Lund (, , ) is a city in the southern Swedish

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

Scania Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conte ...

, across the Öresund strait from

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. The town had 91,940 inhabitants out of a municipal total of 121,510 . It is the seat of

Lund Municipality Lund Municipality ( sv, Lunds kommun) is a municipality in Scania County, southern Sweden. Its seat is the city of Lund. As most municipalities in Sweden, the territory of municipality consists of many former local government units, united in a ...

Scania County Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skåne C ...

. The Öresund Region, which includes Lund, is home to more than 4.1 million people. Archeologists date the foundation of Lund to around 990, when Scania was part of

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. From 1103 it was the seat of the Catholic Metropolitan

Archdiocese of Lund The Diocese of Lund ( sv, Lunds stift) is a diocese within the Church of Sweden which corresponds to the provinces of Blekinge and Skåne. There are 217 parishes within the diocese, the most significant number in any of the dioceses of the Chu ...

, and the towering

Lund Cathedral Lund Cathedral ( sv, Lunds domkyrka) is a cathedral of the Lutheran Church of Sweden in Lund, Scania, Sweden. It is the seat of the Bishop of Lund and the main church of the Diocese of Lund. It was built as the Catholic cathedral of the archiepi ...

, built circa 1090–1145, still stands at the centre of the town. Denmark ceded the city to Sweden in the

Treaty of Roskilde The Treaty of Roskilde (concluded on 26 February ( OS), or 8 March 1658) ( NS) during the Second Northern War between Frederick III of Denmark–Norway and Karl X Gustav of Sweden in the Danish city of Roskilde. After a devastating defeat, ...

in 1658, and its status as part of Sweden was formalised in 1720.

Lund University , motto = Ad utrumque , mottoeng = Prepared for both , established = , type = Public research university , budget = SEK 9 billion Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

's oldest and largest institutions for education and research.Lund University
, ''The Solander Program'' WebsiteUniversities in the Øresund Region
, ''Øresund Entrepreneurship Academy'' Website The university and its buildings dominate much of the centre of the city, and have led to Lund becoming a regional centre for high tech industry.

History

Lund is sometimes mentioned as the oldest town or city in present-day Sweden, although it has only been formally established as such for 300 years of its at least thousand-year history. It is old enough that its origins are unclear, but is presumed to have existed by the end of the

Viking Age The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Ger ...

. Until the 1980s, the town was thought to have been founded around 1020 by either

Sweyn I Forkbeard Sweyn Forkbeard ( non, Sveinn Haraldsson tjúguskegg ; da, Svend Tveskæg; 17 April 963 – 3 February 1014) was King of Denmark from 986 to 1014, also at times King of the English and King of Norway. He was the father of King Harald II of De ...

or his son

Canute the Great Cnut (; ang, Cnut cyning; non, Knútr inn ríki ; or , no, Knut den mektige, sv, Knut den Store. died 12 November 1035), also known as Cnut the Great and Canute, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norway ...

of Denmark. The area was then part of the kingdom of Denmark. But, recent

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

discoveries suggest that the first settlement dated to circa 990, possibly the relocation of settlers at

Uppåkra Uppåkra is a village and parish in Staffanstorp Municipality, in Scania, southern Sweden, located five kilometres south of Lund. The village is known for its Iron Age archaeological site, which has been actively excavated since 1996. History Upp ...

. The Uppåkra settlement dates back to the first century B.C. and its remains are at the present site of the village of Uppåkra. King Sweyn I Forkbeard moved Lund to its present location, a distance of some . The new location of Lund, on a hill and across a

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

, gave the new site considerable defensive advantages in comparison with Uppåkra, situated on the highest point of a large plain. The organisation of the Danish church begun under the rule of

. Lund became the

see See or SEE may refer to: * Sight - seeing Arts, entertainment, and media * Music: ** ''See'' (album), studio album by rock band The Rascals *** "See", song by The Rascals, on the album ''See'' ** "See" (Tycho song), song by Tycho * Television * ...

of one of seven dioceses in 1048. In 1104 it became an archbishopric. Lund's

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...

comprised Scandinavia and even Garðar on Greenland. The diocese of nearby Dalby was absorbed in 1066. Lund Cathedral was similarly founded in or shortly after 1103. In 1152, the

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

archdiocese of Nidaros The Archdiocese of Nidaros (or Niðaróss) was the metropolitan see covering Norway in the later Middle Ages. The see was the Nidaros Cathedral, in the city of Nidaros (now Trondheim). The archdiocese existed from the middle of the twelfth cent ...

was founded as a separate province of the church, independent of Lund. In 1164 Sweden also acquired an archbishop of its own, although he was nominally subordinate to the archbishop of Lund. It is still, as the

diocese of Lund The Diocese of Lund ( sv, Lunds stift) is a diocese within the Church of Sweden which corresponds to the provinces of Blekinge and Skåne. There are 217 parishes within the diocese, the most significant number in any of the dioceses of the Chur ...

, a diocese in the

Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska kyrkan) is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.6 million members at year end 2021, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sw ...

