Local Attractions

Uppsala is Sweden’s fourth largest city. It is situated 20 minutes away from the international airport, Arlanda, and 40 minutes away from Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. Trains to Stockholm Central Station depart every hour.

Uppsala Cathedral in the town centre was consecrated in 1435 and is the largest and tallest cathedral in Scandinavia. Across from the Cathedral square you find Uppsala's oldest university building, Gustavianum, with its Anatomical Theatre and the famous Augsburg art cabinet.

Uppsala also has a magnificent renaissance Castle which was begun in the reign of King Gustav I in the 1540's. Many crucial events, such as the abdication of Queen Christina following her conversion to the Catholic faith in 1654, have taken place here. The Botanical Garden is an integral part of the Castle grounds.

All these historical buildings are situated within a five minute walk from the English Park Campus, the Centre for Humanities, at Uppsala University where the conference takes place. It is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. The university has some 40,000 students (20,000 full time) every year and about 2000 doctoral students of which about 400 receive their doctorates yearly. The university is ranked as Sweden's best university overall, and one of the top hundred in the world.

Uppsala also has the oldest research library in Sweden, Carolina Rediviva, founded in 1620. It holds a large collection of handwritten manuscripts and about 2500 incunabula from the 15th century and earlier. It also holds the famous Codex Argenteus, the Silver Bible, a 6th century Gothic manuscript. One page of this priceless document is on permanent display in the library.

Carl Linneaus, also known as Carl von Linné, the world famous botanist, lived in Uppsala in the 18th century. He laid the foundation for the formal system of naming specific species. Linneaus home and garden in central Uppsala is open to residents and tourists, as well as his summer residence Linneaus Hammarby outside Uppsala.

Outside the city proper there are also many other historical sites of great interest. Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala) was a religious centre as early as in the 3rd century, rich in archaelogical finds and famous for the three burial mounds from the Viking age (6th century). The present church, constructed in the 12th century, stands on the site of an old pagan sanctuary and became the first Archdiocese of Sweden in 1164.

More information on Uppsala can be found at the following web sites:

Uppsala Tourism (Information on Uppsala in English)

A slide show about Uppsala

An overview map of Uppsala

My Home Town. A Personal Account by Gabriella Åhmansson




™ L. M. Montgomery is a trademark of Heirs of L. M. Montgomery Inc.