Morou klasickou technikou na devadesátikilometro-vé trati.

TROCHA HISTORIE NIKOHO NEZABIJEVas"v b(h byl zalo)en na památku #védského krále Gustava Vasy. Na po&átku *+. století bylo $védsko spo-jeno s Dánskem takzvanou Kalmarskou unií. Dánsku vládl krut' král Kristian, kterého si lid p!ek!til na Kris-

You will discover that a country where the northern-most and southernmost points are #,$%% kilome-

tres apart o"ers ideal conditions for cross-country ski-ing. The Koran obliges every Muslim to undertake the journey to Mecca at least once in a lifetime, Christian pilgrims head to the eternal city of Rome, and every Swede considers it an honour to participate in the Vasa Race – the most famous cross-country skiing race in the world. The classic-style skiing event is held annually on the first Sunday of March on the ninety kilometre course between Sälen and Mora.

A LITTLE HISTORY NEVER HURT ANYONEThe Vasa Race was established in the memory of the Swedish king Gustav Vasa. At the beginning of the #$th century, Sweden was joined with Denmark in a pact called the Kalmar Union. Denmark was then ruled by the brutal king Christian. His people dubbed him Christian the Tyrant. The nobleman Gustav Vasa fomented a pop-ular rebellion, which incurred the Danish king’s wrath.

Pursued by the king and escaping the country, Vasa tried to persuade men from the town of Mora to join him in his fight against the tyrant. They refused, however, and the aristocrat had to make o" for the Norwegian border completely alone, on skis.

Simultaneously, the news reached Mora that &' no-blemen who opposed the king had been murdered in Stockholm. This changed the locals’ mind. They sent their two best skiers to catch up with Vasa, which they did in the town of Sälen. After their return to Mora, a popular uprising broke out. After two and a half years of fighting, the Danes were expelled from the country. In #(') Gustav the First was crowned the king, laying the foundations of the Swedish monarchy and statehood.

In the first year of the Vasa Race in #*'', ##* skiers lined up at the start. The Swede Ernst Alm won with a time of +:)':,* hours. The current record held by Peter Goranssön of Sweden stands at ,:)* hours… The sec-ond year was also attended by the first woman, Mrs Nor-din from Sweden. She completed the course in #*:%*:,' hours, but after that – till the year #*&# – the Vasa Race was judged too physically demanding and women were barred from participating.

OVERCOMING ONESELFNowadays about #( thousand skiers congregate near Sälen each year. They stand on a field, staggered accord-ing to their ability. The ones at the front are trying to

0 Slavná lo% Vasa vypadá skoro úpln( stejn(, jako kdy) se zbrusu nová potopila. Po pár staletích si ji $védové vylovili a opravili.The famous ship Vasa looks exactly like it did when she sank as a brand new vessel. After a couple of centuries the Swedes took her up and repaired.

1 Pro b(h na ly)ích je $védsko jako stvo!ené.Sweden is the paradise for cross country skiers.

EVERY SWEDE CONSIDERS IT AN HONOUR TO PARTICIPATE IN THE VASA RACE.

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tiana Tyrana. $lechtic Gustav Vasa podn(coval lid k po-vstání, &ím) upadl v nemilost u dánského krále, kter' jej pronásledoval. Na út(ku ze zem( se Vasa sna)il p!e-mluvit mu)e z m(sta Mora, aby se spojili v boji proti Tyranovi. Ti ale odmítli a #lechtic se vydal zcela sám na ly)ích na út(k p!ed Kristianem k norsk'm hranicím.

V tu dobu v#ak do Mory dorazila zpráva, )e ve Stockholmu p!i#lo o hlavu 23 odbojn'ch #védsk'ch #lechtic", co) zm(nilo názor místních. Ti vyslali za Va-

sou své dva nejlep#í ly)a!e, kte!í jej dostihli v m(ste&-ku Sälen. Po jejich návratu do Mory vypuklo povstání. Za dva a p"l roku boj" byli Dánové vyhnáni ze zem(. Gustav I. Vasa se v roce *435 stal králem a tím polo)il základ monarchii a #védské státnosti.

Na start historicky prvního ro&níku Vasova b(hu v roce *633 se postavilo **6 b()c". Vít(zem se stal $véd Ernst Alm v &ase 7:53:86. Nyn(j#í rekord $véda

win, but the last freezing skiers to set o" have only one ambition: to overcome the course and themselves! The Vasa Race is also known for the hot blueberry soup the skiers can drink at refreshment stations. Everyone who su"ers through to the finish line can read the famous sign beyond the finish-line tape in Mora: “In the foot-steps of forefathers to future victories!” Tourists can ski on the track of the Vasa Race up to the last day before the race, completely for free.

