Pre-tour of Sweden & Paper Province

Our delegates are cordially invited to the pre-conference tour to the Sweden and the Region Värmland and Karlstad City. On the tour 9 businesses and 6 tourist locations are featured.
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We will meet regional wood manufacturers, building entrepreneurs, architects and innovative start ups. The tour includes site visits at traditional and contemporary wooden constructions, Swedish culture sites as well as a tour in the Region Värmland and Karlstad city.

After this pre-conference tour the participants will have a brilliant insight to the Swedish innovations within timber engineering aswell as Swedish traditions and cosine! The tour starts from Oslo by bus to Karlstad and ends in Oslo ready for WCTE 2023

Les om turen på svensk

Tour Facts

Locations: Sweden – Region Värmland and Karlstad City
Departure Oslo: 16 June 11.00 am
Arrival Oslo: 18 June 17.00 pm
Price: NOK 6370 per pers. in a double room and NOK 7510 per pers. in sgl.rom (Meals incl)
Affiliated to the WCTE-organizing committee: The Paper Province (Platinum Sponsor), Visit VärmlandNifa (Industry Association for Värmland Food Companies) – Karlstad MunicipalityRegion VärmlandLänsstyrelsen

The tour includes:
Featured: 9 businesses and 6 tourist locations Transportation: The tour to Karlstad will leave from Oslo Bus Terminal 16th June 2023. Bus in Region of Värmland. The tour to Oslo will leave from Karlstad 18th June 2023.
Guide:
Tour guide (bus) and local guides
Accommodation: 2 nights at Elite Stadshotell Karlstad incl breakfast
Food: 2 Breakfast, 3 Lunch (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), 2 social dinners (Friday and Saturday). Drinks and tips are not included.

Tour Locations:

Tour Description

Day 1
The pre-tour starts with bus from Oslo Bus Terminal to Karlstad. After lunch provided at a local restaurant in Årjäng the tour continues to Säffle where you will visit Wood Tube – an innovative start up company providing the building industry wall rules made out of paper. Thereafter the tour continues to the manufacturer industry Verkstadsbolaget where we will get a tour in the fabric.  After check in at the venerable Elite Stadshotellet there will be a social dinner at the hotel.

Day 2
Prepare for a full day expedition to explore businesses and tourist locations in the region of Värmland. Your first stop will be at Selma Lagerlöf’s home Mårbacka, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in literature. The next is at one of Värmland’s largest barns, Berättarladan, that has been rebuilt into Värmland’s coolest theatre stage. Lunch will be provided in the barn. During your return to Karlstad, you will pass the pulp  business Rottneros Bruk (does not stop).

When arrival in Karlstad, there will be an optional, guided city tour by foot before the evening event at  Värmlands Museum. At the museum you will take part of two presentations, one held by White Architects who designed the museum extension in a modern timber construction. The other presentation will be held by Stora Enso and will show you a construction project which truly stretches the boundaries of what it possible to build with wood – Wisdome Stockholm. The evening ends with a social dinner at the much appreciated museum restaurant. Accommodation at the Elite Stadshotellet.

Day 3
After breakfast and check out, you will enjoy a visit to the Eva-Lisa Holtz Arena, Karlstad’s new indoor arena and the third largest in Europe. The arena is the first of its kind with a wooden frame and here you will get a presentation from the building contractor, ByggDialog, aswell as the wood supplier, Moelven.

Then you will visit Wikfors Technology and Värmlands Nysäter a cosy traditional wooden village in Värmland County where you will be served a traditional Swedish lunch. The last stop on the tour, before departure to Oslo, will be at  Naturbyn in  Långserud.  Departure by buss to Oslo, where you will end the pre-tour.

After check in at the conference venue hotel Clarion Hotel the Hub, you will meet the other conference participants at the Get Together at the hotel.

Paper Province

Paper Province is a world-leading business cluster within the forest bio-economy. We are owned and operated by more than 120 member companies.
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Photo: Paper Province

Paper Province is a world-leading business cluster within the forest bio-economy. We are owned and operated by more than 120 member companies. We are based in Karlstad, Sweden, but are connected world wide. By working together towards sustainable development, and striving to achieve The Global Goals, we are making a decisive contribution to society.

Our region is rich in forests – and we have learned to make use of it. The availability of raw materials, combined with long experience and strong innovative power, gives us a unique position globally. In the necessary shift to a fossil-free society, we have the opportunity to take the lead. The forest actually belongs to the future. And we are here to bring it there.

