Uppsala

Uppsala

Uppsala (/ˈʊpsɑːlə, ˈʌp-/, also US: /-sələ, ˈuːpsɑːlə, ʊpˈsɑːlə/ or all with the ending /-sɑːlɑː/, Swedish: [ˈɵ̂pːˌsɑːla] (listen); archaically spelled Upsala) is the county seat of Uppsala County and the fourth-largest city in Sweden after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. In 2019, it had a population of 177,074.

Located 71 km (44 miles) north of the capital Stockholm, Uppsala serves as the seat of Uppsala Municipality. Since 1164, Uppsala has been the ecclesiastical centre of Sweden and the seat of the Archbishop of the Church of Sweden. Uppsala Cathedral, the largest in Scandinavia, is located here, where Swedish monarchs were often crowned until the late 19th century.

Uppsala Castle, built on the site of the former residence of the archbishop by King Gustav Vasa, served as one of the royal residences of Swedish monarchs. It underwent multiple expansions over its history, making Uppsala Sweden's second capital during its greatest extent. Today, it serves as the residence of the governor of Uppsala County.

Founded in 1477, Uppsala University is the oldest institution of higher learning in Scandinavia. Notable scholars associated with the city include Anders Celsius, inventor of the Celsius temperature scale, and Carl Linnaeus, the father of taxonomy.

Other prominent figures from Uppsala include filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, diplomat Dag Hammarskjöld, chemists Jöns Jacob Berzelius and Svante Arrhenius, actress Viveca Lindfors, and singer Malena Ernman.

History of Uppsala

Pre-Christian Uppsala (Prehistory–1087)

The area where Uppsala is situated is a fertile plain, intersected by the Uppsalaåsen ridge and the Fyris River. In prehistoric times, much of the area was below sea level. Early settlements were established in Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala), about 5 km (3 miles) north of the present city. By the 3rd and 4th centuries, Old Uppsala became an important religious and political centre, home to the Pagan Temple of Uppsala and the Thing of All Swedes.

According to the mythological Heimskringla, the city was founded during the reign of Augustus by the pagan god Freyr.

Medieval Uppsala (1087–1520)

In 1087, the Temple of Uppsala was burned as part of the Christianization of Sweden. In 1164, Old Uppsala became the seat of the Swedish archbishopric. Due to post-glacial rebound, the Fyris River north of Kvarnfallet in present-day Uppsala was no longer navigable by the 6th century. The modern city of Uppsala was founded as a port town for Old Uppsala under the name Aros. Over time, the port town outgrew Old Uppsala, which became increasingly isolated. In 1273, the archbishopric moved from Old Uppsala to Aros, adopting the name Uppsala. Following this, construction of Uppsala Cathedral began, which was completed in 1435.

In 1477, Uppsala University was established by papal bull, becoming the first university in Northern Europe.

Vasa Era (1520–1702)

In 1523, Gustav Vasa took power in Sweden. During his reign, Uppsala experienced a significant decline. The religious city suffered greatly from his reforms, and the university was closed due to lack of funding. As part of the Protestant Reformation, much of the ecclesiastical power shifted to Stockholm. To demonstrate his authority, King Gustav began constructing a large fortress on Uppsalaåsen in 1549, now known as Uppsala Castle.

Several important church councils were held in Uppsala during the 16th century. The Synod of Uppsala in 1593 declared the Augsburg Confession as the sole religious doctrine and led to the reopening of the university. However, it would take several decades for the university to fully resume its operations.

During Sweden's Great Power Era, Uppsala flourished and was regarded as the second capital of the empire. Generous donations from King Gustavus Adolphus led to a renaissance for the university. In the 1620s, the Gustavianum, a new university main building, was constructed, and in 1622, the world's first chair in political science was established. In 1663, student nations were legally recognized, and a system to train military and civil servants was introduced.

In 1643, the first city plan for Uppsala was adopted, leading to the demolition of the medieval city and the construction of a new grid layout. The area near the cathedral was excluded from this plan, preserving the city's oldest surviving buildings.

On 16 May 1702, much of Uppsala was destroyed in a great fire, severely damaging the cathedral. The rebuilding process took decades, and the city lost its status as Sweden's second capital.

 

The Age of Liberty and the Gustavian Era (1702–1809)

Uppsala was heavily influenced by the ideals of the Enlightenment. Many of Sweden's most significant Enlightenment figures lived and worked in the city, including mathematician Samuel Klingenstierna, astronomer Anders Celsius, physician Nils Rosén von Rosenstein, biologist Carl von Linné (Linnaeus), and humanist and linguist Johan Ihre.

