Uppsala is a city in the Uppland region north of the Swedish capital of Stockholm. The city had its origins in what is today called Gamla Uppsala, which lies north of the present city. Uppsala became the seat of an archbishop in 1164, and around 1273 the archbishop and the city name Uppsala were moved to Östra Aros, which was located as a river port in the center of today’s Uppsala. A cathedral was built on Domberget at about the same time, and the town developed continuously through new privileges and other things. In Uppsala, Sweden’s first university was founded in 1477 as the second in the Nordics after the Danish Studium Generale in Lund from 1425.

In the 1500s and 1600s, Uppsala flourished, and under Gustav I Vasa, Uppsala’s castle was built from 1549. However, the university was moved to Stockholm for a period, and in 1572 a large fire ravaged it. However, large meetings such as synods and royal councils were held in the city, which regained its importance. In 1702, another major fire hit Uppsala, which resulted in a setback for Uppsala, and after that the city stagnated until the opening of the railway to Uppsala in the 19th century.

Today you can take some lovely walks in Uppsala’s city center with its right-angled streets and along the river Fyris. In the center of the city is Stora Torget square, which with its connected corners is typical of the 17th century, but quite unusual for Sweden. Stora Torget was laid out based on Uppsala’s town plan from 1643, which moved the city center here from nearby Gamla Torget. There are several interesting buildings around the square, such as the former town hall, which was constructed in 1645 and rebuilt to its current appearance in 1883.

From here you can cross Fyris and see Uppsala’s castle, located high above the city on Kasåsen heights. The castle was built from 1549 as a fortification of Uppsala, and since then the castle has been rebuilt on several occasions. Today, the castle is opened as an official residence for the governor of Uppsala County and as a museum. You can visit the Uppsala Art Museum and the historical museum named Vasaborgen.

On the shores of Fyris you can also see Uppsala Cathedral, which is the city’s most famous building. The construction start ed was with the Pope’s permission in 1258 after a fire in the city’s then cathedral. The actual moving of the cathedral took place in 1272-1273, when the first parts of the current church were built. However, it took until the 1430s before the cathedral was completed in its first version. The current church is the result of a major rebuilding in the years 1885-1893, when the western facade with the two tall towers was built. At the same time, the exterior of the church was generally rebuilt in Neo-Gothic style.

Many well-known Swedes are buried in the cathedral, such as Gustav Vasa and Carl von Linné, and there are relics of Erik the Holy in a side chapel in the church. You can see both the impressive building and the church’s museum, the Treasury, located in the northern tower, on a visit. In the collection you can, for example, admire the Danish Queen Margrethe I’s golden dress, which is a spoil of war that the King of Sweden stole from Denmark in 1659.

Uppsala is also known for its university, founded in 1477 by Archbishop Jakob Ulfsson and Sten Sture the Elder. However, the university was closed again in the 16th century during the reign of Gustav Vasa, before it was reopened in 1593. The students over time include several world-famous natural scientists such as Anders Celcius, Carl von Linné and Anders Ångström. The university’s main building is worth seeing. It was completed in 1887 in Roman Renaissance style.

You can also visit the university museum, named Museum Gustavianum, located in the Gustavianum building, which was built from 1622 as a necessary extension of the university’s administration and facilities. In the years 1778-1887, the Gustavianum was the university’s main building, and at the museum you can explore the anatomical theater and the collection called Augsburgska Konstskåpet, which originates from 17th-century Augsburg, and much more.