The Swedish Palace in Istanbul
a thousand years of cooperation between Turkey and Sweden
YKY, Istanbul [2000]
Softcover, 212 pages, 25 x 28.5 cm, illustrated
in English and Turkish
“The Swedish Palace in Istanbul” --
a potpourri of Swedish-Turkish relations
Have you ever seen the Viking graffiti inscriptions in St. Sophia? Have you read a book in a western language that described the Ottoman Turkish government? The author or authors will have based their information on a work by a Swedish diplomat. Did you know that for five years a king of Sweden governed his nation from Bender, a town in today's Moldova but back then within the bounds of the Ottoman Empire? Has anyone told you that for centuries Turkish-Swedish relations were affected by the money this king borrowed and couldn't repay?
Then read on and especially read “The Swedish Palace in Istanbul”. When its author, Swedish Consul General Sture Theolin, was asked by the Turkish Daily News why he wrote the book, he said that he “saw a need to present to both the Swedish and Turkish reader the richness and length of the amazing saga of our bilateral relations. Of course living in the palace, many visitors asked questions. I tried to explain and then I planned to write a small brochure. It rapidly grew into this book that I have written. But it is really the wealth and the depth of our bilateral relations over the centuries which I found interesting to present in this way”.
“The Swedish Palace in Istanbul” is a whirlwind tour in English and in Turkish through Sweden’s unusual but generally speaking always improving relations with Turkey whether it was the Ottoman Empire or today’s republic. It is lavishly illustrated with color photographs of paintings of kings and documents, ambassadors and the palace itself.
Subjects covered range from the Vikings who made their mark in Constantinople under the Byzantines to the diplomats of today, from the first efforts to encourage trade between two countries quite far apart to the importance of Sweden's being the term president of the European Union this year.
That importance is signaled in the preface remarks written by Swedish Foreign Affairs Minister Anna Lindh in which she indicates that Sweden is determined to maintain a strong presence in Turkey and Istanbul. Theolin in speaking with the TDN noted that they are expecting to dramatically strengthen their presence in Istanbul from April 1 “with more and better qualified staff and resources for dialogue and exchange of experiences between more strata of Turkish society and Sweden”. He expects that, following the recommendations to be made by a senior Swedish politician this past week, the possibilities for outreach activities will be strengthened in order to stimulate bilateral relations and speed up Turkish rapprochement to the European Union.
Returning to the beginning
The Vikings came as traders, as raiders and finally as soldiers of fortune to Constantinople, the center of the Byzantine Empire. There are references in histories and runic inscription telling of travels to the east and south. They became the elite Scandinavian contingent in the emperor's service and fought the Turks at the battle of Malazgirt in 1071 -- the latter won. But somewhere along the line a Viking on guard in the women’s gallery of St. Sophia thought he should carve his name into the marble balustrade. There are other runic inscriptions but only this one can still be read. His name, you ask, was what? Halvdan.
Relations progressed apace until the beginning of the 18th century when they took a dramatic turn. Swedish King Karl achieved extraordinary success on the battlefield during the first eight years of the Great Nordic War (1700-1721) but when his march on Moscow ended in defeat in 1709. With no way to return to Sweden except through enemy territory, he went south to the Ottoman Empire relying on the fact that the two had a common enemy, Tsar Peter of Russia. From July 1709 to October 1714, King Karl camped at Bender, by the Dniestr near the Black Sea, present day Moldova. He was a welcome guest at first, although as the balances of power changed in Europe and his constant financial charges on the Ottoman government increased, it seems that the latter was pleased to see him go.
In the meantime however, the king’s stay marked the beginning of a permanent Swedish mission in Constantinople. He wanted an alliance with the Turks against the Russians and he needed a subsidy from the Sultan to support his expensive court in Bender. One proposal was for an increase in commercial relations and trade. A legation was established in Constantinople a house rented in Pera, what is today known as Beyoglu. But right to the end of his stay, the king continued to borrow money through his representatives for whatever amount at whatever price. It was a burden that took decades to settle even as Sweden was constantly asking for Ottoman subsidies for what it considered its mutual fight against Russia.
Buying a palace
One consequence of these varied and sundry negotiations led to the establishment of a permanent legation in and the purchase of the “Swedish palace” in Constantinople in 1757. This is the oldest Swedish state property abroad and the first Swedish embassy built on Swedish-owned property. The latter was purchased by Gustaf Celsing, a leading member of a diplomatic family that dominated Turkish-Swedish relations for some 35 years (1753-1788).