ENDLESS WHITE TRAILSSweden does not only o"er the most famous cross- -country race in the world but also hundreds of thou-sands of well-tended cross-country ski trails, especially in the Dalarna province. It is a region of traditional cus-toms, folk costumes, red houses with white edges and carved and painted Dalarna horses. You will glide over hard snow through pine forests. The main skiing hub in Dalarna is the town of Falun. Around the Lugnet re-sort, which in translation means tranquillity, dozens of kilometres of ski trails criss-cross each other. However, they have a somewhat di"erent character: they are more challenging and skiers call them “motocross”.

JE TO JEDINE9N: ZÁ;ITEK, JEZDIT NA B<;KÁCH NA SEVERU $VÉDSKA POD ZÁBLESKY POLÁRNÍ ZÁ/E.

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Petera Goranssöna je 8:56… Na startu druhého ro&ní-ku stála i první )ena. $védka Nordinová absolvovala tra. za *6:,6:83, ale od té doby se a) do roku *62* ne-sm(ly )eny Vasova b(hu pro velkou fyzickou náro&-nost ú&astnit.

P"EKONAT SÁM SEBENyní se nedaleko Sälenu ka)d' rok sejde kolem *4 ti-síc b()c". Na louce stojí rozt!íd(ni do n(kolika v'kon-nostních vln. Ti vp!edu cht(jí vyhrát, ale i v poslední vln( se mrznoucí b()ci t(#í na jediné: p!ekonat tra. i sebe sama! Vas"v b(h je znám' také horkou bor"vko-vou polévkou, kterou b()ci mohou pít na ob&erstvova-cích stanicích. Ka)d', kdo se protrápí do cíle, si m")e za cílovou páskou v Mo!e p!e&íst slavn' nápis: „Ve sto-pách otc" za budoucí vít(zství!“ Turisté mohou jezdit

na trati Vasova b(hu a) do posledního dne p!ed star-tem zcela zadarmo.

NEKONE#NÉ BÍLÉ STOPY$védsko nenabízí jen nejproslulej#í b()eck' závod sv(-ta, ale také dal#í statisíce upravovan'ch b()eck'ch stop, za nimi) se dá zamí!it zejména do kraje Dalarna. Je to kraj tradi&ních zvyk", lidov'ch kroj", &erven'ch cha-loupek s bílou o!ízkou a malovan'ch a vy!ezávan'ch dalarnsk'ch koník". Jezdit budete na tvrdém sn(hu mezi borov'mi lesy.

Hlavním ly)a!sk'm st!ediskem Dalarny je m(sto Falun. Kolem areálu Lugnet, co) znamená v p!ekladu klid, jsou propleteny desítky kilometr" tratí. Mají ale pon(kud jin' charakter, jsou náro&n(j#í a ly)a!i pro n( mají ozna&ení motokros.

DON’T BE AFRAID OF REINDEERAre you afraid of the dark? Then don’t even think of going to the north of Sweden. If, however, you don’t mind the sun setting at around two o’clock in the afternoon you should give it a try. To be on cross- -country skis in the north of Sweden under the flash-es of the Northern Lights is a singular experience. Powder snow already falls in October. The local tun-dra is inhabited by the Lapps, who are called Sami in Sweden. They are one of the few remaining nomadic peoples in the world, except for the Roma. They have their own culture, customs and pride. Five years ago the football team of Lappland duelled with the Cata-lans at the famous Barcelona stadium Nou Camp.

The main host towns are Gällivare and particu-larly Kiruna, the largest city in the world in terms

of area. The whole cross-country world congregates there before the season starts. The well-kept trails mostly lead through willow and birch tree tundra and are built over mounds of waste rock from iron ore, which is still mined there today. Herds of tame rein-deer may cross your way and you will pass by tepees – the tents of the nomadic Lapps – with prefabricat-ed houses in the background… It is best to set out in the morning, as after lunch you would already be skiing in darkness. One can also cross-country ski around the Luossavaara hill, Kiruna’s greatest attrac-tion. The hill is entirely made of iron ore! There are even downhill pistes running down this “iron moun-tain”.

When you take off your skis, you can go and ex-plore Kiruna itself. Its town hall with a belfry was

0 Stmívání ve Stockholmu má nepopiratelnou atmosféru.Sunset in Stockholm has unique atmosphere.

1 Na #védském venkov( m")ete vid(t stejné obrázky jako p!ed sto lety.Swedish country will offer you the same pictures as a hundred years ago.

