Swedish Emigrant Institute (Swedish: Svenska Emigrantinstitutet) was a research center and museum designed to preserve records and memorabilia relating to Swedish-American migration.

Background

The Swedish Emigrant Institute was founded on September 11, 1965. The Swedish Emigrant Institute is located in the House of Emigrants (Swedish: Utvandrarnas hus) located in Växjö in Småland, Sweden. Its purpose is to collect and register source material dealing with Swedish emigration. This building contains a Research Center with Archives, a Library and Museums all of which focus on the peak period of Swedish Migration to North America. The Institute houses a large collection of emigration history including archival materials and library references, provides assistance in genealogical research, sponsors scholarly research and academic conferences, and mounts exhibitions on migration to and from Sweden. The Institute was supported by Swedish author Vilhelm Moberg who donated the complete source material from his famous Emigrant Series which told the saga of Karl Oskar and Kristina’s immigration from Småland to Chisago County, Minnesota. This unique collection of Moberg memorabilia also includes Axel Olsson's sculpture entitled The Emigrants which portrays the main characters featured in the novels.

Museum exhibitions

Main Collection

The main collections available in the Swedish Emigrant Institute dealing with emigration research and other source materials are: