The tradition of celebrating the date of June the 6th as ‘Swedish National Day’ began in 1916 at the Stockholm Olympic Stadium, in honor of the election of King Gustav Vasa (6 June 1523), an event that signifies the end of the Danish-ruled ‘Kalmar Union’ and the marking of Swedish independence, or the foundation of modern Sweden. Indeed, the event occurred so long ago that it has not as strong a presence in the social consciousness as does, for example, the Norwegian Constitution Day, ‘Syttende mai’. Although the national day is celebrated on 6 June, it is actually wrong due to the Julian calendar which was in use before 1582: the anniversary of the election of King Gustav Vasa should be celebrated on 16 June, rather than 6 June. In 2005, it became an official Swedish public holiday, replacing Whit Monday and among the newer traditions that were introduced is an invitation from the King to the public to visit large parts of Stockholm Palace all day without the usual entry fees. Read more: National Day of Sweden