Lund Cathedral School ''(Katedralskolan)'' was founded in 1085 by the Danish king Canute the Saint. This is the oldest school in Scandinavia and one of the oldest in Northern Europe. Many prominent people were educated there, among them the actor

Max von Sydow Max von Sydow ( , ; born Carl Adolf von Sydow; 10 April 1929 – 8 March 2020) was a Swedish-French actor. He had a 70-year career in European and American cinema, television, and theatre, appearing in more than 150 films and several television ...

and several high-ranking politicians. Lund was ceded to Sweden in 1658 as part of the terms of the

. It was recaptured by Denmark in 1676 during the early phases of the

Scanian War The Scanian War ( da, Skånske Krig, , sv, Skånska kriget, german: Schonischer Krieg) was a part of the Northern Wars involving the union of Denmark–Norway, Brandenburg and Sweden. It was fought from 1675 to 1679 mainly on Scanian soil, ...

. The exceptionally bloody

Battle of Lund The Battle of Lund, part of the Scanian War, was fought on December 4, 1676, in an area north of the city of Lund in Scania in southern Sweden, between the invading Danish army and the army of Charles XI of Sweden. The Danish had an army of abo ...

was fought just north of the city in 1676, and ended in a decisive Swedish victory; Swedish control of Scania was confirmed in the

Peace of Lund The Peace of Lund, signed on 16 September ( O.S.) / 26 September 1679, was the final peace treaty between Denmark–Norway and the Swedish Empire in the Scanian War. The war had started when Sweden on French initiative attacked Brandenburg-Prussi ...

later that year. Sweden's control over Scania, and hence Lund, was formalised by treaty in 1720.3 juli 1720 - Riksarkivet - Sök i arkiven
. Sok.riksarkivet.se. Retrieved on 2015-06-24.
. Books.google.dk. Retrieved on 2015-06-24. Scandinavia's first University, the

Academy of Lund The Academy of Lund or Studium generale was the first university in the Nordic countries. It was founded together with the Grey Friars' monastery in the 1400s, when Lund was under Danish rule. In existence for more than a century, the academy was ...

was founded in the 1400s. It was suppressed during the Danish

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

in 1537. The present

Lund University , motto = Ad utrumque , mottoeng = Prepared for both , established = , type = Public research university , budget = SEK 9 billion accidentally bombed by a British aircraft. No deaths were reported, though some people were injured by glass fragments. Over the second half of the 20th century the population of Lund more than doubled, driven in large part by the growth of the university and high tech industries. For example,

Tetra Pak Tetra Pak is a Swedish–Swiss multinational food packaging and processing company with head offices in Lund, Sweden, and Pully, Switzerland. The company offers packaging, filling machines and processing for dairy, beverages, cheese, ice cream ...

, the food packaging and processing company, was founded in Lund in 1952. Suburbs were added to the outer edges of the city: Klostergården,

Norra Fäladen Norra Fäladen is a city district in Lund, Sweden. Most parts of Norra Fäladen were built during the 1960s and 1970s, when there was an extensive program for building new apartments throughout Sweden, called the Million Programme The Millio ...

and Linero in the 1960s, Norra Nöbbelöv in the 1970s, Gunnesbo in the 1980s and Värpinge in the 1990s.

Geography

Lund is located in Sweden's largest agricultural district, in the south-west of Scania, less than from the sandy shore of the Öresund Strait. Its location on the south-facing slope of the Romeleåsen horst leads to the city rising from the low-lying

Höje River Höje River (Swedish: ''Höje å'') is a river in Scania in southern Sweden. It is about 35 km long and flows from the Häckeberga lake in the Lund Municipality and empties into the Øresund Øresund or Öresund (, ; da, Øresund ; sv, � ...

in the south to above

mean sea level There are several kinds of mean in mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. ...

in the north. From the top of the

Sankt Hans Hill Sankt Hans backar is a park and recreational area on a hill located in Lund, Skåne, in the southernmost part of Sweden. The top of the hill reaches above sea level. The hill is mainly artificial but the area has served as a park and recreationa ...

it is possible to see Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. The nearest large Swedish city,

Malmö Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal populat ...

, is about to the south-west. Other Swedish cities are more distant:

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

is away, the capital

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

is distant, and

Umeå Umeå ( , , , locally ; South Westrobothnian: ;). fi, Uumaja; sju, Ubmeje; sma, Upmeje; se, Ubmi) is a city in northeast Sweden. It is the seat of Umeå Municipality and the capital of Västerbotten County. Situated on the Ume River, Ume� ...

lies to the north. The central part of Lund largely retains its medieval street layout. A few buildings from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

remain, including Lund Cathedral,

Liberiet Liberiet is a building in central Lund, Sweden, south of Lund Cathedral Lund Cathedral ( sv, Lunds domkyrka) is a cathedral of the Lutheran Church of Sweden in Lund, Scania, Sweden. It is the seat of the Bishop of Lund and the main church of th ...

St. Peter's Priory ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...

