The king unveiled a 250-kg wooden bench – created by Linnaeus University

In 2023, the king celebrates 50 years on the throne. This is commemorated, among other things, by the royal couple visiting all the counties of Sweden. In May, it was Kronoberg's turn, and a visit to Växjö. The visit was arranged by the County Administrative Board of Kronoberg.

Made from wood scraps

One of the programme points was when the king unveiled a commemorative monument for the jubilee visit – a specially made wooden bench produced by Linnaeus University. The bench was made from leftover material from the university's tests of cross-laminated timber, where, among other things, load-bearing capacity and wind impact is being studied. In the king's bench, these wood scraps now get new life.

Vice-chancellor Peter Aronsson talks about the wooden bench and the use of cross-laminated timber.

The bench was unveiled at Ekobacken in Växjö, and that's where it will remain, for everyone to sit down and enjoy the view.

The wooden bench is located at Ekobacken in Växjö.

The king together with students from Linnaeus University: Sebastian Svensson Meulmann, Sara Wallberg, Nina Haggren, Nathalie Gunnarsson.

Why was a wooden bench chosen as a commemorative monument? The background is that the entire royal visit had a theme revolving around the forest and timber. It stems partly from the king's own interest in the forest and partly from his previous visits to the region; the inauguration of Building M on campus in 2002, where forestry research is conducted, and in connection with the storm Gudrun in 2005.

During the day, different representatives talked about what has happened since then. Among other things, the king was informed about the continued development of the university’s programmes within forestry and wood technology, its research in wood technology and sustainable construction, and The Bridge – Linnaeus University's collaboration with IKEA and Södra.

Åsa Rydell Blom talks about Linnaeus University's research in forestry and wood technology. The picture is from the royal couple's tour of the House of Emigrants (Utvandrarnas hus) in Växjö.

The bench was designed and manufactured by Anders Alrutz, a research engineer in building technology. Students Nina Haggren and Sara Wallberg made calculations on the amount of carbon stored in the bench. This amounts to 454 kilograms, which corresponds to the carbon dioxide emissions from a diesel car driving approximately 2 840 kilometres.

Also present at Ekobacken were vice-chancellor Peter Aronsson and students who talked about Linnaeus University's commitment to forestry and wood technology.