Gustav Vasa was elected king of Sweden in 1523. He gave the Swedish state an open channel to its citizens.
This is one of the reasons why the king came to be so important for Sweden as a strong and independent state. The 500th anniversary will be celebrated at Gripsholm Castle in August. The master of ceremonies will be Fredrik Lindström, who says Gustav Vasa would have been surprised at how badly dressed people are. He says he would also have difficulty understanding Swedish, which has changed a lot.