Birgitta Hambraeus in english
Birgitta Hambraeus, founder of Hamregården and a Member of Parliament known for her strong engagement in the debate on nuclear power.
Center Party politician Birgitta Hambraeus at the podium. Photo: Kristina Arnoldsson.
Birgitta Hambraeus, born on 11 April 1930 in Västerås, is known for her strong engagement in the debate on nuclear power and for her outspoken criticism of Sweden's membership in the European Union.
She served as a Member of Parliament for the Centre Party from 1971 to 1998, representing the Kopparberg County constituency. During her time in the Riksdag, she was active in several parliamentary committees, including those on civil affairs, social insurance, industry, foreign affairs, and the constitution.
Upon entering Parliament in 1971, she was tasked by the Centre Party with responsibility for nuclear energy issues, which led her to become a prominent figure in the anti-nuclear movement. She also played an active role in the popular movement “No to the EU” ahead of the 1994 referendum.
In a newspaper interview, when asked why she chose to engage in politics and public affairs, she replied:
“I did so after reading Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring. That’s when I truly realized one cannot remain a bystander – you have to get involved in society and its development. We can’t blame others; we must take responsibility ourselves. We only have one life, and we should do as much good as possible with it."
In 1998, she received the Träskopriset (“Clog Prize”) from the Danish People's Movement against the EU for “long and dedicated service.” Other Swedish recipients include Astrid Lindgren and P.O. Enquist.
After leaving parliament, Hambraeus remained politically active. After leaving the Centre Party in 2009, Hambraeus joined Junilistan, a Eurosceptic political party. In later years, she became active within the Social Democratic Party.
In addition to her political career, Birgitta Hambraeus has written several books, including the autobiography Att göra uppror i riksdagen (To Rebel in Parliament, 2009) and Slutbok (Closing the Books, 2017).
Photo: Berth Nordlund.
Together with her husband, Olof Hambraeus, Birgitta ran Hamregården, a youth camp that Olof founded in 1946 in Hornberga. The camp welcomed young people, primarily from urban areas, who were given the opportunity to help out on the farm and take responsibility for various tasks. They also went on exciting excursions in the surrounding area. During school holidays, as many as 60 participants could attend at once, and by the time the camp closed in 2018, more than 15,000 young people had experienced life at Hamregården.
Sources: Orsa Municipality’s image archive, SeWiki, Wikipedia, Dala-Demokraten, Sveriges Radio, the Swedish Parliament’s open data, hamregarden.se.