Much More Than IKEA（a）|你不知道的瑞典

Much More Than IKEA

by Marcus Maurice

Sweden is one of the best places in the world to live.

　　Wandering through an IKEA store can be heaven for some and hell for others. Those that enjoy the trip are taken by the amazing variety of items at good prices. The people that loathe IKEA find the swirling paths and crowds too much to handle, not to mention that items purchased there still need to be assembled at home. When people think of IKEA, they automatically think of Sweden, but there is so much more to Sweden than just a huge furniture store.

　　Early Swedes were known for trading by water routes all over Europe. A lot of the men were Vikings and enjoyed plundering new places looking for valuable loot. During the 17th century, Sweden fought against Denmark, Russia, and Poland and came out victorious. It was then known as one of the Great Powers of Europe. Eventually, Sweden bit off more than it could chew when it tried to attack Moscow in 1709. The exhausted army was beaten and Sweden's leader, Charles X, lost his empire.

　　In the 1800s, Sweden transformed itself from a rural society into an industrial one. Also, it learned from all its fighting over the years and decided to stay neutral during World War I and II. Nowadays, the country is known for its progressive social welfare policies as well as sustained economic development. Sweden is always near the top of the best-countries-to-live lists because there are so many pristine natural wonders to experience there.

 

你不知道的瑞典

瑞典是全世界最适合居住的地方之一。

 

　　在 IKEA 闲逛对某些人而言可能有如天堂一般，而对另一些人而言却好像到了地狱。那些喜欢逛 IKEA 的人是被店里各式各样价格相当便宜的商品所吸引。而讨厌 IKEA 的人觉得绕来绕去的通道和人群多到难以控制，更不用说在那里买的商品回家还得要组装。当人们想到 IKEA，他们自然而然地就会想到瑞典，但其实瑞典除了这家大型家具店之外，还有许多东西值得探讨。

　　早期的瑞典人以遍及全欧洲的水路交易而闻名。许多男人都是维京人（编按：维京人是中世纪相当著名的北欧海盗），他们喜欢抢劫新的地方并寻找值钱的东西。在十七世纪，瑞典和丹麦、俄罗斯和波兰交战，且都赢得了胜利。该国后来就以欧洲强权国家之一而闻名。最后，瑞典在 1709 年不自量力攻打莫斯科。精疲力竭的军队打了败仗，而且瑞典的领袖查理十世也因此失去了他的帝国。

　　十九世纪，瑞典由农业社会转变为工业社会。此外，该国从自身长年的征战中学到教训，因此决定在第一次及第二次世界大战中保持中立。时至今日，瑞典以其相当进步的社会福利政策及持续的经济发展而闻名。瑞典在最适合居住的国家排行榜中总是名列前茅，因为在当地可以体验许多原始的自然奇观。