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Tourist Locations

Värmland County

Värmland County (Värmlands län) is a county or län in west central Sweden. It borders the Swedish counties of Dalarna, Örebro and Västra Götaland, as well as the Norwegian counties of Viken and Innlandet to the west.
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Photo: Visit Karlstad

Värmland County (Värmlands län) is a county or län in west central Sweden. It borders the Swedish counties of Dalarna, Örebro and Västra Götaland, as well as the Norwegian counties of Viken and Innlandet to the west. Prince Carl Philip is Duke of Värmland. The landscape is rich in lakes and forests. Agriculture is mainly found on the plains near Lake Vänern and in the valleys that extend into the landscape. There are 5,500 known ancient remains in the landscape.

Much of its area forms a plateau, reaching a height of 2,267 feet (691 metres) at Brånberget in the north. The well-forested region is deeply cut by several rivers and long, narrow lakes. Farmlands are restricted to the valleys and the southern lake-dotted lowland. Värmland has channeled its timber and iron-ore resources into industrialization, namely, iron mining, lumbering, and papermaking. One of the most important industrial towns is Karlstad (q.v.), the capital.

Värmland is the setting for the novel Gösta Berlings saga (1891) by Nobel Prizewinner Selma Lagerlöf. At Mårbacka, south of Sunne, is the house (now a museum) where Lagerlöf was born, wrote most of her novels, and died. Area 7,486 square miles (19,388 square km). Pop. (2005 est.) 273,547.

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Karlstad City

Karlstad, city and capital of Värmland län (county), southwest-central Sweden, on the island of Tingvalla and on the northern shore of Lake Vänern, at the mouth of the river Klarälven
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Photo: Visit Karlstad

Originally called Tingvalla after the ting, or meetings of the legislature, that were held there, it was renamed in honour of Charles IX, who chartered it in 1584. It was made a cathedral city in 1645 and the seat of the county government in 1779. In 1905 it was the site of negotiations ending the union of Sweden and Norway.

After being almost completely destroyed by fire in 1865, Karlstad was rebuilt along modern lines, with broad avenues and large parks. Only a few buildings antedate that period. The East Bridge (1761–70) across the Klar is impressive with its 13 arches. The Värmland museum contains collections of art and cultural objects from Värmland. Karlstad University was founded in 1967 as an affiliate of the University of Gothenburg; in 1999 it became accredited as an independent university.

During recent years, Karlstad has started building many new buildings. Karlstad is built on the river delta where Sweden’s longest river, Klarälven, runs into Sweden’s largest lake, Vänern. It has the second largest lake port in the country after Västerås.

Karlstad’s industry is based largely on forest products and heavy machinery. Connected with the ocean via Gothenburg and the North Sea, it has a large export-import trade. Pop. 95 408 (22/23).

Karlstad is often associated with sunshine and the symbol for Karlstad is a smiling sun. Karlstad is reputed to be one of the sunniest towns in Sweden and a local waitress, known as “Sola i Karlstad” (the Sun in Karlstad) for her sunny disposition, is also commemorated with a statue.

(Source: Britannica, Wikipedia, Karlstad Municipality and Visit Karlstad)

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Mårbacka

Mårbacka is a manor house in Sunne Municipality in Värmland. The first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, Selma Lagerlöf, was born and raised at Mårbacka.
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Photo: Visit Karlstad

Today, the manor building and the surrounding area is kept as a memorial museum honoring the latter’s literary career. Selma Lagerlöf acquired main building in 1907 and in 1910, she could buy back the whole estate with the help of the prize money she received from the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1909.

The manor house was rebuilt in 1921–1923 based upon designs by architect Isak Gustaf Clason (1856–1930). She had the building reconstructed; not much of the original appearance of her childhood home remained. Together with the horticulturist Ruth Martina Brandberg (1878–1944), she created the garden comprising a wide variety of bushes, shrubs, fruit trees, vegetable and flower.

Mårbacka is now kept as a memorial estate, as a result of the author writing in her testament that Mårbacka should be preserved and shown to the public in the condition it was at her death.

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Västanå Teatern's Berättarlada

Västanå Teatern’s Berättarlada in Sunne is one of Sweden’s absolute largest summer theaters. The theater building consists of a large wooden barn that was built around 1937. The barn was in need of insulation in order to offer a warmer and more pleasant environment for the audience and visitors.
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Photo: Visit Karlstad

One of Värmland’s largest barns has been rebuilt into Värmland’s coolest theatre stage. Next to Rottneros Park is this huge barn, built in 1937. In the past, the barn served the agriculture that was done here. The location is beautiful with Fryken just below. Through the thin panels, you can see the rays of the sun peeking in or hear the rain pattering on the metal roof.

When the scene was to be built, they were inspired by the stages that Shakespeare used. Stages like this are called Elizabethan stages or English Renaissance theatres. The term refers to the dramas that were performed in England after the Reformation. This particular stage and the job of leading the work of rebuilding the barn to be suitable for theatre arts was done by set designer Lars Jacob Jakobsson. There is space for 500 people.

