Uppsala Tourist Attractions
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The famous Swedish university town of Uppsala lies 70km/45mi northwest of Stockholm in a fertile plain on the banks of the Fyriså. The river divides the town into two distinct areas - the historic quarter to the west and the commercial area to the east.
Town
Uppsala is made up of two very different parts - the ecclesiastical and academic town to the west of the Fyriså and the central area, with the Town Hall and the shopping and business streets - much altered by new building in the 1960s and 1970s - to the east of the river. Most of the features of interest are in the older part of the town.
Uppsala Cathedral
The Uppsala Cathedral, consecrated in 1435, has seen many alterations over the centuries. The most recent efforts at restoration have focused on restoring the church to its former medieval character.
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Museums
Below the Uppsala Cathedral, on the banks of the Fyriså, is the Uppland Museum (regional history and culture), with interesting models of the Cathedral and the Castle. To the south, in Fyristorg, is the Museum of Art.
Gustavianum
Facing the west end of the Uppsala Cathedral is the Gustavianum (ca. 1620), which was presented to the University by Gustavus Adolphus. It contains the University's cultural history collections, the Museum of Nordic Antiquities and the Victoria Museum (Egyptian antiquities).
Trinity Church
To the south of the Gustavianum in Uppsala is the Trinity Church (Trefaldighetskyrka), the oldest parts of which date from the 12th century (medieval wall paintings).
Uppsala University
The New University buildings in Uppsala's Slottsgatan were erected in 1879-86, in sumptuous style (staircases of green Swedish marble). In the Chancellor's Room is a magnificent carved cabinet from Augsburg. In the University gardens behind the Gustavianum are runic stones and a bronze statue of the historian and poet E. G. Geijer.A number of Chinese dinosaurs can be found in the Paleontological Museum.
University Library
The Uppsala University Library (Carolina Rediviva) is the largest library in Sweden, with over 2 million volumes and some 30,000 manuscripts. Other valuable items are the Codex Upsaliensis (the oldest manuscript of Snorri Sturluson's Younger Edda, ca. 1300), the Decretum Concilii Upsaliensis of 1593, with many signatures, and Olaus Magnus's Carta Marina (a map of northern Europe printed in Venice in 1539). The oldest Swedish printed book is dated 1483.
Uppsala University Library - Codex Argenteus Manuscript
Uppsala's University Library's greatest treasure (in its display collection) is the famous Codex Argenteus, probably written at Ravenna in the reign of Theodoric the Great (sixth C.). It contains the translation of the Gospels by the Gothic bishop Wulfila or Ulfilas (d. 383), written in silver and gold letters on 187 pages of purple parchment, in a 17th century silver binding.
Uppsala Castle
To the south of the Uppsala University Library is the Botanic Garden, and to the southeast, on higher ground, the Castle, begun by Gustavus Vasa in 1548 but only half completed; it now houses the governor's residence, various offices and the provincial archives. Here Eric IV had Count Sture murdered, and here too, in the Great Hall (Rikssalen), Queen Christina abdicated. From the bastions there are fine views of Uppsala and the surrounding countryside. On the northwest bastion is a bell made for Queen Gunilla Bielke which rings daily at 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Behind the Castle is a bust of Gustavus Vasa (by Fogelberg) surrounded by cannon.Southeast of the Castle lies the Municipal Park (summer restaurant).
Cemetery
In the cemetery (Kyrkogård) to the west of Uppsala can be found the grave of Dag Hammarskjöld (1905-61), a former Secretary General of the United Nations.
Stora Torg
From the Uppsala University Library, Drottninggatan runs northeast to the Stora Torg, with the Town Hall (1883). To the east of the square are the Folkets Hus ("People's House") and the Municipal Theater. North of this is the Town House (Stadshus), to the east the railroad station. From the nearby East Station (Uppsala Östra) Sweden's longest old-time railroad runs to Länna.
Linnaean Museum
From the Stora Torg in Uppsala, Svartbäcksgatan runs northwest to the Linnaean Garden (Linnéträdgården), of which the great botanist Linnaeus (Carl von Linné, 1707-78) was curator, with the Linnaean Museum. Linnaeus devised the technical language of botany and the Linnaean system of botanical nomenclature, the binomial system which is still in use.
Walpurgis Night
Walpurgis Night is celebrated annually on April 30, the traditional witches' Sabbath. The night is said to be full of wildness, much like Halloween.Events during the night include a sing-along on the grounds of the Uppsala Castle. This is followed by an outdoor party which usually attracts thousands of students from the region.
Uppsala Carnival
Uppsala Carnival is in June.
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Map of Uppsala Attractions
Map - Uppsala
