For two years, Welcome House Skövde has been a place for people who want to settle in, move forward, or discover more of Skövde. Now we’re celebrating our two-year anniversary with a full week of activities centered on connection, and our doors are just as open as they were when it all began.

In September 2024, Welcome House Skövde opened its doors. The idea was as simple as it was important: to create a shared gathering place for newcomers, international talent, students, visitors, and Skövde residents.

Here, it would be easy to ask a question, get guidance, discover new contexts, and get to know the place and the people who live here. Two years later, many meetings, conversations, and new connections have taken place.

– In two years, Welcome House has become a natural gathering place for newcomers, international talent, students, employers, and Skövde residents. Through our activities and networks, we’ve been able to forge valuable connections while showcasing everything that makes Skövde an attractive place to live and work. “Our anniversary week is an opportunity to both celebrate what we’ve accomplished and welcome even more people to discover us,” says Linda Ilsefjäll, newcomer advisor at Welcome House.

A Gateway to Skövde

Skövde is growing as more people choose to move here, but also as those who move here are given the opportunity to feel at home, make new connections, and become part of the community. That’s where Welcome House comes in.

This is where visitor services and relocation guidance come together under one roof. Anyone considering moving to Skövde can learn more about housing, the job market, education, and life in the city. Those who have recently moved here can get help finding new networks and next steps. At the same time, visitors and Skövde residents can find inspiration for experiences, activities, events, and new sides of Skövde to explore.

Welcome House also organizes activities that bring people together. Language meetups, welcome evenings, career events, and lectures are all ways to lower the barriers to making new connections—and perhaps discover something new along the way.

“Every day, we meet people who are curious about Skövde and everything there is to experience here. Through our lunch lectures, we want to offer knowledge, inspiration, and new perspectives on our city, while also creating opportunities for people to meet,” says Charlotte Schöldström Andersson, visitor guide at Welcome House.

Celebrating two years together

As Welcome House celebrates its second anniversary, it’s doing so in a way that perhaps suits the place best of all: together with others.

September 7–11 will be our anniversary week, featuring an open house, coffee and snacks, games and activities, inspiring lunchtime lectures, and the first “Language & Fika” event of the fall. The theme for the week is hospitality, community, and bringing people together.

Among other things, visitors can learn more about the fascinating history of the plateau mountains and be inspired to explore nature in new ways. But above all, the week is an opportunity to step inside, meet the people behind Welcome House, and perhaps make a new friend.

Because even after two years, the basic idea remains the same: it should be easy to find your way around Skövde—whether you’ve just arrived, are thinking about moving here, are visiting, or have called Skövde home for a long time.

New encounters can be the start of so many things. Let’s connect!

Read more about Welcome House in Skövde >>
Here you can read Skövde stories about what it’s like to be Newcomer to Skövde >>