Travel to Paris, Egypt and Hamburg – without leaving Sweden

Text and photo: Helena Bergström

You don't need to book a flight or dig out your passport to travel around the world. In Sweden, there are a number of places with names taken straight from the world map – often in the middle of the forest or along a country road.

The world in miniature

We recently heard about ”Egypt” outside Gothenburg and at the same time realized that we ourselves had passed ”Hamburg” in the forests of Småland. We became curious and started reading up on… were there perhaps more places in Sweden with exotic names? And yes, we were hooked! Here are 9 “foreign” places in Sweden you can visit already this weekend.

1. Egypt – outside Gothenburg and Skövde

Egypten is used as the name of a small residential area in Härryda outside Gothenburg. Another Egypten is located just outside Skövde. Driving from Egypten to Egypten takes about two hours…

2. Cairo – outside Upplands Väsby

With a connection to Egypt, we can also mention Cairo, which is located just outside Upplands Väsby. Here you can swim in the Cairo bath in the summer. Why is it called Cairo? After a little googling, it may have all started as a joke...

3. America – in several locations in Småland

There are several different places in Småland that are called ”America” or ”America”. These could be, for example, small farms or crofts, which may be a bit remote, and thus reminiscent of ”America”. The names can be connected to emigration in various ways.

4. Siberia – a remote part of Vasastan

There are many different places in Sweden called ”Siberia” – often the name has been used for remote or windy places. The most famous area is probably ”Siberia” in Vasastan in Stockholm, that is, the neighborhoods around Roslagsgatan and Vanadislunden, which in the 19th century was perceived as the absolute outskirts of the city.

5. Sahara – sandy Swedish places

There are several different places in Sweden that can be popularly called the Sahara. The most well-known seems to be ”Skånes Sahara” (the sandy stretch of coast in southeastern Skåne), but there is also talk of the Sahara on Gotska Sandön. In the same way as with Siberia, Sahara has often been used to describe dry and sandy places.

6. Denmark – outside Uppsala

Denmark is not only located in the country of Denmark, but also just east of Uppsala. The name has older roots and is not believed to directly refer to the country of Denmark, but may simply have connections to the word “land”.

7. Paris and Vienna – in Norrtälje municipality

There are several places in Sweden called Paris, including a settlement in Norrtälje municipality and a former workers' residence in Värmland. When it comes to a croft named "Paris", it happens that the neighboring croft is called Vienna or Berlin. And even in Norrtälje there is a Vienna right next door...

8. Hamburg – in Småland

Once, while driving on small gravel roads through Småland, we came across a road sign pointing to nearby ”Hamburg.” Maybe not quite the Hamburg you’re used to…

9. Canaan – outside Stockholm

Canaan is an area located on Lake Mälaren in Blackeberg, outside Stockholm. The name Canaan, which comes from the Old Testament, was given in the 18th century to a summer resort that was considered to be ”the promised land.”.

Why do these names exist anyway?

There are Swedish places that have been given names from all over the world, and as we understand it, there are also farms and farms with names like Bethlehem, Baghdad or Morocco. But why these exotic names? There can be various reasons, such as:

• Humor and irony – a barren place may be called “Siberia”
• Travel dreams – names from places you have heard of but never visited
• Emigration – connections to America and other parts of the world
• Soldier and village names – where creativity sometimes had free rein

It's not just the world that exists in Sweden

It's easy to believe that the phenomenon only goes in one direction – that we in Sweden have borrowed names from the rest of the world. But the fact is that there are also plenty of places abroad that have been given Swedish names.

Stockholm – in several locations in the USA

There are around ten places in the USA named Stockholm, founded by Swedish immigrants who wanted to pay tribute to their home country's capital. Some of the most famous are Stockholm, Wisconsin (on the Mississippi River), Stockholm, Maine (with clear historical ties to Swedish settlers), and Stockholm, South Dakota (a small town on the prairie).

Gothenburg – in the state of Nebraska

In the American state of Nebraska, there is a city directly named after Gothenburg. The city was founded in 1882 and is known for having been a station for Pony Express. The city's high school team is still called "The Swedes" today.

Karlstad – in the state of Minnesota

Karlstad is not only located in Värmland, but also in Minnesota. The city is simply named after settlers in the area.

Have you seen more?

The list could be made considerably longer. Have you ever driven past a sign that made you double-check?