, the restaurant Stäket and Krognoshuset. Many of today's buildings in the centre were constructed in the late 1800s, including Katedralskolan, the

Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America. Grand Hotel may refer to: Hotels Africa * Grande Hotel Beir ...

and the main building and library of Lund University.

City squares

Lund city contains four main city squares that are connected by a number of roads and passages that represent the main city centre containing numerous restaurants, shops and bars. ''Clemenstorget'' is a tree-covered city square located alongside the railway and associated station, hosts a small market and is the central terminus of the city's tramway. ''Bantorget'' is a green park-square close to the central station and Lund's

is placed there. The city hall is located on the main city square - ''Stortorget'' which often features concerts and various cultural and political events. ''Mårtenstorget'' hosts the Lund Market Hall, has many restaurants, food trucks and bars around it and serves as a market square during the daytime. In earlier times the square was used as a cattle market and was known as "Oxtorget". Smaller city squares in Lund include Domkyrkoplatsen, Petriplatsen, Västra stationstorget, Sockertorget and Knut den Stores Torg.

Parks and nature

Lund's most central park is Lundagård, which, along with the adjoining University square, forms the centre of the University. The park is dominated by historic buildings including Lund Cathedral,

Lund University Main Building The main building of the Lund University (''Universitetshuset'' in Swedish) was designed by architect Helgo Zettervall and inaugurated by King Oscar II in 1882. Construction began in 1874, when the old main building Kungshuset had become too small ...

, and

Kungshuset Kungshuset, the "King's House", is a building in Lund in Sweden, built by the king of Denmark, Danish king Frederick II of Denmark, Frederick II between 1578 and 1584 and originally intended as the residence for the bishop of Lund. After the sece ...

. The trees of the park are home to a large colony of

rook Rook (''Corvus frugilegus'') is a bird of the corvid family. Rook or rooks may also refer to: Games *Rook (chess), a piece in chess *Rook (card game), a trick-taking card game Military *Sukhoi Su-25 or Rook, a close air support aircraft * USS ' ...

s. The much larger main city park (Stadsparken) is located in the south-west corner of the city center. The site was used for the Lund Exhibition in 1907 and subsequently developed into a public park between 1909 and 1911. The park contains planted gardens, a small lake, a children's playground and

bandstand A bandstand (sometimes music kiosk) is a circular, semicircular or polygonal structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts. A simple construction, it both creates an orname ...

s, as well as the public swimming center Högevallsbadet and the former buildings of

Lund Observatory Lund Observatory is the official English name for the astronomy department at Lund University. Between 1867-2001 "Lund Observatory" was also the name of the Observatory building, which is now referred to as the "Lund Old Observatory". As of Janu ...

. It also has a menagerie that houses different varieties of birds. Other significant areas of greenery in the city include the

Botanical Garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

(Botaniska trädgården) and

in the north of the city. The nature preserve Rinnebäck Gorge (Rinnebäcksravinen), The Källby dams (Källby dammar) and the community park Folkparken are located in the western part of the city. The nature preserve Nöbbelövs Marshland (Nöbbelövs mosse) is located in the northwest of the city. Popular places for swimming close to the city are the beaches in neighboring

Lomma Lomma () is a locality and the seat of Lomma Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden. In 2020 it had 13,772 inhabitants. History Lomma was mentioned in a deed of Cnut the great under the name ''Lumaby'' in the year 1085. Skåne's cultural centre ...

Bjärred Bjärred (, outdatedly ) is a coastal locality situated in Lomma Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden. It is situated about 20 km north of Malmö, 10 km west of Lund and 5 km north of Lomma village. With 9,874 inhabitants in 2016, it ...

and

and lakes such as the nature preserve Billebjer and the Dalby quarry (Dalby stenbrott) in the eastern countryside of the city.

Climate

Lund, like the rest of far southern Sweden, has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

. The climate is relatively mild compared to other locations at similar latitudes, or even somewhat further south, mainly because of its proximity to the sea. Because of Lund's northerly latitude, daylight lasts as long as 17 hours at midsummer, and only around 7 hours in mid-winter. Summers are warm and pleasant with average high temperatures of and lows of around , but temperatures often exceed and heat waves are common during the summer. Winters are quite chilly, with temperatures steady between . Lund has arguably the mildest climate of the country in average highs. In terms of yearly means and average lows

Falsterbo Falsterbo (, outdatedly ) is a town located at the south-western tip of Sweden in Vellinge Municipality in Skåne. Falsterbo is situated in the southern part of the Falsterbo peninsula. It is part of Skanör med Falsterbo, one of Sweden's historica ...

is marginally milder. Rainfall is light to moderate throughout the year with an average of 169 wet days. Snowfall occurs sparingly, mainly from December to March, but snow cover does not typically remain for a long time, and some winters are virtually free of snow.

Demographics

The population of the city has increased steadily over the last century. Of the inhabitants of the municipality, 18.8% were reported to have been born outside of Sweden in 2014.