In the 18th century, the bourgeois trading city declined due to competition from the growing capital, Stockholm. The university also suffered a setback towards the end of the century as many of its prominent scholars passed away and the French Revolution caused political unrest across Europe.

Uppsala During the Union Era (1809–1905)

In the early 19th century, the university was heavily influenced by the ideals of Romanticism. A group of intellectuals in the city, including Per Daniel Amadeus Atterbom, Lorenzo Hammarsköld, and Erik Gustaf Geijer, became known as the Romantics of Uppsala. Conversely, during the latter half of the century, the university was dominated by scientific ideals. Between 1820 and 1870, the number of students at the university tripled, from 500 to 1,500. Women were allowed to study at the university from 1870, and in 1872 Betty Pettersson became the first woman in Sweden to earn a university degree.

Numerous university buildings were constructed during this period. In 1841, the new university library, Carolina Rediviva, was inaugurated. The university hospital opened in 1867, and in 1887, King Oscar II of Sweden inaugurated the main university hall. During these years, student nations also acquired their own buildings. Uppsala hosted the Nordic student meetings in 1843, 1856, and 1875.

In 1866, the main train station in Uppsala was opened, enabling significant industrialization in the city. Although the region lacked typical natural resources like ore and timber, the soil was fertile, leading to the growth of the food industry and brick production from the clay soil.

These factors contributed to a significant population increase in the city. Between 1870 and 1900, the population doubled from 11,433 to 22,818. For the first time, the city expanded beyond the original city grid established in 1643, extending into the districts of Luthagen and Svartbäcken to the north and Vaksala to the east.

The War Period (1905–1945)

In 1921, Uppsala became home to the Statens institut för rasbiologi (State Institute for Racial Biology), the world’s first state-run institution dedicated to eugenics. The pro-Nazi physician Herman Bernhard Lundborg was appointed as its first director, but after his dismissal in 1936 and replacement by Gunnar Dahlberg, the institute shifted toward a less racist and more medical and statistical direction. In 1939, the Bollhusmötet ("Ball House Meeting") took place in Uppsala. Organized by the university’s student union, the majority of attendees officially protested the admission of ten Jewish academic refugees from Nazi Germany.

During the war, the university's Faculty of Philosophy grew, and new disciplines such as archaeology, art history, and modern languages were introduced. Notable professors of this era included The Svedberg, Arne Tiselius, Harald Hjärne, Adolf Noreen, and Nathan Söderblom. Axel Hägerström and his students introduced a meta-ethical, emotivist perspective called Uppsalafilosofin (the Uppsala School of Philosophy), which influenced legal theory development in the Uppsalaskolan (Uppsala School). Between 1880 and 1945, the number of students at the university tripled from 1,500 to 4,500, making Uppsala one of Sweden’s fastest-growing cities.

Modern Uppsala (1945–Present)

In the post-war period, Uppsala underwent extensive urban renewal. Unlike many other European countries, Sweden did not participate in World War II, leaving its pre-war infrastructure intact. However, due to the need for renovations and modernist ideals, much of the old city was demolished, and a new city center was constructed in a modernist and functionalist style. As in 1643, the area around the cathedral was preserved.

Between 1940 and 1990, the population of Uppsala Municipality more than doubled, growing from 74,000 to 156,000. This necessitated city expansion, enabled by the post-war economic boom. During the Million Programme era of the 1960s and 1970s, several new districts, including Flogsta, Gottsunda, Nyby, Sunnersta, and Gränby, were built.

The number of university students increased rapidly, from 8,000 in 1960 to 21,000 in 1970. During the tenure of Rector Torgny T

Segerstedt (1955–1978), more students were admitted to the university than in its entire previous history. At the same time, Uppsala experienced significant deindustrialization as many of its 19th-century businesses closed.

 

In 2011, the population of Uppsala Municipality surpassed 200,000.

 

Geography

Uppsala is situated on the fertile Uppsala Plain with its clay-rich soil. The small Fyris River (Fyrisån) runs through the city, surrounded by lush vegetation. Parallel to the river is the Uppsalaåsen glacial ridge, rising about 30 metres high. Uppsala Castle sits atop the ridge, offering views over large parts of the city. The central park, Stadsskogen (literally "City Forest"), stretches from the southern part of the city far into the urban area, providing accessible recreational spaces for many residential neighbourhoods.

Located about 70 kilometres (approximately a 40-minute train ride) from the capital, Stockholm, many Uppsala residents commute there for work. The train journey to Stockholm-Arlanda Airport takes only 17 minutes, making the city easily accessible by air.

