Learn Swedish
Introductory courses · language and cultureBeginner Swedish courses for learners in Chile. New course dates will be published once confirmed.
More about the courses
Sweden, among us.
Discover the language, culture and stories that connect Chile and Sweden.
A bridge between cultures.
- Santiago
- Stockholm
Three ways to come closer
ICHS is a non-profit organization bringing Chileans, Swedes and Swedish-Chilean families together through learning, music and cultural exchange. You don’t need Swedish or Chilean roots: curiosity is enough.
History and mission of the InstituteTake part
Choir · culture · volunteeringThe Chilean-Swedish Choir sings music from both countries. Like to sing? Get in touch and we’ll tell you how to join.
Meet the choirDiscover Sweden
Cities · everyday life · cultureA map for exploring the country, understanding its regions and approaching everyday life without idealizing it.
Explore SwedenNo dates published
What’s coming
As soon as activities are confirmed, you’ll see them here with date, place and how to sign up. Until then, news goes out first on Instagram.
We only publish what is confirmed.
Dates in the Swedish year
- 30AprValborgBonfires and choirs to see off the winter. In Chile it falls in mid-autumn.
- 6JunNationaldagenNational day since 1983 and a public holiday since 2005.
- 19–25JunMidsommaraftonThe Friday between 19 and 25 June: flowers, herring and the longest days of the year.
Dates of Swedish traditions, not ICHS activities. If we hold events for any of these, we’ll announce them here.
See the full agenda
13 December
Lucia, seen from Chile
In the darkest time of the Swedish year, a choir dressed in white walks in singing by candlelight. In Chile it comes just before summer begins, which gives it a flavor of its own.
Discover the traditionMore than diplomacy
A history between Chile and Sweden
The connection between the two countries is more than two centuries old, but it took on a deeply human dimension when Sweden welcomed thousands of Chileans after 1973. That memory lives on in families, music, organizations and new forms of cooperation.
- 1819–2019
Two centuries of ties
In 2019 both governments marked two hundred years of bilateral relations: a story that began with exchange and grew into cultural, political and cooperative ties.
- 1973
Solidarity and refuge
After the coup, Sweden welcomed thousands of Chileans. Ambassador Harald Edelstam helped hundreds of persecuted people leave Chile and find refuge.
- 2016
A State Visit
Michelle Bachelet made the first State Visit by a Chilean president to Sweden. Human rights, gender equality, innovation and sustainable development shaped the visit.
- 2024
A relationship looking forward
Chile and Sweden agreed a roadmap on trade, sustainable transport, mining, green transition and multilateral cooperation. Sweden’s government then estimated that roughly 60,000 people of Chilean background lived in the country.
Sweden up close
Five cities, from Malmö to Kiruna, showing how much Sweden changes from south to north.
Open Living in SwedenSantiago sits at 33° south and Stockholm at 59° north: roughly 13,000 km and a 4 to 6 hour time difference, depending on the season.
Svealand
Stockholm
A capital spread across fourteen islands, with the archipelago on its doorstep: museums, parks and water everywhere.
Three words to begin
Neither too much nor too little: the right amount of coffee, salt or heating. An everyday word, not a slogan.
A coffee break, often shared with others and sometimes accompanied by something to eat.
The right to walk through nature, even on private land, and to camp for a night or two away from houses, without disturbing or damaging anything. The constitution mentions it; the rules come from custom.
Chilean-Swedish voices
The Institute’s archive preserves newsletters and publications from years of cultural exchange.
Archive since 2014
Newsletters from 2014 onward, which we are sorting to publish here.
Go to the archivePublications
Stories, testimonies and works connected to Chile and Sweden.
See publicationsWant to take part?
Volunteering, the choir, ideas or donations: there is more than one way in.