Lund University , motto = Ad utrumque , mottoeng = Prepared for both , established = , type = Public research university , budget = SEK 9 billion Lund is governed by Lund Municipality. The municipality is responsible for the city of Lund, nearby settlements including Dalby,

Södra Sandby Södra Sandby () is the second largest locality in Lund Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 6,136 inhabitants in 2010. It is situated about 10 kilometers east of Lund and 30 kilometers northeast of Malmö. The Sandbian Age of the Ordovician P ...

and

Veberöd Veberöd () is a locality situated in Lund Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of Swed ...

, and the surrounding countryside. It reached its current form in 1974 following the absorption of a number of nearby municipalities. In 2014 the city itself was officially divided into 14 administrative divisions.Nova försvinner när stadsdelar blir officiella
- Sydsvenskan 1 oktober 2014 The municipality is governed by a municipal assembly () of 65 members, who elect a municipal executive committee () of 13 members. the mayor and chairman of the executive committee () has been Philip Sandberg of the Liberals.

Education

Lund University

The university dominates much of the centre of Lund. It was founded in 1666 following the transfer of Scania to Sweden under the Treaty of Roskilde and is the second-oldest university in Sweden after

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in opera ...

. Its traditional centre is in Lundagård park but stretches out towards the north east of the city where the large

engineering faculty Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more specializ ...

is located. Today, Lund University is one of northern Europe's largest, with eight faculties, 41,000 students and over 2,000 separate courses. It is and has consistently ranked in the world top 100 universities and is a member of the

League of European Research Universities The League of European Research Universities (LERU) is a consortium of European research universities. History and overview The League of European Research Universities (LERU) is an association of research-intensive universities. Founded in 2002 ...

as well as the global

Universitas 21 Universitas 21 (U21) is an international network of research-intensive universities. Founded in Melbourne, Australia in 1997 with 11 members, it has grown to include twenty-eight member universities in nineteen countries and territories. The uni ...

network.

Other educational institutions

Katedralskolan, the cathedral school, founded in 1085, is the oldest school in Scandinavia. Today it is a high gymnasium with about 1,400 students studying in five different programmes. The

Royal Swedish Physiographic Society The Royal Physiographic Society in Lund ( sv, Kungliga Fysiografiska Sällskapet i Lund), is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, Royal Academies in Sweden. It was founded in Lund, on December 2, 1772, and received a Royal Charter by Gustav III of Sw ...

is a learned society based in Lund.

Culture

Majsång på Lunds universitets trappa 2005

The culture in Lund is characterised by the university education and research, and the large student population and student traditions, such as a student theatre group since 1886. A substantial part of the student night-life is located at student fraternities called 'Nations'. Lund Cathedral, the former

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and the now

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

in Lund, is the seat of the

bishop of Lund List of (arch)bishops of Lund. Until the Danish Reformation the centre of a great Latin (arch)bishopric, Lund has been in Sweden since the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658. The Diocese of Lund is now one of thirteen in the Church of Sweden. Cathol ...

of the Church of Sweden. Lund also has a city theatre (though without a professional local ensemble of its own) and a number of other places for concerts and theatres.

Literature, theatre and cinema

Numerous prominent figures from the literary world lived and worked in Lund, often in association with the university and theatre. Prominent examples include Esias Tegnér, writer, poet and bishop, and

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...

, playwright, novelist and poet. A longer list is given below with other notable natives. The Lund novel is a genre in its own right, a

bildungsroman In literary criticism, a ''Bildungsroman'' (, plural ''Bildungsromane'', ) is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood ( coming of age), in which character change is impo ...

in which a young student experiences life in Lund, Copenhagen and sometimes

Österlen Österlen () ( da, Østerlen) is a region in the southeast of the Swedish province of Scania (Skåne). Historically, the region was shared between the counties of Kristianstad and Malmöhus for a small part in the southwest, until Skåne County wa ...

whilst maturing as an individual. The Lund novel is exemplified by the work of

Fritiof Nilsson Piraten Fritiof Nilsson Piraten ("the Pirate") (4 December 1895 in Vollsjö – 31 January 1972 in Malmö), born Nils Fritiof Adam Nilsson was a Sweden, Swedish author and lawyer, from the south-most province Skåne, which plays an important role in ma ...

and

Frank Heller Frank Heller was the pen name of the Swedish writer Gunnar Serner (20 July 1886 - 14 October 1947), (aged 61). He wrote a string of light books about shady business transactions in an international milieu. His best known works concerned the recur ...

. The spex are a form of student theatre particular to Nordic universities, with a strong tradition in Lund. They are parodistic musical plays, often setting well-known music to new lyrics and mixing up the historical and the present in unconventional intrigues. Comedians

Hans Alfredson Hans Folke "Hasse" Alfredson (28 June 1931 – 10 September 2017) was a Swedish actor, film director, writer, and comedian. He was born in Malmö, Sweden. He is known for his collaboration with Tage Danielsson as the duo Hasse & Tage and their p ...

and

Anders Jansson Lars ''Anders'' Jansson, (born 9 October 1967 in Staffanstorp), is a Swedish comedian known for such TV-shows as Hipp Hipp and the Swedish version of QI. Jansson, as well as his close companion Johan Wester, started out his entertaining caree ...

started their careers in the Lund spex. The concluding scenes in

Ingmar Bergman Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film director, screenwriter, Film producer, producer and playwright. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time, his films are known ...

