NEWS & PRESS RELEASES

TITLE: The Speaker Björn von Sydow talks about The Linnaeus Apostles DATE: February 2004 ARTICLE CONTENT: In 2007, we will be celebrating the birth of Carl Linnaeus, an event that will be celebrated in a variety of ways the world over. Linnaeus occupies a very important place in the history of science and this jubilee gives us a unique opportunity to highlight the importance of Sweden as an international centre of knowledge. A few years ago, an international project centred round 18th century Swedish scientists and their entrepreneurial spirit was started; it was a time when nearly anything seemed possible and it was also at this time that the foundations of modern Sweden were laid. Linnaeus' work was a vital part of this exciting era. He was one of the great scientific figures of his time and his contributions to natural history still stand today. A large number of experts representing many disciplines have been engaged to produce an eight volume work in English about the events of the time. Seventeen travelogues written by the Linnaeus apostles who travelled to charted and uncharted destinations outside Europe are to be the backbone of the work. For the first time the travelogues will be published in their entirety, word for word. In my view, this will be an important cultural event. As such, it has my full support. It is important for us to allow our minds to cross international borders to understand our cultural and natural history. With such knowledge, science, society and mankind can be inspired and begin to understand the meaning of life on the planet on which we all live. Björn von Sydow Speaker of the Swedish Parliament