Poltava 2009
The 300-year anniversary of the battle of Poltava fell this summer, on June 28, 2009. The Swedish Institute will commemorate this with various activities during the year. The program takes as its starting point a shared historical event but is forward-looking. It is intended to promote openness and lasting relations in education, research and culture and to create a better understanding of Sweden and Swedish values.
In the photo competition Poltava 200, young people from Sweden, Ukraine and Russia took photos of their everyday life. The theme was “Who are we 300 years later? One day in my life”. The winning pictures has been selected by a jury of three professional photographers. We can now announce the winners.
A photo exhibition based on the winning pictures was shown for the first time in August in Stockholm, while the winners of the first prize visited Sweden´s capital. After that, the exhibition will go on tour to Poltava 4-18 September, Kyiv 1-10 October and to Moscow at the end of October.
A scientific seminar on the theme “The Poltava Battle - Perceptions Over Time ”took place in Kyiv and Poltava, on 10 June and 11 June respectively, with researchers from Finland and Sweden. Professor Kristian Gerner, Lund University, was coordinator and responsible for this seminar. In Poltava it was part of the international scientific conference organized by the Poltava Organizing Committee.
The Swedish Institute has also published a Ukrainian version of the book about the battle of Poltava by Peter Englund, Swedish historian and member of the Swedish Academy. It was delivered just in time for the seminar and was given as a gift to the audience – mainly researchers, students and media. Maps, photos and illustrations are included in the Ukrainian edition, unique for this publication. The Swedish Institute has produced this book in close cooperation with the Swedish Embassy in Kyiv.
For more information please contact:
Inger Envall, Project Manager, Swedish Institute, e-mail address: 
, telephone number: 08-453 78 56
Victoria Fors, Coordinator of the Photo Competition, e-mail address: 
, telephone number: 073-824 43 16