's classic film '' Wild Strawberries'' are set in Lund. The Lund International Architecture Film Festival is held annually in the autumn.

Museums

Lund hosts the largest open-air museum of Scania,

Kulturen Kulturen () is an open air museum in Lund in Lund, Sweden. Occupying two blocks in central Lund, Kulturen is Sweden's and the world's second oldest open-air museum after Skansen in Stockholm. It contains historic buildings, dating from the Midd ...

. Kulturen is the second oldest dedicated

open-air museum An open-air museum (or open air museum) is a museum that exhibits collections of buildings and artifacts out-of-doors. It is also frequently known as a museum of buildings or a folk museum. Definition Open air is “the unconfined atmosphere� ...

in the world. Founded in 1892 by Georg Karlin, it consists of more than 30 buildings, as well as collections exhibiting Scanian art, crafts, local archaeology and history. Several museums are attached to the university. The Lund University Historical Museum is based in the Lundagård park. Its exhibitions were updated in 2018 and cover the history, archeology and zoology of Scania. There is a separate Lund Cathedral museum. The

Museum of Sketches for Public Art The Museum of Sketches for Public Art (Swedish ''Skissernas museum - Arkiv för dekorativ konst'', also known in English as the ''Archive of Decorative Art'') is an art museum at Lund University in Sweden, dedicated to the collection and displa ...

is a unique museum that documents the development of public artworks. The Vattenhallen Science Center, connected to the university's engineering faculty, has an interactive presentation of science and research.

Lundakarnevalen

The Lund

carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

has been held every four years since the mid-nineteenth century: traditional accounts say it originated at a wedding in 1849 (the four-year intervals place the party in 2002, 2006, 2010, etc.). Arranged by the students of the university, from the 1950s onwards the event has grown in size and intensity (with some 5,500 volunteers 2010), but it remains an amateur event. Midway between a music and stage fair, a city festival, and an outpouring of satire, parody and general madness. Some students dress up in costumes, often relating to and poking fun at current issues, and parade in wagons. Others perform humorous skits in the evenings. The carnival revues and other stage entertainments have launched a number of well-known entertainers and actors over the years.

Music

Lund has long been a regional centre for classical and church music. In particular, Lund is renowned for its vibrant amateur choir scene, with choirs such as Carolinae damkör, Domkyrkokören, Katedralkören, Lunds akademiska kör, Lund Chamber Choir (Swedish: ''Lunds Kammarkör''),

Lunds Studentsångförening Lund University Male Voice Choir ( sv, Lunds Studentsångförening, LSS, also ''Lunds studentsångare'') is a Swedish amateur choir, which counts its history from 1831. Today one of Sweden's top male choirs, the choir has assumed many different s ...

, Lunds vokalensemble, and the

Svanholm Singers Svanholm Singers is an internationally acclaimed Swedish male-voice chamber choir founded in 1998 and based in Lund. It comprises around 20 singers, most of whom between 20 and 30 years of age. The choir i ...

. Since 2006, Lund has been the host of the biannual Lund International Choral Festival. Classical orchestras based in the city include the Lund City Orchestra, the Academic Orchestra and Lund New Chamber Orchestra. In more recent decades, Lund has also developed a lively pop and jazz scene. The cultural venue Mejeriet opened in 1987 in a former dairy building just outside the city park. It has hosted concerts by both well-known and emerging bands. The pop singer and television presenter

Måns Zelmerlöw Måns Petter Albert Sahlén Zelmerlöw (; born 13 June 1986) is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter and television presenter. He took part in '' Idol 2005'', eventually finishing fifth, won the first season of '' Let's Dance,'' and scored a hit w ...

was born and grew up in Lund. Artists associated with Lund include DJ and record producer

Axwell Axel Christofer Hedfors (; born 18 December 1977), better known by his stage name Axwell, is a Swedish DJ, record producer, remixer and owner of Axtone Records. He is a member of Swedish House Mafia along with Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angell ...

, rock musician

Kal P. Dal Carl Sven-Göran Ljunggren (28 January 1949, Arlöv – 18 January 1985), known by his stage name Kal P. Dal, was a rock musician from Arlöv in Scania (in Sweden). His most famous hit was the song "Blåa Sko'" ("Blue Shoes" in the Scanian dialec ...

, rapper

Timbuktu Timbuktu ( ; french: Tombouctou; Koyra Chiini: ); tmh, label=Tuareg, script=Tfng, ⵜⵏⴱⴾⵜ, Tin Buqt a city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrativ ...

, indie pop group

The Radio Dept. The Radio Dept. is a Swedish dream pop band from Lund. History In 1995, schoolmates Elin Almered and Johan Duncanson started a band which they named after a gas-station-turned-radio-repair-shop called "Radioavdelningen" (Swedish language, Swedish ...