What was significant about the purchase was that the property was closer to Topkapi Palace than the embassy buildings of any other western power. “This is a prime location, closer than the others and you find the Russians, French and Italians moving progressively further away”, comments Theolin. It became an object of envy despite the buildings being rather modest.
The originally building is thought to have been built in 1704 but this burned down in 1818 in one of the many devastating fires that struck Istanbul. It had previously been damaged in the fires of 1787, 1808 and 1811. The ambassadors and family from then were housed in what is described as the kiosk on the grounds until 1869 when a decision was taken to rebuild the palace. It was completed in 1870 and was inaugurated with a glittering ball that was even reported in the European popular press.
The building's plan is nearly square since the site really cannot take anything else. The facades are in discreet Italianate late renaissance style. “Former Consul General Kaj Falkman writes in Turkiet/Gransfursten that the building’s secret is its singular combination of elegance and cosiness that makes everyone comfortable and at home. The house is big enough to serve as a dignified residence for official entertainment, and at the same time small enough to be homely”.
Turning to today
The book points out that today other buildings on the grounds house the Swedish Research Institute and a chapel. The Research Institute is to be found in the Dragoman House, situated in the palace’s park. The building took its name from the dragomans who served the Ottoman court for centuries as interpreters. Among these were a number of Swedish dragomans. The scope of activities conducted by the institute concentrate on Turkey and the Near East and cover a wide range of subjects from classical archaeology and linguistics to sociology, political science and international relations.
Business relations, a businessman will tell you, can always be better but Sweden is not doing too badly. Seventy-two Swedish companies are operating in Turkey and more than 350 small and medium-sized companies are represented through agents or distributors. Relations go all the way back to the establishment of the Swedish Oriental Company in 1731. Today the Swedish Trade Council and the Swedish Chamber of Commerce are active in Istanbul, encouraging Swedish and Turkish businessmen to explore the possibilities in each other's countries and in third countries.
The traffic is more than one way as another chapter in the book points out. Turkish businessmen and workers, Syriacs and Kurds and Armenians have immigrated to Sweden. At the end of 1999, it was established that there were around 50,000 persons with Turkish citizenship in Sweden and probably 120,000 persons of Turkish origin. There are politicians like Nalin Pekgül, documentary film makers such as Barbro and Güneş Karabuda, photographer Lufti Özkok, authors like Demir Özlü and Mehmet Uzun and singer Dilba Demirbağ to name just a few.
Returning to Istanbul, Theolin says about the city and residing in the Swedish palace, “It is really a pleasure living and working here. I don’t have to bother with the traffic that is of course difficult because this [Istanbul] is a historical place and the Bosporus makes communications difficult”. As for traffic, the metro station under construction at Şişhane has had a rather negative effect on the traffic problem in the area but Theolin is aware that this is temporary and will disappear once the station is completed.
Asked about what annoys him Theolin replies, “What I find sad is that so many monuments and so many historical places needed and still need really serious maintenance and many areas are spoiled by inconsiderate construction of new and architecturally modern buildings. This is gradually changing the appearance of Istanbul in a way that’s not very positive”.
It’s not unusual to find a diplomat engaged in writing books. Theolin in that regard is no exception. Last year he wrote “a military-political study, an advanced study on the security conditions of the first independence of the Baltic states after the First World War. This book is now being translated into the Baltic languages. This year I will participate in a book on Hasankeyf that will likely appear in February and is being done in cooperation with the Historical Foundation. I am also participating in a book of the watercolors with Istanbul motifs by Lowenhielm, the Swedish ambassador in the 1800s. We are also planning a book, a monograph about Ignatius Mouradgea d’Ohsson who was the Swedish ambassador at the end of the 1700s and wrote the very important ‘Tableau general de l’Empire Othoman’. These are some of the projects we have in the near future”.
“The Swedish Palace in Istanbul” is 212 pages in length with the text in English and Turkish. Printed on good quality paper, readers will find at the end a series of appendices that include biographies of important Swedish actors over the centuries, lists of Turkish and Swedish diplomatic appointees and a bibliography.
