King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden visited the university

King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden visited the University of Tartu during their state visit to Estonia. University members were invited to greet the royal couple in the university assembly hall, in front of the main building, and at the monument to Gustav II Adolf.

The official delegation included representatives of the Swedish government, the embassy and the royal house. Sweden’s King and Queen visited Estonia at the invitation of President Alar Karis. The President and Mrs Sirje Karis accompanied them throughout the visit.

Mayor Urmas Klaas met the royal couple and the official delegation on Town Hall Square. They walked together towards the main building of the University of Tartu. Rector Toomas Asser with his spouse greeted them in front of the main building. Everybody was invited to greet Their Majesties on Town Hall Square and in front of the main building.

Then, Rector Toomas Asser delivered a speech in the assembly hall, and the King and the Queen of Sweden signed the book of honour. A statement of intent was signed aiming to bring the historic rector's regalia  – two sceptres, a robe and seals – temporarily to Tartu and to be displayed in the university’s museum to mark the 400^th anniversary of the University of Tartu. The regalia are currently stored in the Nordic Museum in Stockholm. The university members and all interested were invited to attend the ceremony in the assembly hall. 

The royal couple then proceeded to the statue of Gustav II Adolf, where people could meet them. After that, the delegation went to the University of Tartu Museum and further to the Delta centre, where he learns about the opportunities of cooperation between Estonia and Sweden, Estonia’s research-intensive companies and the university’s influential areas of study and research. On the same day, the university hosted the Swedish business delegation who took a tour of the UT Estonian Biobank and met with representatives of Estonian enterprises at the Delta centre.

The state visit of Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia took place from 2–4 May. On 4 May, the King of Sweden also paid a visit to the Estonian University of Life Sciences and the Estonian National Museum, and planted a tree in the Tähtvere dendrological park.

The royal couple of Sweden visited Estonia in April 1992, soon after Estonia had regained its independence, and made a second visit in May 2002. In October 2007, Queen Silvia participated in the 375^th-anniversary celebrations of the University of Tartu. Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel made official trips to Estonia in 2014 and 2018.

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King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden at the University of Tartu. Unveiling of the statue of Gustav II Adolf, 23 April 1992. Photo by Eduard Sakk, University of Tartu Museum

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In the photo from the left: wife of the Rector of the University of Tartu Mrs Karin Asser, Queen Silvia and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Rector of the University of Tartu Toomas Asser, President of Estonia Alar Karis, Mrs Sirje Karis, and Mayor of Tartu Urmas Klaas in front of the main building of the University of Tartu. Photo: Karli Saul, Delfi Meedia

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