The city of learning on the idyllic Fyrisan River long remained a small town despite becoming the seat of the archbishop in 1258, having the first university in Scandinavia in 1477 and being the venue for parliaments and coronations. Scientists such as Carl von Linne and Anders Celsius gained the university worldwide glory, but as late as 1800 the town had only 4,000 inhabitants. It was not until twentieth century industrialization and the expansion in education that Uppsala grew into Sweden’s fourth largest city. The Gothic cathedral, castle, historic university buildings, botanical gardens and ancient Gamla Uppsala make this one of Sweden’s foremost sights.

Domkyrkan

The first sight on approaching Uppsala is the 660-feet high twin spires of the largest cathedral in the Nordic region. The building, with its impressive, colonnaded Gothic nave, was consecrated in 1435. many monarchs have been crowned here and kings Gustav Vasa and Johann III, as well as botanist Carl von Linne and theosophist Emanuel Swedenborg, are buried here.