The Society of Swedish Walloon Descendants was formed in 1938 and has its seat in Stockholm. Its primary purposes are to spread knowledge about the contributions of Walloon immigrants to Sweden’s economic and cultural history and to support research in that field. The society also arranges various kinds of events for its members, participates in the preservation of remnants of Walloon culture in Sweden and develops and maintains genealogical contacts with individuals, organisations and institutions in Sweden and Walloonia.
Membership is open not only to Walloon descendants but to anyone who has an interest in Walloon heritage and culture or wishes to support the society. Our steadily growing membership, which currently numbers 1,200, comes from all parts of Sweden and, to a minor extent, also from other countries.
Among the activities the society arranges for its members might be mentioned excursions
to places of historical or cultural interest, lectures and seminars on Walloon history
and a late-autumn membership party.
Genealogical research is another important area of activity and regular meetings are held
for both for researchers specialising in specific Walloon families and those focusing on more
general aspects of Walloon history. The society has published a number of genealogical reports
and arranged several journeys to Belgium and Walloonia, most recently in 1997 and 2003.
The society also publishes ‘Vallonättlingen’, a quadrennial journal containing articles on Walloon history, culture and genealogy and reports from the society’s events.
In 2016 the Society published, in collaboration with Sveriges Släktforskarförbund, the book "Vallonska rötter", as a modern anthology on the Walloons and their establishment in Sweden. Several other books and articles have been published over the years on the Walloon immigration into Sweden, the best-known of which is probably "Vallonerna" by Karl Kilbom from 1958. Other important contributions to our knowledge of the early immigrant families are books by Erik Appelgren and Kjell Lindblom and a doctoral thesis by Berndt Douhan. In addition, many research papers have been published over the years on Walloons in Sweden.
A few films with a Walloon theme have also been produced and Swedish artist Sixten Haage has depicted the work and life of the Walloons in his famous paintings.