Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Swedish Institute, formerly called Swedish cultural centre, has been located since 1971 in the Hotel de Marle, a 16th century mansion located at 11 rue Payenne, in the historic Marais district of Paris. This building, acquired in 1965 by the Swedish state on the advice of art historian Gunnar W. Lundberg, was restored between 1967 and 1971 after decades of decay. The initiative was part of a desire to preserve the Marais private hotels, encouraged by André Malraux, then Minister of Culture in France. At its opening, the centre also housed the collection of the Ticino Institute, named after Count Carl Gustaf Ticin (1695–70), a Swedish collector.

The Swedish Institute is the only Swedish cultural centre abroad and offers varied programming: exhibitions, concerts, literary meetings, film screenings, theatre, debates and Swedish language courses. It also hosts publications and participates in the Forum of Foreign Cultural Institutes in Paris, alongside 37 other centres. The choice of the Marle hotel was initially motivated by the search for a box for Gunnar W. Lundberg's art collection, which discovered the place in the early 1960s. The building, classified in an iconic neighborhood, is now served by Saint Paul Metro Station.

The establishment of the centre is part of a cultural diplomacy between Sweden and France, marked by artistic and intellectual exchanges. The acquisition of the Hotel de Marle also symbolized the Swedish will to anchor in the Parisian heritage, while valuing its heritage through figures such as Carl Gustaf Ticino, whose collection remains a pillar of the place. The centre plays a key role in disseminating contemporary and historical Swedish culture in France, while integrating into the fabric of the Marais cultural institutions.

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