The book was commissioned by the Swedish giant Ericsson in a limited edition numbering 2500 for friends, employees, staff and customers all over Turkey and elsewhere. In recent days it has been released commercially by Yapı Kredi Bank which maintains an important publishing program contributing to the fields of history, art and architecture to mention just a few areas.
source: Istanbul - Turkish Daily News 28 January, 2001, Turkish Probe issue 419
Have you ever seen the Viking graffiti inscriptions in St. Sophia? Have you read a book in a western language that described the Ottoman Turkish government? The author or authors will have based their information on a work by a Swedish diplomat. Did you know that for five years a king of Sweden governed his nation from Bender, a town in today's Moldova but back then within the bounds of the Ottoman Empire? Has anyone told you that for centuries Turkish-Swedish relations were affected by the money this king borrowed and couldn't repay?
Then read on and especially read “The Swedish Palace in Istanbul”. When its author, Swedish Consul General Sture Theolin, was asked by the Turkish Daily News why he wrote the book, he said that he “saw a need to present to both the Swedish and Turkish reader the richness and length of the amazing saga of our bilateral relations. Of course living in the palace, many visitors asked questions. I tried to explain and then I planned to write a small brochure. It rapidly grew into this book that I have written. But it is really the wealth and the depth of our bilateral relations over the centuries which I found interesting to present in this way”.
“The Swedish Palace in Istanbul” is a whirlwind tour in English and in Turkish through Sweden’s unusual but generally speaking always improving relations with Turkey whether it was the Ottoman Empire or today’s republic. It is lavishly illustrated with color photographs of paintings of kings and documents, ambassadors and the palace itself.
Subjects covered range from the Vikings who made their mark in Constantinople under the Byzantines to the diplomats of today, from the first efforts to encourage trade between two countries quite far apart to the importance of Sweden's being the term president of the European Union this year.
That importance is signaled in the preface remarks written by Swedish Foreign Affairs Minister Anna Lindh in which she indicates that Sweden is determined to maintain a strong presence in Turkey and Istanbul. Theolin in speaking with the TDN noted that they are expecting to dramatically strengthen their presence in Istanbul from April 1 “with more and better qualified staff and resources for dialogue and exchange of experiences between more strata of Turkish society and Sweden”. He expects that, following the recommendations to be made by a senior Swedish politician this past week, the possibilities for outreach activities will be strengthened in order to stimulate bilateral relations and speed up Turkish rapprochement to the European Union.
Returning to the beginning
The Vikings came as traders, as raiders and finally as soldiers of fortune to Constantinople, the center of the Byzantine Empire. There are references in histories and runic inscription telling of travels to the east and south. They became the elite Scandinavian contingent in the emperor's service and fought the Turks at the battle of Malazgirt in 1071 -- the latter won. But somewhere along the line a Viking on guard in the women’s gallery of St. Sophia thought he should carve his name into the marble balustrade. There are other runic inscriptions but only this one can still be read. His name, you ask, was what? Halvdan.
Relations progressed apace until the beginning of the 18th century when they took a dramatic turn. Swedish King Karl achieved extraordinary success on the battlefield during the first eight years of the Great Nordic War (1700-1721) but when his march on Moscow ended in defeat in 1709. With no way to return to Sweden except through enemy territory, he went south to the Ottoman Empire relying on the fact that the two had a common enemy, Tsar Peter of Russia. From July 1709 to October 1714, King Karl camped at Bender, by the Dniestr near the Black Sea, present day Moldova. He was a welcome guest at first, although as the balances of power changed in Europe and his constant financial charges on the Ottoman government increased, it seems that the latter was pleased to see him go.
In the meantime however, the king’s stay marked the beginning of a permanent Swedish mission in Constantinople. He wanted an alliance with the Turks against the Russians and he needed a subsidy from the Sultan to support his expensive court in Bender. One proposal was for an increase in commercial relations and trade. A legation was established in Constantinople a house rented in Pera, what is today known as Beyoglu. But right to the end of his stay, the king continued to borrow money through his representatives for whatever amount at whatever price. It was a burden that took decades to settle even as Sweden was constantly asking for Ottoman subsidies for what it considered its mutual fight against Russia.
Buying a palace
One consequence of these varied and sundry negotiations led to the establishment of a permanent legation in and the purchase of the “Swedish palace” in Constantinople in 1757. This is the oldest Swedish state property abroad and the first Swedish embassy built on Swedish-owned property. The latter was purchased by Gustaf Celsing, a leading member of a diplomatic family that dominated Turkish-Swedish relations for some 35 years (1753-1788).
