The Archbishop's Palace ( sv, Ärkebiskopsgården) in

Uppsala Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019. Located north of the c ...

, Sweden, is the official residence of the Lutheran Archbishop of Uppsala, the primate of 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 ...

. It was designed by

Carl Hårleman Baron Carl Hårleman (27 August 1700 – 9 February 1753) was a Swedish architect. Biography Hårleman was born in Stockholm, son of the garden architect and head of the royal parks and gardens Johan Hårleman, who had been ennobled in 1698. ...

and first completed in 1744, on or close to the site of several earlier buildings previously serving a similar role. The palace is situated facing the University Park, close to

Uppsala Cathedral Uppsala Cathedral ( sv, Uppsala domkyrka) is a cathedral located between the University Hall of Uppsala University and the Fyris river in the centre of Uppsala, Sweden. A church of the Church of Sweden, the national church, in the Lutheran t ...

in the old city centre, west of the river.

History

The medieval Archbishop's castle

A fortified castle for the Archbishops of Uppsala was erected close to the site during the 14th century on the site of the present day University Park. The castle was improved upon during the 15th century, with added towers and fortifications. It was burned and partly destroyed in 1497 and again in 1521 during the wars of Swedish independence from Denmark. The castle was restored and further extended as a royal palace during the reign of King

Gustav I of Sweden Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksför ...

but gradually fell out of use when the new

Uppsala Castle Uppsala Castle ( sv, Uppsala slott) is a 16th-century royal castle in the city of Uppsala, Sweden. Throughout much of its early existence, the castle played a major role in the history of Sweden. Originally constructed in 1549, the castle has bee ...

was built in the 1550s, after which the old castle for many years served a subsidiary role to the new castle and was used as a source of building material for its extension. A royal stable was built in 1620, and in the mid-17th century only the foundations of the castle remained. The land was taken over by

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...

and used for a riding school for young noblemen. Extensive remnants of the northern tower were found during construction of the present University Hall and University Park during the 1880s. The nearby street ''Rundelsgränd'' is named after the tower remnants.

Present-day palace

The present palace was built on the site of a previous building from the 14th century, the Dean's house, which from 1691 temporarily served as the Archbishop's residence. Parts of the medieval cellars and foundation have been incorporated in the present building. In 1737 construction started on the new palace, designed by

, and the building was completed in 1744. The two wings, subsidiary buildings and servant's quarters were added during the 18th century and an additional floor was added to the main building in 1767. In 1879 the wall surrounding the ground plot was built. The main building was extensively rebuilt in 1901 and declared a national listed building in 1935. In 1993 a statue honouring former Archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

Nathan Söderblom Lars Olof Jonathan Söderblom (; 15 January 1866 – 12 July 1931) was a Swedish clergyman. He was the Church of Sweden Archbishop of Uppsala between 1914 and 1931, and recipient of the 1930 Nobel Peace Prize. He is commemorated in the Cale ...

was placed next to the palace walls. Since the official separation of the Church of Sweden from the state in 2000 the palace is owned by the Church of Sweden and remains in use as the official residence of the Archbishop.

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures in Uppsala Listed buildings in Sweden Archdiocese of Uppsala Episcopal palaces