University Hall or the University Main Building (Swedish: ''Universitetshuset'') is the main building of

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 ...

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. The building is situated in 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 ...

. It was designed in Italian renaissance

Beaux-Arts style Beaux-Arts architecture ( , ) was the academic architectural style taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, particularly from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century. It drew upon the principles of French neoclassicism, but also incorpor ...

by architect

Herman Teodor Holmgren Herman Teodor Holmgren (31 March 1842 – 24 May 1914) was a Sweden, Swedish architect. Biography He was born in Östad in Älvsborg County, Sweden. Holmgren studied at the architecture school of the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts 1863-1871 ...

(1842-1914) and completed in 1887. The building should not be confused with

Carolina Rediviva Carolina Rediviva is the main building of the Uppsala University Library in Uppsala, Sweden. The building was begun in 1820 and completed in 1841. The original architect was Carl Fredrik Sundvall. Later additions to the building have been designed ...

, which is the

Uppsala University Library The Uppsala University Library ( sv, Uppsala universitetsbibliotek) at Uppsala University in Uppsala, Sweden, consists of 11 subject libraries, one of which is housed in the old main library building, Carolina Rediviva. The library holds books a ...

building, or

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

, the previous main building, which today is a museum.

History

Before the completion of the present building, the main lecture hall of the university had been housed in the nearby

, while the administration was housed in the Consistory House (''Konsistoriehuset'') and the academic ceremonies took place in the

university library building. The chosen site for the new building was previously occupied by a riding exercise court belonging to the university.

University Main Building
/ref> Planning and construction took place during a 10-year period, with the winning proposal designed by

, a student of

Fredrik Wilhelm Scholander Fredrik Wilhelm Scholander (June 23, 1816 – May 9, 1881) was a Swedish architect and artist. Biography Fredrik Wilhelm Scholander was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He was the son of Georg Fredrik Scholander (1785-1825) and Karin Nyström (1786 ...

. Holmgren had studied

Beaux-Arts architecture Beaux-Arts architecture ( , ) was the academic architectural style taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, particularly from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century. It drew upon the principles of French neoclassicism, but also incorp ...

in France, Italy and Germany and the university building became the largest of his works and the most well-known, counting among the foremost examples of this architectural style in Sweden and Scandinavia.National Property Board of Sweden
Universitetshuset, Uppsala
Retrieved on Aug 18, 2014. The building contract was awarded to the C H Hallström building company. During the excavations for the building and the University Park, remnants of the foundations for the 14th-century Archbishop's Castle were unearthed, but subsequently buried below the park. Budget problems and the problematic ground conditions, due to the steep incline and castle foundations, caused delays and redesigns during the construction period.Ölund, Anna (2010
''Arkeologisk schaktningsövervakning. Universitetsparken. Lämningar efter ärkebiskopsborgen.''
Upplandsmuseet The building was finally inaugurated by King

Oscar II Oscar II (Oscar Fredrik; 21 January 1829 – 8 December 1907) was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death in 1907 and King of Norway from 1872 to 1905. Oscar was the son of King Oscar I and Queen Josephine. He inherited the Swedish and Norweg ...

in May 1887. The new building brought many advantages to the university, as the previous building Gustavianum only had two unheated lecture rooms. Several of the University Hall lecture rooms are still in use today, notably the Grand Auditorium, which seats 1,800 people. The inscription above the entrance to the main auditorium is an

aphorism An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by ...

by the Swedish 18th-century philosopher

Thomas Thorild Thomas Thorild ( Svarteborg, Bohuslän, 18 April 1759 – Greifswald, Swedish Pomerania, 1 October 1808), was a Swedish poet, critic, feminist and philosopher. He was noted for his early support of women's rights. In his 1793 treatise ''Om k ...

(1759-1808), which famously reads: Between 1996 and 2001, the building underwent a major renovation during which the paintwork in the entrance hall was restored to the original 19th century colors, which had been painted over during the 1970s.

Present use

Today, the University Hall is mainly used for lectures, conferences, concerts and ceremonies, as well as formal receptions and consistory meetings. Many of the original administrative and academic functions of the building have been moved to modern buildings since the 19th century as the university has grown, but the University Hall retains its status as the formal main building. The building also houses a significant part of Uppsala University's extensive art collection and the

Uppsala University Coin Cabinet The Uppsala University Coin Cabinet (''Uppsala universitets myntkabinett'') is one of Sweden's most important public coin and medal collections. It is housed in the main building of Uppsala University. History The history of the collection goe ...

. As the building is still in use by the university, some of the rooms are normally inaccessible to the general public. Formal receptions for guests of the ''rector magnificus'', the Vice-Chancellor, are held in the Chancellor's room upstairs, and the adjoining suite of rooms is used by the four original faculties of Uppsala University, decorated with portraits of past professors and alumni of Uppsala University. It also contains a minor exhibit on the university's Nobel laureates. The Consistory, the governing body of the university, meets in an ornate board room on the entrance level, which is decorated with portraits of previous monarchs of Sweden from the

Protestant 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 ...

to the 20th century.

Gallery

Dörren till universitetsaulan.jpg, Entrance to the main auditorium with inscription Universitetshusets tak.jpg, Vault detail OD170 by Upplandsmuseet.jpg, Inauguration ceremony in 1887 Uppsala University (1442863813).jpg, Sculpture gallery

References

Literature

* Heinemann, Thomas (1987). ''Universitetshuset i Uppsala 1887-1987 : en jubileumsbok.'' Uppsala, Almqvist & Wiksell International. {{commons category, Universitetshuset, Uppsala Buildings and structures in Uppsala Listed buildings in Sweden Uppsala University Beaux-Arts architecture School buildings completed in 1887

History

Present use

Gallery

See also

References

Literature