, and singer and songwriter Amanda Jenssen. The

music venue A music venue is any location used for a concert or musical performance. Music venues range in size and location, from a small coffeehouse for folk music shows, an outdoor bandshell or bandstand or a concert hall to an indoor sports stadium. Ty ...

Olympen Olympen was a music venue located in Lund, Sweden. It had a capacity of 2,500 and hosted many famous artists from 1971 to 2009. A list of partial performers include Alice Cooper, Steppenwolf, Queen, Faces, Paul McCartney and Wings, Kiss, ABBA, Neil ...

, hosted many famous artists from 1971 to 2009.

Sports

Lund's

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

team,

LUGI HF Lugi HF is a handball team from Lund, Sweden. Both the men's and women's teams play in the top division in 2021-22, Handbollsligan and Svensk handbollselit respectively. Sports Hall information *Name: – Sparbanken Skåne Arena *City: – ...

plays in both the men's and women's top leagues. Lund hosted matches from the 2011 Handball World Championship in the Sparbanken Skåne Arena. Lund has a chess team,

Lunds ASK Lunds ASK or Lund's Academic Chess Club (Lunds Akademiska Schackklubb) is a Premier League chess club who play in Lund, Sweden, and were founded in 1906. The team originally consisted of people connected to Lund University. Between 1920 and 1956, th ...

, that for decades has been among the top teams in Sweden. Lund has two Division 1 football clubs,

Torns IF Torns IF is a Swedish football club located in Stångby, an urban area in Lund Municipality in Skåne County. Background Torns Idrottsförening was formed in 1965 and is based in Stångby, just north of the city of Lund. Torns IF is an expanding ...

and

Lunds BK Lunds BK is a football club from Lund, Sweden founded in 1919. The club currently plays in Division 1 Södra. Despite their relative success Lunds BK has never competed in the Allsvenskan or Superettan, but has played nine seasons in the second ...

. It is also the birthplace of the online football manager game

Hattrick A hat-trick (commonly known as a hat trick), in various sports, means achieving three goals, three wickets in three deliveries, etc. in a single match. Hat trick, hat-trick or hattrick may refer to: * "Hat Trick" (''Once Upon a Time''), an episod ...

. Lugi Rugbyklubb, based in Lund, is one of Sweden's few rugby clubs.

Transport

Railways

Lund is a railway junction and is well served by rail traffic. The main railway station, Lund Central, is Sweden's third busiest railway station, with around 37 000 passengers per day . Another, smaller station serves the suburb of Gunnesbo in the north-west of the city. Lund has been on the

Southern Main Line The Southern Main Line ( sv, Södra stambanan) is a long standard gauge electrified railway between Malmö and Katrineholm in Sweden. The trains continue further on to Stockholm Central Station along the Western Main Line and terminate there (a ...

, which connects Malmö and Stockholm, since it opened in 1856. The West Coast Line to

branches off the Southern Main Line just north of Lund Central station. Thus there are direct services to all of Sweden's three largest cities, as well as to Copenhagen and

Helsingør Helsingør ( , ; sv, Helsingör), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a city in eastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 62,686 on 1 January 2018. Helsingør and Helsingborg in Sweden together form the northern ...

via the Öresund Bridge. Rail services to Denmark, and within Scania and neighbouring counties, are mainly provided by the

Øresundståg Øresundståg (, ) is a passenger train network operated by Skånetrafiken and Transdev in the transnational Øresund Region of Denmark and Sweden. The name is a hybrid of the Danish ''Øresundstog'' and the Swedish ''Öresundståg'', both meanin ...

. These trains are operated jointly by

Skånetrafiken Skånetrafiken is the regional public transit district in Skåne län, in the south of Sweden. Skånetrafiken was founded in 1999 when the two counties Kristianstads län and Malmöhus län were merged into one region, causing the two respe ...

in Scania and the

Danish State Railways DSB, an abbreviation of ''Danske Statsbaner'' (, ''Danish State Railways''), is the largest Danish train operating company, and the largest in Scandinavia. While DSB is responsible for passenger train operation on most of the Danish railways, goo ...

in Denmark. Longer distance services, notably to Stockholm, are provided by SJ. Local traffic is served by the Pågatåg electric multiple units, which provide stopping services within Scania.

Cycling

Lund has been praised for its

cycling infrastructure Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except whe ...

. There are 4,800 bike parking spaces in the town, including a multi-storey facility at the railway station, over of cyclepaths and cycle lanes, and 43% of journeys within the city take place by bicycle. There has been no increase in car usage for the past 10 years.

Buses

Since 2019, the bus network in Lund has been licensed to the company

Vy Buss Vy Buss, formerly branded as Nettbuss, is the largest bus company in Norway, owned by Vy. It was established on 10 February 2000 as the continuation of the bus operations from former NSB Biltrafikk. In addition to bus services in major parts of N ...

, overseen by Skånetrafiken. They operate green-coloured buses which, for environmental reasons, are powered by

compressed natural gas Compressed natural gas (CNG) is a fuel gas mainly composed of methane (CH4), compressed to less than 1% of the volume it occupies at standard atmospheric pressure. It is stored and distributed in hard containers at a pressure of , usually in cy ...

