19 Examples Showing How Swedish Civilization Is on a Whole Other Level

Places
3 years ago

From Pippi Longstocking to IKEA and beyond, Sweden is famous for lots of things — as well as the popular safe car, Volvo, the obligatory coffee break, and the Lagom philosophy for a balanced life. This country, full of rich history, is ruled by serenity and order. Everything is well-thought-out here and done for the purpose of comfortable living not only for people but also for fish and trees.

At Bright Side, we can’t stop admiring the thoughtful Swedish approach to life that includes a music shop for mice and a bathroom exclusively designed for kids.

There’s a special plaque in the subway that mentions the artist, the assistant, and the tile layer.

T-Centralen station (pendeltåg)

This road sign warns drivers that they may encounter pedestrians who are deeply absorbed in their smartphones in Stockholm, Sweden.

This Swedish furniture store has a small bathroom door for kids.

This national park in Sweden refused to cut the trees that were in the way of the bridge, so pedestrians can walk around them.

Buildings on top of buildings — Stockholm, Sweden

This record shop for mice is in Lund (Sweden).

LED bathroom handles at a train station in Sweden change colors based on occupancy.

In a Swedish museum (that is in the middle of nowhere) they have benches that charge your phone wirelessly and give free Wi-Fi.

Swedish farms work on a self-serve basis.

“There are self-service shops just 60 miles out from Stockholm. But they’re always located in farms in the middle of nowhere. You can get corn, potatoes, honey, berries, sunflowers, and more there. You pick them and pay for them. They only dig up potatoes for you that you can find right next to the shop.”

The toilet paper selection at a Swedish restaurant

In Sweden, trees can send texts when they need water using an implanted moisture sensor.

This Swedish shopping cart has magnetic wheels so it doesn’t roll down the escalator.

The recycle bins in front of the 500-year-old Swedish castle are painted to blend in with the background.

The street sign for the Swedish road, “Pyramid Street” is written in a pyramid style.

Under a bridge in Stockholm

Brunkeberg tunnel (Stockholm, Sweden) is a 758-foot long shortcut for cyclists and pedestrians through a ridge in the city’s center.

Another scale of infrastructure — these salmon stairs in Sweden

The core of Swedish culture in one photo

“If any picture could tell the story of Swedish culture, it would be one depicting us waiting for the bus.”

A public bathroom in Stockholm

Would you like to adopt something useful from the Swedish experience for your country or city? Tell us in the comments below.

Preview photo credit timmersjoe / reddit

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I love seeing other countries futuristic worlds. Make you wonder what our gov is spending our coun on. As its not too better communities.

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The toilet paper was a mistake, they had far too many dispensers so they decided to do that. I do not think the shopping carts are magnetic--I've seen the same system in Shanghai and it appears to work by the wheels on the cart engaging the slots on the slidewalk. Carts only "lock" to the slidewalk when the wheels are pointed straight forward, they roll freely otherwise--safe because if they're not pointed forward the cart rolls to the edge and the wheels straighten out when they hit it. Note that while it prevents runaways there's another risk--once it's locked it's basically impossible to do anything other than go with the slidewalk. I almost ran down an old couple who came to a stop immediately after the end of the slidewalk--there was plenty of space to walk around them but I couldn't move the cart, nor was my Chinese even remotely up to warning them. Fortunately someone else saw the problem and got them moved just in time.

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