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NEBOJTE SE SOB$Bojíte se tmy? Tak to se rad(ji nepou#t(jte na sever $védska. Komu ale nevadí, )e sluní&ko ud(lá na mra-zivé obloze jenom takov' mal' oblou&ek a zapadne u) kolem druhé hodiny odpolední, a. to zkusí. Je to je-dine&n' zá)itek, jezdit na b()kách na severu $védska pod záblesky polární zá!e. Prachov' sníh tam napadne u) v !íjnu. V tamních tundrách )ijí Laponci, ve $véd-sku naz'vaní Sámové. Krom( Rom" jsou jedin'm ko-&ovn'm národem na sv(t(. Mají svou kulturu, zvyky a hrdost. P!ed p(ti lety se nap!íklad fotbalov' v'b(r La-ponska utkal na slavném barcelonském stadionu Nou Camp s Katalánci.

Hlavními hostitelsk'mi m(sty jsou Gällivare a ze-jména Kiruna, rozlohou nejv(t#í m(sto na sv(t(. Tam se p!ed sezonou sjí)dí cel' b()eck' sv(t. Upravené tra-t( vedou v(t#inou vrbovou a b!ezovou tundrou, posta-vené jsou na navá)kách hlu#iny )elezné rudy, která se tu dodnes t()í. Cestu vám mohou p!ek!í)it stáda krot-k'ch sob", míjet budete teepee – stany ko&ovn'ch La-ponc" na pozadí panelák"… Lépe je vyrazit ráno a pro-dlou)it si ly)ování, proto)e po ob(d( byste u) vyrazili do tmy. Na ly)ích se b(há i kolem vrchu Luossavaara, kter' je velkou atrakcí Kiruny. Hora je toti) ze )elezné rudy! Z téhle „)elezné hory“ vedou i sjezdovky.

A) sundáte b()ky, m")ete poznávat samotnou Ki-runu. M(stská radnice se zvonicí byla v roce *6+8 vy-hlá#ena jako nejlépe architektonicky !e#ená ve!ejná budova ve $védsku. V krámcích na p(#í zón( si koupí-te )luté moru#e. Dozrávají v polárním slunci a jsou ty-pické pro severskou p!írodu.

Tak co !íkáte? V(!te, )e tenhle zaduman' kraj si ur-&it( oblíbíte.

proclaimed the best architecturally designed public building in Sweden in #*$,. You can buy yellow mul-berries from the stalls along the pedestrian precinct. These ripen in the polar sun and are typical of nature in the high latitudes.

So, what do you say? You can be sure you will take a liking to this challenging part of the world.

ZAJÍMAVOSTI Z VASOVA B<HU

*633 na start historicky prvního ro&níku se postavilo **6 b()c"

*687 po t()kém boji se #véd#tí b()ci Nils Karls-son a Anders Törnkvist rozhodli, )e nevyhra-je ani jeden z nich. Do cíle p!ijeli spole&n( ruku v ruce. Vít(zem v#ak byl vyhlá#en Karlsson. „Anders je stejn'm vít(zem jako já!“ ohradil se Karlsson. Spolu s Törnkvis-tem ode#li do nejbli)#ího klenotnictví a nechali si medaili rozp"lit.

*677 závodu se zú&astnil i #védsk' král Carl XVI. Gustav

*667 byla zavedena samostatná )enská kategorie3,,8 s devadesátikilometrov'm maratonem si

poradil i #védsk' korunní princ Carl Philip3,,6 &esk' b()ec Stanislav /ezá& skon&il na

t!etím míst(

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE VASA RACE

#*'' ##* skiers lined up at the start of the first-ever race

#*,+ after a hard-fought duel, Swedish skiers Nils Karlsson and Anders Törnkvist decided that neither one of them should win. They cros-sed the finish line hand in hand. However, Karlsson was declared the winner. “Anders is as much a winner as I am!” Karlsson protes-ted. Together with Törnkvist he left for the ne-arest jeweller’s shop and had the medal cut in half.

#*++ the Swedish king Carl XVI Gustav participa-ted in the race

#**+ a separate women’s category was introduced'%%, the Swedish crown prince Carl Philip also

completed with the ninety-kilometres long marathon

'%%* Czech skier Stanislav -ezá. finished third

= Legendární král Gustav Vasa, na jeho) památku byl zalo)en jeden z nejproslulej#ích b()eck'ch závod" na sv(t(.One of the most famous cross-country races in the world is a memorial of the legendary king Gustav Vasa.

S 9ESK:MI AEROLINIEMI DO $VÉDSKAPraha – Stockholmdenn( krom( soboty ve *3.*4 a ve 3,.,, hodin

WITH CZECH AIRLINES TO SWEDENPrague – Stockholmdaily except for Saturday at #':#( pm and &:%% pm

!%

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