What was significant about the purchase was that the property was closer to Topkapi Palace than the embassy buildings of any other western power. “This is a prime location, closer than the others and you find the Russians, French and Italians moving progressively further away”, comments Theolin. It became an object of envy despite the buildings being rather modest.
The originally building is thought to have been built in 1704 but this burned down in 1818 in one of the many devastating fires that struck Istanbul. It had previously been damaged in the fires of 1787, 1808 and 1811. The ambassadors and family from then were housed in what is described as the kiosk on the grounds until 1869 when a decision was taken to rebuild the palace. It was completed in 1870 and was inaugurated with a glittering ball that was even reported in the European popular press.
The building's plan is nearly square since the site really cannot take anything else. The facades are in discreet Italianate late renaissance style. “Former Consul General Kaj Falkman writes in Turkiet/Gransfursten that the building’s secret is its singular combination of elegance and cosiness that makes everyone comfortable and at home. The house is big enough to serve as a dignified residence for official entertainment, and at the same time small enough to be homely”.
Turning to today
The book points out that today other buildings on the grounds house the Swedish Research Institute and a chapel. The Research Institute is to be found in the Dragoman House, situated in the palace’s park. The building took its name from the dragomans who served the Ottoman court for centuries as interpreters. Among these were a number of Swedish dragomans. The scope of activities conducted by the institute concentrate on Turkey and the Near East and cover a wide range of subjects from classical archaeology and linguistics to sociology, political science and international relations.
Business relations, a businessman will tell you, can always be better but Sweden is not doing too badly. Seventy-two Swedish companies are operating in Turkey and more than 350 small and medium-sized companies are represented through agents or distributors. Relations go all the way back to the establishment of the Swedish Oriental Company in 1731. Today the Swedish Trade Council and the Swedish Chamber of Commerce are active in Istanbul, encouraging Swedish and Turkish businessmen to explore the possibilities in each other's countries and in third countries.
The traffic is more than one way as another chapter in the book points out. Turkish businessmen and workers, Syriacs and Kurds and Armenians have immigrated to Sweden. At the end of 1999, it was established that there were around 50,000 persons with Turkish citizenship in Sweden and probably 120,000 persons of Turkish origin. There are politicians like Nalin Pekgül, documentary film makers such as Barbro and Güneş Karabuda, photographer Lufti Özkok, authors like Demir Özlü and Mehmet Uzun and singer Dilba Demirbağ to name just a few.
Returning to Istanbul, Theolin says about the city and residing in the Swedish palace, “It is really a pleasure living and working here. I don’t have to bother with the traffic that is of course difficult because this [Istanbul] is a historical place and the Bosporus makes communications difficult”. As for traffic, the metro station under construction at Şişhane has had a rather negative effect on the traffic problem in the area but Theolin is aware that this is temporary and will disappear once the station is completed.
Asked about what annoys him Theolin replies, “What I find sad is that so many monuments and so many historical places needed and still need really serious maintenance and many areas are spoiled by inconsiderate construction of new and architecturally modern buildings. This is gradually changing the appearance of Istanbul in a way that’s not very positive”.
It’s not unusual to find a diplomat engaged in writing books. Theolin in that regard is no exception. Last year he wrote “a military-political study, an advanced study on the security conditions of the first independence of the Baltic states after the First World War. This book is now being translated into the Baltic languages. This year I will participate in a book on Hasankeyf that will likely appear in February and is being done in cooperation with the Historical Foundation. I am also participating in a book of the watercolors with Istanbul motifs by Lowenhielm, the Swedish ambassador in the 1800s. We are also planning a book, a monograph about Ignatius Mouradgea d’Ohsson who was the Swedish ambassador at the end of the 1700s and wrote the very important ‘Tableau general de l’Empire Othoman’. These are some of the projects we have in the near future”.
“The Swedish Palace in Istanbul” is 212 pages in length with the text in English and Turkish. Printed on good quality paper, readers will find at the end a series of appendices that include biographies of important Swedish actors over the centuries, lists of Turkish and Swedish diplomatic appointees and a bibliography.
The book was commissioned by the Swedish giant Ericsson in a limited edition numbering 2500 for friends, employees, staff and customers all over Turkey and elsewhere. In recent days it has been released commercially by Yapı Kredi Bank which maintains an important publishing program contributing to the fields of history, art and architecture to mention just a few areas.
source: Istanbul - Turkish Daily News 28 January, 2001, Turkish Probe issue 419
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