Making Swede music in Malmö: What you should know about the Eurovision host city

The city of Malmö will take centre stage when it hosts the finals of this year's Eurovision Song Contest this weekend.

It's not the first time Sweden's third largest city has provided the backdrop for the crooning competition, after putting on the show in 1992.

Camping out in Malmo: Romania's Cezar performs during the second semi-final of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest at the city's Opera Hall

While all eyes will be on veteran Welsh songstress Bonnie Tyler, representing Britain with her track Believe In Me, viewers might be weighing up Malmö's talents in the travel stakes, too.

Here's five things every Eurovision aficionado should know about this southern Swedish dish of a destination: 

Twist and shout: The Turning Tower dominates Malmö's skyline and right, Belarus' Aljona Lanskaja has a ball during the first semi-final 

Hit the high notes

Malmö is home to the descriptively named Turning Torso, said to be Sweden's loftiest building at 190 metres. From afar, it looks like an architectural whirlwind. The 54-storey structure - located in the city's renovated Western Harbour - is made up of nine cubes which make a 90-degree twist as they soar upwards. The building includes ten floors of office space, 147 apartments and meeting rooms on the two floors at the top. Visitwww.hsb.se/malmo/turningtorso./in-english.

Dane attraction

If contestants feel like making a week of it, in Malmö you get two destinations for the price of one. Sort of. The 16km Öresund Bridge - opened in 2000 - connects Sweden and Denmark via Malmö and Copenhagen. The crossing is for both rail and road traffic and consists of a tunnel, bridge and artificial island. The train journey takes around 35 minutes and 10 minutes by car. For prices, visit http://uk.oresundsbron.com.

Taken as red: Malmöhus Castle is home to a number of cultural attractions

Herb is the word

Should Eurovision’s stars get peckish after the show, they’re well placed. Malmö has an interesting and growing culinary scene. Eco-friendly Salt & Brygga serves seasonal food in an environmentally conscious setting – the entire restaurant has been decorated using recycled materials. Malmö was also the first landing point for dill, arguably the most important herb in Scandinavian cooking. It found its way across continents from India and takes its name from the Old Norse word dilla, which means ‘to lull’. 

Kings of the Castle

Malmöhus, claimed to be Scandinavia´s oldest surviving Renaissance castle, resides in Malmö. What you see today is a 16th century makeover of an early 15th century fortification constructed by Eric of Pomerania, the king of a once unified Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The building has served as a Medieval mint and place of execution in the 19th century. Today, it is a cultural hub, home to a number of attractions including the Malmö Konstmuseum and Aquarium. (http://www.malmotown.com/en/category/do/art-culture/#malmo-museums)

Making the link: The Öresund Bridge connects Malmö with Copenhagen

Lazy days: Ribersborg beach is one of Malmö's attractions