59°55N 17°38E, pop (2000e) 179 000. Capital city of Uppsala county, E Sweden, 64 km/40 mi NW of Stockholm; archbishopric; railway; educational centre, with university (1477) and many other academic institutions; engineering, pharmaceuticals, printing; cathedral (13th15th-c), with tombs of Gustavus Vasa and other kings; castle (16th-c).
Uppsala is the capital of Uppsala County (Uppsala Län), and Sweden's ecclesiastical centre, being the seat of Sweden's archbishop since 1164. Uppsala is famous for its university, the
oldest still existing in Scandinavia, founded in 1477 (a Studium Generale was founded in Lund already in 1425).
History
Uppsala was originally located a few kilometers to the north, at a location now known as Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala). (Old) Uppsala was, according to medieval writer Adam of Bremen, the main heathen centre of Sweden, and the Temple at Uppsala contained magnificent idols of the Æsir gods.
As a replacement for the Scandinavian gods, Uppsala was made into a strong Christian centre. A bishop was soon consecrated, and in 1164 Uppsala was made into an archdiocese, with Stefan, a monk from Alvastra Abbey, being consecrated the first Archbishop of Uppsala and primate of Sweden.
The present-day Uppsala was at that time known as Östra Aros and was a port town of Gamla Uppsala. In 1274, Östra Aros overtook Gamla Uppsala as the main regional center, and when the cathedral of Gamla Uppsala burnt down, the archbishopric was moved to Östra Aros, and the impressive Uppsala Cathedral erected.
Uppsala is the site of the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. Carolus Linnaeus, one of the renowned scholars of Uppsala University, lived in the city for many years, and both his house and garden can still be visited. Uppsala is also the site of the 16th century Uppsala Castle.
Politics
Historically, Uppsala Municipality has been a centre both of conservatism and liberalism, both receiving their ideological nourishment from the University. Today, however, the city is divided between left and right and has since 1994 been governed by a coalition of the Social Democrats, the Left Party and the Green Party until the 2006 elections where the centre-right coalition Alliance for Sweden won not only the national elections but also the regional
The Livets Ord evangelistic church is based in Uppsala.
Geography
Situated on the fertile Uppsala flatlands of muddy soil, the city is featured by the small Fyris River (Fyrisån) flowing through the landscape surrounded by lush vegetation.
Only some 70 kilometers or 40 minutes by train from the capital, many Uppsala residents work in Stockholm.
The commercial centre of Uppsala can best be described as quite compact: While some beautiful buildings remain in the periphery of the central core, especially on the less intensively built western river bank around the cathedral, castle and university, retail commercial activity is geographically focused to a minor number of blocks around the pedestrianized streets and main square, an area which was subject to large-scale post-World War II metamorphosis during the economically booming years in the 1960s in particular.
Economy
Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.
GE Healthcare Pfizer (see Pharmacia) Fresenius Slotts (food manufacturer, including mustard) Lindvalls kaffe (coffee manufacturer) Headquarters of MySQL AB Q-Med (bioscience)Universities
Uppsala University Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU, Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet, main campus)Sites of interest
The Fyris river neatly divides the city into two different parts: the historic quarter to the west of the river and the administrative, residential and commercial area to the east.
The most outstanding building in Uppsala is the Domkyrka (Uppsala Cathedral), Scandinavia's largest church (118.70m high), which is visible from most parts of town.
Not very far from the University stands the Uppsala University Library (Carolina Rediviva), also the largest library in Sweden, with over 2 million volumes and some 30,000 manuscripts.
5km north of Uppsala lies Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala), the location of the medieval village of Uppsala.
Notable natives
Olaus Rudbeckius Carolus Linnaeus Anders Celsius Jöns Jakob Berzelius Anders Jonas Ångström Dag Hammarskjöld Ingmar Bergman Carl-Johan Fogelklou Arvid Carlsson Hans Blix Svante Arrhenius Roine Stolt Stefan Eriksson GhostriderOf these, Celsius, Arrhenius, Bergman, Carlsson, Blix, and Eriksson were born in Uppsala.
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