. The busses run on a total of seven bus lines. A survey carried out on behalf of Region Skåne in 2015 found that 11% of Lund residents used the bus network regularly.

Tramway

Plans to initiate a nearly 6 km (3.7 mi) tram network to achieve faster and higher-capacity public transport between Lund Central Station and many of the largest work-places in the city were approved in 2015. The entire construction now stands finished and the tram line is slated to thrown open to the public on December 13, 2020. The 15-minute tram ride connects

Lund Central Station Lund Central Station ( sv, Lunds centralstation) or Lund C is the main railway station of Lund, Sweden. It is located on the Southern Main Line and the West Coast Line. As of 2007 it is connected by railway to Kävlinge (Helsingborg, Gothenburg ...

with

the hospital ''The Hospital'' is a 1971 American satirical film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring George C. Scott as Dr. Herbert Bock. It was written by Paddy Chayefsky, who was awarded the 1972 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Chayefsky als ...

Lund University , motto = Ad utrumque , mottoeng = Prepared for both , established = , type = Public research university , budget = SEK 9 billion Ideon Science Park Ideon Science Park is a science park in Lund, Sweden that is run and sponsored by Wihlborgs Fastigheter AB, Lund University and Lund Municipality. There about of office and lab space in over ten buildings. St Ericsson, Sony, Ericsson, Axis Com ...

, the new upcoming district of Brunnshög, the

MAX IV MAX IV is a next-generation synchrotron radiation facility in Lund, Sweden. Its design and planning has been carried out within the Swedish national laboratory, MAX-lab, which up until 2015 operated three accelerators for synchrotron radiatio ...

synchrotron A synchrotron is a particular type of cyclic particle accelerator, descended from the cyclotron, in which the accelerating particle beam travels around a fixed closed-loop path. The magnetic field which bends the particle beam into its closed p ...

light source, and, the

European Spallation Source The European Spallation Source ERIC (ESS) is a multi-disciplinary research facility based on the world's most powerful pulsed neutron source. It is currently under construction in Lund, Sweden. The ESS Data Management and Software Centre (DMSC) ...

. Long-term plans to extend this network to the suburban towns of Bjärred (via Öresundsvägen), Dalby,

Staffanstorp Staffanstorp is a locality and the seat of Staffanstorp Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 14,808 inhabitants in 2010. Staffanstorp is the largest Scanian settlement never to acquire town privileges before 1971, when they were abolished in ...

and Södra Sandby have been shelved.

Major roads

Lund has been connected to the motorway network since 1953 when the E22 was opened between Lund and Malmö. The E22 was the first motorway in Sweden, and was originally built around the edge of the town; however following the expansion of the suburbs out to the east in the latter half of the 20th century it now passes through the city. The E22 forms the main north-south trunk route through Lund. The largest east-west road is the multi-lane northern ring road which also passes through the city limits. There are also other connections to most major roads in the area, for example the E6 via Riksväg 16, and the Länsväg 108 which connects to the E65.

Airports

Lund is served by

Copenhagen Airport Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup ( da, Københavns Lufthavn, Kastrup, ; ) is an international airport serving Copenhagen, Denmark, Zealand, the Øresund Region, and southern Sweden including Scania. It is the second largest airport in the Nordic coun ...

, the largest airport in the Nordic countries, which can be reached by frequent direct trains in about 35 minutes. The second airport in the area,

Malmö Airport Malmö Airport, until 2007 known as ''Sturup Airport'' ( sv, Sturups flygplats) is Sweden's fourth busiest airport, handling 1,975,479 passengers in 2019. The airport is located in Svedala Municipality, approximately east of Malmö and south ...

, is located about 26 kilometres (16 miles) away and is mainly used for domestic flights. There also used to be a very small airstrip, Hasslanda Flygfält, to the south of Lund, mainly used for private and charter flights. The airstrip closed in 2008.

Economy

St Ericsson & Sony Mobile implant in Lund

Lund is a regional centre for

high tech High technology (high tech), also known as advanced technology (advanced tech) or exotechnology, is technology that is at the cutting edge: the highest form of technology available. It can be defined as either the most complex or the newest te ...

companies, several of which are based in the north-east of the city. Companies with offices in Lund include

Sony Mobile Communications Sony Mobile Communications Inc. ( ja, ソニーモバイルコミュニケーションズ株式会社) was a multinational telecommunications company founded on October 1, 2001, as a joint venture between Sony Group Corporation and Ericsson. I ...

Ericsson (lit. "Telephone Stock Company of LM Ericsson"), commonly known as Ericsson, is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm. The company sells infrastructure, software, and services in informat ...

Arm Holdings Arm is a British semiconductor and software design company based in Cambridge, England. Its primary business is in the design of ARM processors (CPUs). It also designs other chips, provides software development tools under the DS-5, RealView an ...

, and

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...

