Swedish royals see cultural sights and visit educational facilities in Vaasa

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The final day of the two-day visit to the coastal Finnish city of Vaasa by Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia included visits to of cultural and educational institutions and industrial facilities. The Swedish royals were in Vaasa for the celebraation the city’s 400th anniversary.
      Queen Silvia, who takes an interest in the education of the mentally handicapped, visited the Mussori School for special education. The King, meanwhile, visited the Wärtsilä Finland engine factory, which is currently undergoing powerful growth.
      The two also got acquainted with the local art scene, taking in the new exhibition at the Ostrobothnia Museum, and at the Tikanoja Art Museum, which has an exhibition marking the 400th anniversary of Vaasa.
     
Time was also set aside for the University of Vaasa, and facilities of the Turku-based Swedish language university Åbo Akademi. Two Swedish-language media institutions - newspaper Vasabladet and the Swedish-language section of the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE, explained their operations to the royal couple.
      Vasabladet editor-in-chief Dennis Rundt noted that as Vaasa turns 400, his newspaper is celebrating its 150th anniversary.
      The King and Queen visited the Media City studio of Åbo Akademi, which serves as an educational institution, and which also produces commercial services and rents out equipment for film production. Media City is also a research institution, where test audiences are used to determine how different messages affect people in different ways.
      "This is like a lie detector. Electrodes are used to measure nerve impulses from the fingertips, and a camera records eye movements", explained Bo Riska, adding that Media City is one of only two similar research institutions in the world.
      Queen Silvia was amazed at the technology. "Couldn’t this be used in Sweden’s election debates?" She asked.
     
Environmental problems of the Baltic Sea were discussed by the royals, who saw a need for governments and other sources to provide money and take action on the matter.
      A proposal for a bridge from Vaasa to Sweden was seen by the King as unrealistic. He said that the money that might be put into such a project would find better use in solving the problems facing the Baltic.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Thousands of Vaasa residents gather to welcome King and Queen of Sweden (14.9.2006)

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