Uppsala’s commercial centre is relatively compact. The city historically has a marked class division: clergy, nobility, and academics have long resided in Fjärdingen, on the west bank of the river, slightly separated from the rest of the city. This area, featuring the cathedral, castle, and university buildings, remains largely untouched. While some historical buildings have survived on the outskirts of the central core, retail activity is concentrated in a small number of blocks around the pedestrian streets and main square on the east side of the river. This area underwent significant transformation during the economic boom of the 1960s. In recent decades, much of the retail sector has moved to shopping centres and stores on the outskirts of the city. Meanwhile, the built-up areas have expanded significantly, and some suburbanization has taken place.

Climate

Uppsala lies just south of the 60th parallel and has a humid continental climate (Dfb), characterised by cold winters and warm summers. Due to its northern location, Uppsala experiences over 18 hours of daylight during the summer solstice and less than 6 hours during the winter solstice. Despite its northern latitude, Uppsala's winters are not as harsh as those in cities on similar latitudes, largely thanks to the Gulf Stream. For example, Uppsala has a January average daily temperature of -2.7°C, compared to -22.4°C in Fort Smith, Canada, which is on the same latitude.

Temperature records show significant variation between extremes. The highest recorded temperature in Uppsala is 37.4°C on 9 July 1933. On the same day, 38°C was measured in Ultuna, a few kilometres south of Uppsala's centre, the highest temperature ever recorded on the Scandinavian Peninsula (matched 14 years later in Målilla, Sweden). The lowest recorded temperature in Uppsala is -39.5°C on 24 January 1875. The second-lowest recorded temperature is -33.1°C, making the lowest record particularly difficult to break, as temperatures today rarely drop below -30°C. The difference between the highest and lowest records is a striking 76.9°C.

The warmest month on record is July 2018, with an average daily temperature of 22.0°C. Since 2002, Uppsala has had six months where the average daily temperature exceeded 20°C, most recently in July 2018. The coldest recorded month was January 1814, with an average daily temperature of -14.9°C. Between 1814 and 1987, there were 23 months with average temperatures below -10°C, but the coldest month since February 1987 was -8.6°C. The warmest year on record was 2014, with an average temperature of 8.1°C, followed by 2018 at 8.0°C. Since 1991, 15 years in Uppsala have had an average temperature of 7°C or warmer. The coldest year on record was 1867, with an average of 2.5°C, and 1987 was the last year with an average temperature below 5°C.

Winters typically begin in late November and last until mid-March, followed by spring. Summers usually arrive in mid-May and continue until late September, followed by autumn. The majority of precipitation falls between June and November, with all these months receiving an average of 50 mm or more. August is the wettest month, with an average of 74 mm of precipitation. From January to May, precipitation decreases slightly, with all months receiving less than 40 mm on average. The annual precipitation is 576 mm (22.6 inches). Rainfall can occur throughout the year, though January and February are less rainy. Snowfall primarily occurs between November and March, with occasional snow in October and April. On 30 April–1 May 2014, Uppsala received about 15 cm of snow, the first recorded snowfall in May since 1981. Uppsala typically has about 100 days of snow cover annually.

Economy

Uppsala has developed economically in various fields. Today, the city is well-established in medical research and known for its leading position in biotechnology. Key companies in Uppsala include:

  • Abbott Medical Optics (AMO)
  • Cytiva
  • Pfizer (formerly Pharmacia)
  • Phadia, a spin-off of Pharmacia, now part of Thermo Fisher Scientific
  • Fresenius
  • Q-Med (biosciences)
  • Biotage
  • Skandion Kliniken, a proton therapy centre

     

    Higher Education

    Universities

    • Uppsala University: Founded in 1477 under Bishop Jakob Ulvsson, it was originally a Catholic institution. After limited activity following the Reformation, it was reorganized as a Lutheran institution in 1595 following the Synod of Uppsala in 1593. The university features a renowned anatomical theater built by scientist and polymath Olof Rudbeck (1630–1702) in the old university building Gustavianum, now a museum. The university is home to 13 student organizations, called "nations," traditionally representing geographic regions of Sweden.
    • Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU): The main campus is located in Uppsala.

    Other Institutions

    • Johannelund Theological Seminary: A Lutheran theological seminary founded in 1862 and relocated to Uppsala in 1970.
    • Newman Institute: A Catholic institution established in 2001.
    • Pingströrelsens Teologiska Seminarium: A Pentecostal theological seminary not accredited by the Swedish Higher Education Authority and unable to confer Swedish academic degrees.
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