Stockholm City's real estate councilor Dennis Wedin (M) announced in March 2019 that he wanted the Swedish Academy to start paying rent for Börshuset.
Since 1914, the Swedish Academy has been renting over 2,000 square meters in Börshuset in Stockholm without paying any rent.
The Swedish Academy contradicted by referring to a 100-year-old agreement signed with the city where the academy had already paid the rent and that the agreement would apply "forever".
Can be sold
The City of Stockholm is now opening to sell Börshuset to the academy.
The academy has previously expressed an interest in buying the house.
- Since it has emerged in conversations that there is such an interest, we will of course investigate it, says Dennis Wedin.
The city must make a valuation of Börshuset in order to make a direct sale to the Academy.
As early as 1913, the Swedish Academy wanted to buy Börshuset.
The issue has since been raised politically several times, but no sales have been relevant.
Be ready to sue
In February 2020, the city announced that it was prepared to sue the Swedish Academy for rent.
The lawsuit was completed but was never submitted.
- I have not changed my position, we continue to have the requirement that we want rent and we do not think legally that this agreement holds, but this is an easy way to investigate the issue, says Dennis Wedin, who also points out that they are still prepared to enter into a legal dispute if necessary.
The Swedish Academy's permanent secretary Mats Malm writes to Kulturnyheterna: "We have a good dialogue with the city of Stockholm, but refuse the opportunity to leave detailed comments on the content of the ongoing talks".