Nordic Nations Share Embassy

In the biggest display of royalty in Berlin in years, heads of state from across northern Europe descended on Germany's new capital Tuesday to dedicate a first-of-its-kind embassy for all five Nordic countries.

Berlin is undergoing a wave of embassy transfers as diplomats follow the German government's return from Bonn to its prewar capital 10 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

In a unique money-saving move, the Nordic nations decided to share a space. The site is where Sweden and Finland had their prewar embassies, which were destroyed in 1943.

"There is an old tradition of cooperation between the Nordic countries," said Grit Thunimann, who works in the press section of the Swedish Embassy. But it's "the first time that all the Nordic countries are building together."

The royal couples of Norway, Denmark and Sweden, along with the presidents of Iceland and Finland, arrived in Berlin on Tuesday for the ceremony.

Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik of Sweden will attend the embassy dedication.

The common building will be open to the public, and host exhibitions and concerts to introduce Germans to Nordic culture.

Shallow pools of water run between the buildings, symbolizing the seas that run between the countries.

The cooperative embassy "will make it possible to communicate efficiently, to help each other," said Fredrik Kirst, desk officer at the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Stockholm.

The Nordic ambassadors plan to hold weekly meetings to discuss issues affecting their relations with Germany.

Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, who also holds the rotating European Union presidency, will be joined at the Wednesday opening by Norway's King Harald V and Queen Sonja, Iceland President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, Denmark's Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik, and Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.

The five flags of their countries will be raised at a ceremony attended by German President Johannes Rau and Foreign Minister Joschka Fisher.