Uppsala- An afternoon's must see's - Luxury Hotels Group Blog

Many years ago when I was still in high school, I read the ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy by Phillip Pullman and it was the first time I had ever heard the name Uppsala. A few years later in university, I read the ‘Millennium’ trilogy by Stieg Larsson and there was the name again! After hearing the name there was no place I’d rather visit on my last day in Sweden than the country’s fourth largest city.

With an afternoon to spare before my flight back to the Netherlands, my friend Sara and I took a train from Stockholm to Uppsala where I was finally going to see the city I had been so curious about!

Fyris River in Uppsala

We arrived right at about lunchtime and Sara took me to her favourite café called Güntherska, which I highly recommend because it was delicious! It had a selection of pastries, salads, soups, sandwiches.

Güntherska at Uppsala (doesn’t the site make you hungry?!)

The Emblem means that they have catered for the royal family

After a fresh soup and a wrap we were ready to start discovering the sights in the city and began at the Uppsala Castle.

Uppsala Castle (Slott)

The castle is located on the top of a hill called Beacon Ridge and it was built in the 16th century during the reign of Gustav I, playing an important role in history. However, it was damaged in 1702 when there was a city fire. Although they attempted to rebuild it a few years later it was never completed due to lack of funds and that is the castle that still remains now. It now has three museums and is the residency of the County Governor.

Uppsala Castle

Standing on this side of the castle there is a view over the city of Uppsala.

View of Uppsala (not too visible because of the trees)

We also had a clear view of the Musikens hus or house of music which is one of Sweden’s largest conference and congress facilities. Its unique design stands out in the city skyline.

The Black and White building can be easily identified

As we continued to walk around the castle we came across King Jan’s portal. This portal was an entrance to the castle and the beginning of an old road that lead all the way to Stockholm. This portal was also damaged during the city fire; however it was restored to its original state.

King Jan’s Portal at Uppsala Castle

Like many castles, this one is surrounded by several gardens including the County Governor’s gardens on the East (not open to the public) and The Botanical Gardens on the West.

The Botanical Gardens near Uppsala Castle

Almost having made a full circle around the castle, we finally reached the Gunilla Bell, which after the fire, was placed on Styrbiskop to mark the start and end of curfew. The bell still plays a role in current students’ life in the spring. Styrbiskop or Bishop Controller was built when King Gustav I declared himself head of the Swedish church converting it from Catholicism to Protestantism. It is a stronghold facing the Uppsala Cathedral to “control” the bishops.

The Gunilla Bell and the Castle in the background

The cannons facing the Uppsala Cathedral

From the castle we walked down to the Uppsala University Library. This library holds important manuscripts such as the Silver Book or Codex Argenteus that is a 6th century translation of the Bible into Gothic. It is barely readable and is being kept in a dimly lit room to preserve it and unfortunately I could not take a picture.

Uppsala University Library

After the Library we went to see Uppsala University, the oldest university in Sweden and one of the oldest in Scandinavia.

Uppsala University’s beautiful building

The entrance of Uppsala University

Inside there is an engraved phrase that has brought about a lot of discussion.

It says: “To think free is great, but to think right is greater”.

What do you think?

Interior of Uppsala University

A few steps away from the university we were in front of the Uppsala Cathedral.

Uppsala Cathedral is 118.7 meters high making it the largest Church in Scandinavia.

The cathedral was built in the 13th Century originally for the Roman Catholics and was later used by the Protestants. The Cathedral houses the tombs of Sweden’s Monarchs and archbishops as well as chapels. It also contains the only conserved ball gown (Queen Margaret’s dress) from the middle age in the world.

Interior of Uppsala Cathedral

In the present day the cathedral holds services and festivals.

Uppsala Cathedral

The Cathedral is grandly decorated with beautiful windows, lights and its high ceiling.

Chandelier at Uppsala Cathedral

Uppsala Cathedral Interior

There was the possibility to light a candle for those you love, so I did.

Uppsala Cathedral

After the cathedral we were back in the city centre, it is all very close by and I was positively surprised by the city. When I had read about it, it was always described during harsh winters and it was great to be able to compare. Running through the centre of the city is the Fyris River, which I used as a reference point. There are many restaurants and cafés surrounding the river and I can imagine it is extremely busy during the summer.