To be able to perform and entertain you during the cold months of the year, Västanå Teater has had a part of the barn decorated for winter. They have worked with wood in the construction and décor. You could say that the structure is a box in the barn. A stylish box. The building was nominated as one of ten buildings for Årets Bygge (Construction of the Year) 2020.

“The box in the barn” is built in a glulam frame that is covered with KL wood. The insulation is on the outside of the KL shell so that the new building is completely independent from the barn. Simply a box in the barn. The interior walls, floor and ceiling are all made of wood, which should give the audience a warm, cozy feeling and make them feel as if they are sitting around a campfire. Externally, the facility has been supplemented with a new entrance area and lift house for the sake of accessibility.

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Naturbyn - Långserud

Naturbyn is a unique Swedish nature village, hidden among spruces and pines at a quiet bay in Lake Eldan Värmland, with hand built log cabins and cottages, treehouses and a wooden houseboat.
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Photo: Visit Karlstad

Here you can relax and enjoy the beauty that nature has to offer. From cooking on an open fire, enjoying the silence of nature to jumping into the refreshing lake after your sauna.

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Värmlands Museum

Värmlands Museum is one of Swedens’s most frequently visited regional museums with more than 200,000 visitors every year.
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Photo: Visit Karlstad

Värmlands Museum is situated on Sandgrundsudden in the heart of Karlstad with the Municipal Library and Sandgrund Lars Lerin Art Museum as its closest neighbors. The museum is one of Swedens’s most frequently visited regional museums with more than 200,000 visitors every year.

You can see the local history of Värmland, side by side with internationally renowned art and photographic exhibitions.

The Värmlands Museum was inaugurated in 1929. In 1998, a new, large museum building was erected next to the old one. I 2019, the museum reopens after extensive remodeling.

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Värmlands Nysäter

Nysäter, or Värmlands Nysäter, is a village in Värmland County, Sweden, located north of the city of Säffle. It belongs to Gillberga Parish. The first inhabitants came to the place now called Nysäter 2000–1500 years ago.
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Photo: Säffle Municipality

The sand ridge is a place where you can see traces of the prehistoric age and also Kungshöjden and the market-shop. Kungshöjden is a burial mound from 400 to 500 years ago. The market-shop is from 1750. In Nysäter you can find a Viking Center.

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Business Locations

Eva-Lisa Holtz Arena

Eva Lisa Holtz Arena is Karlstad’s new indoor arena, and the third largest in Europe and the first of its kind with a frame made entirely of wood.
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Photo: Visit Karlstad

Eva-Lisa Holtz Arena, Karlstad’s new indoor arena and the third largest in Europe. The arena is the first of its kind with a wooden frame and here you will get a presentation from the building contractor, ByggDialog, aswell as the wood supplier, Moelven. The design is based on Sweco Architects’ design idea “Arena in the Forest”.

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Wood Tube

Wood Tube was founded in 2016 with the goal of revolutionizing the market for building blocks. In 2019, after several years of product development, we reached a major milestone when our joists were patented.
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Photo: Wood Tube

We were able to proudly display our products and begin the work of getting them approved for use. In the summer of 2020, we received our long-awaited Swedish type approval after extensive tests of strength, fire classes and sound classes at RISE (Rsearch Institutes of Sweden).

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Verkstadsbolaget

Verkstadsbolagetis a mechanical workshop that supplies components to the manufacturing industry.
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Rottneros Bruk

Rottneros Bruk is one of the world’s leading specialist companies within pulp development and production.
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Pulp for air and liquid filters​

With knowledgeable employees, attractive service and constant product development, we work to optimize our customers’ products and processes. The Rottneros Group is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and has approximately 300 employees.

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Wiksfors Technology

Wiksfors Technology is a visionary high-tech startup based in Sweden with focus on the house manufacturing industry.
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Photo: Wiksfors Technology

With the cross-over of being visionairs, automation consultants, process designers and engineers with over 25 years of experience in automation, we play a key role in reforming the way of developing modular houses coming straight out of a factory.

Wiksfors Technology has established a long and well proven track-record in a wide range of international automation projects for all types of industries, both designing factories and the processes as well as implementing new and proven manufacturing methods and innovative robot technology.

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Frequently Asked Tour Questions (FAQ)

General Questions about Pre-Conference Tours to Sweden

What is included in the cost of my pre-conference tour registration
What is the registration cancelation policy?
Can I purchase my Tour registration when I get to the meeting?
What is the method of payment?
What types of tours can I participate in before, during and after the conference?
Who can participate in the pre-and post-conference tour