University Park (), is a public park in central Uppsala in Sweden, situated in the historical Fjärdingen district close to

Uppsala Cathedral Uppsala Cathedral () is a cathedral located between the University Hall (Uppsala University), 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 t ...

. The park was created in its present form following the completion of the centrally situated

University Main Building A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

on the site during the 1880s, and retains much of its original character today. Many historical sights surround the park, including the 19th century University building, Södermanlands-Nerikes nation,

Gustavianum Gustavianum is the oldest standing building of Uppsala University. It was built between 1622 and 1625, and was used as the main building of the university between 1778 and 1887. Since 1997, it has been used as the university's museum. History D ...

, Ekerman House and the 18th-century Archbishop's Residence. Also situated next to the park is the modern

Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden () is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.5 million members at year end 2023, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sweden, the largest List ...

main administrative office building and the Fyrisbiografen cinema. Before the University Main Building stands the monument to

Erik Gustaf Geijer Erik Gustaf Geijer (12 January 1783 – 23 April 1847) was a Swedish writer, historian, poet, romantic critic of political economy, philosopher, and composer. His writings served to promote Swedish National Romanticism. He was an influentia ...

(1783–1847), poet and historian, which was sculpted by

John Börjesson John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

and erected in 1888. The six

runestone A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic alphabet, runic inscription, but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock. The tradition of erecting runestones as a memorial to dead men began in the 4th centur ...

s displayed in the park were originally found in the city and its surrounding countryside.{{cite web , title=University Park , url=https://www.uu.se/en/about-uu/history/buildings/university-park/ , website=uu.se , publisher=

Uppsala University Uppsala University (UU) () 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 operation. Initially fou ...

, accessdate=30 September 2019

History

The site of University Park was the site of the medieval Archbishops' Castle, demolished in the 16th century following the

protestant reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

and the construction of the royal castle of Uppsala in the southern part of the city. Before the creation of the park, the ruins including the lower levels of a round tower were still visible, which is the origin of the nearby street name ''Rundelsgränd''. From the 17th to the 19th centuries the university's excercitia hall was situated here, where the upper-class students were able to practice riding, fencing, dancing and modern languages. The hall was situated approximately where the University Main Building is today, with a terraced garden surrounded by a fence.

References

Parks in Sweden Uppsala