Sweden’s golden moose became part of this year’s National Day celebrations on Saturday, when King Carl XVI Gustaf unveiled a large gilded sculpture at Skokloster in Håbo municipality, west of Uppsala. The artwork, named King’s Elk (Kungsälgen), was presented during a local celebration attended by Queen Silvia and hundreds of visitors.
A golden moose for the king of the forest
The sculpture was created by Swedish sculptor Jerker Andersson and has been installed at Skokloster Wärdshus, near Skokloster Castle on Lake Mälaren. The work is dedicated to King Carl XVI Gustaf, who formally unveiled it during the National Day programme.
In Swedish, the elk or moose is often referred to as “the king of the forest” (skogens konung), a phrase that gave the artwork an immediate symbolic link to the monarch. The Swedish title, Kungsälgen, carries both meanings: the royal association and the animal’s place in Swedish nature and cultural imagery.
The event gave this year’s celebration a distinctive local feature. While Sweden’s National Day usually includes speeches, flags, music and citizenship ceremonies across the country, the unveiling turned the Håbo programme into a mixture of royal ceremony, public art and regional celebration.
Skokloster turned National Day into a royal visit
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia arrived in Håbo in the morning and began their visit with a guided tour of Skokloster Castle, one of Sweden’s best-known Baroque castles. They were accompanied by Uppsala County Governor Stefan Attefall and Håbo municipal executive chair Catherine Öhrqvist.
The programme continued outside the castle, where the King delivered his National Day speech. Visitors were also offered music, flag presentations and public celebrations in the castle setting by Lake Mälaren.
For Håbo, the visit had particular significance. According to SVT, this was the first time the royal couple celebrated National Day in Uppsala County. The King underlined the point in his speech, saying that the visit completed a long symbolic journey through Sweden’s 21 counties.
“This is the first time we celebrate National Day in Uppsala County, and it means that we have now celebrated the holiday in all of Sweden’s counties,” the King said.
Why National Day matters in Sweden
Sweden celebrates National Day every year on 6 June. The date refers to two central events in Swedish history: the election of Gustav Vasa as king in 1523 and the adoption of a new constitution in 1809.
The holiday has a relatively recent status compared with many other European national days. Sweden has celebrated 6 June as National Day since 1983, and it became a public holiday in 2005. Before that, the date was known mainly as the Day of the Swedish Flag.
National Day celebrations in Sweden are often more restrained than in many other countries. In recent years, however, the day has gained greater public visibility through local ceremonies, royal appearances and formal welcomes for new Swedish citizens.
A symbolic stop in a year of royal anniversaries
The Skokloster visit also came during an important year for the Swedish royal household. In 2026, King Carl XVI Gustaf turned 80, while the King and Queen Silvia are also marking their 50th wedding anniversary.
Against that backdrop, the unveiling of King’s Elk added another public moment to a year already shaped by royal celebrations. It also placed a local community, Håbo, at the centre of a national ceremony usually associated with larger cities and official institutions.
The sculpture itself is unlikely to carry political weight. But as a piece of public art unveiled on National Day, it connects several themes that remain central to Sweden’s public identity: monarchy, nature, local heritage and the careful use of national symbols.