. The Swedish

telecommunication Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...

s company

Doro Doro may refer to: * Doro (musician), rock singer, former vocalist of the German heavy metal band Warlock ** ''Doro'' (album), a 1990 album by Doro * AKA (rapper) (born 1988), South African hip hop recording artist * Dorothy Bush Koch, often calle ...

has its head office in Lund.

Gambro Gambro is a global medical technology company that manufactures products for dialysis treatment. The company is involved in developing, manufacturing and supplying products and therapies for kidney and liver dialysis, , and other extracorporeal ...

, one of the key companies in the development of the

artificial kidney Artificial kidney is often a synonym for hemodialysis, but may also refer to the other renal replacement therapies (with exclusion of kidney transplantation) that are in use and/or in development. This article deals mainly with bioengineered kid ...

, was founded in Lund in 1964 and retains a significant presence in the city.

Alfa Laval Alfa Laval AB is a Sweden, Swedish corporation, company, founded in 1883 by Gustaf de Laval and :sv:Oscar Lamm, Oscar Lamm. The company, which started in providing centrifugal separation solutions for dairy (see Separator (milk)), now deals in th ...

, the international manufacturer of heat exchangers and separators, have a factory in Lund, and Tetra Pak have their headquarters and part of production in town. Network video camera maker

Axis Communications Axis Communications AB is a Swedish manufacturer of network cameras, access control, and network audio devices for the physical security and video surveillance industries. History Axis Communications was founded in 1984 by Martin Gren, Mika ...

was founded in Lund in 1984 and maintains its headquarters in the city as an independently operated subsidiary of

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western can ...

. Other important industries include

pharmaceuticals A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and rel ...

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used b ...

, and publishing and library services.

Skåne University Hospital Skåne University Hospital (Swedish: ''Skånes universitetssjukhus'', SUS) is a university hospital in Scania, Sweden. The hospital was founded in 2010 through the merger of the two university hospitals in Lund and Malmö. Operations Skåne Univ ...

and

Lund University , motto = Ad utrumque , mottoeng = Prepared for both , established = , type = Public research university , budget = SEK 9 billion Lund Institute of Technology The Faculty of Engineering is one of the eight faculties at Lund University in Lund, Sweden, commonly called LTH (after its Swedish name ''Lunds Tekniska Högskola''). LTH has (2022) about 1,500 employees and nearly 10,000 students, of which abo ...

has connections with the high tech industry in the city. A

science park A science park (also called a "university research park", "technology park”, "technopark", “technopole", or a "science and technology park" (STP)) is defined as being a property-based development that accommodates and fosters the growt ...

, ''

Ideon Science Park Ideon Science Park is a science park in Lund, Sweden that is run and sponsored by Wihlborgs Fastigheter AB, Lund University and Lund Municipality. There about of office and lab space in over ten buildings. St Ericsson, Sony, Ericsson, Axis Com ...

'', was founded in 1983 as a collaboration between Lund University,

and Wihlborgs Fastigheter AB. it hosts about 350 companies, employing 2,700 people. Many of these are high tech companies that have ties to the university. The 2010s have seen the development of two major research facilities in Lund, both in collaboration with the university.

is the world's most powerful synchrotron light source and a Swedish national facility. It was inaugurated on 21 June 2016. The

(ESS) is a pulsed

neutron The neutron is a subatomic particle, symbol or , which has a neutral (not positive or negative) charge, and a mass slightly greater than that of a proton. Protons and neutrons constitute the nuclei of atoms. Since protons and neutrons beh ...

source under construction on a site just north of MAX IV. ESS is expected to directly employ about 450 people when it is completed in around 2023.

was founded in Lund in 1951 by

Ruben Rausing Anders Ruben Rausing (; né Andersson; 17 June 1895 – 10 August 1983) was a Swedish industrialist and the founder of the liquid food packaging company Tetra Pak. Early life Anders Ruben Andersson was born in 1895 in Råå, a small fishing ha ...

. Their principal product is packages and equipment for aseptic packaging of food, principally using plastic-coated cardboard. As of January 2015 Tetra Pak employed around 3,500 staff at their headquarters in Lund. The pharmaceutical company

AstraZeneca AstraZeneca plc () is a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with its headquarters at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridge, England. It has a portfolio of products for major diseases in areas includin ...

used to have a large presence in Lund but their offices closed in 2010. The site was re-developed as a

research park The following is a list of science park, technology parks and biomedical parks of the world, organized by continent. Asia ASEAN Economic Community Report listing all the Economic Zones in the ASEAN Economic Community froUNIDO Viet Nam China ...

named

Medicon Village Medicon Village is a life science research park in Lund, Sweden. It is located on the eastern outskirts of Lund University , motto = Ad utrumque , mottoeng = Prepared for both , established = ...

. over 1,200 people worked in more than 100 organisations based at Medicon Village.

Notable residents

Literary residents

References

External links

Lunds Kommun
- Official site
Visitlund.se
Tourist information * * {{Authority control Municipal seats of Skåne County Swedish municipal seats Populated places in Skåne County Viking Age populated places Populated places established in the 10th century 10th-century establishments in Skåne County Cities in Skåne County