Uppsala, home to the 500-year-old Uppsala University, may be Sweden's fastest growing city, but it is steeped in history. Botanical enthusiasts will want to visit at least one of the four attractions devoted to Carl Linnaeus and his work to classify plants and animals: Linnaeus Museum (his residence), Linnaeus Hammarby (his summer home and garden), Linnaeus Garden (Sweden's oldest botanical garden) and Linnaeus Savje (his retreat). Explore the history of Uppsala with a tour of the cathedral—one of the oldest and largest in Scandinavia. The 16th-century Uppsala Castle is also interesting—it has both a coronation hall and dungeons. A wing of the castle houses the new Uppsala Art Museum, with works from the 1500s to the present.
Just outside the city you can continue to travel back through time. A few miles/kilometers from Uppsala is Gamla (Old) Uppsala and three royal burial mounds from the sixth century—one of Scandinavia's largest burial sites. Adjacent to the graceful graves is the Gamla Uppsala Historical Museum and Disagarden, an open-air museum. You can easily find several other burial sites in the surrounding countryside, or sign up for a guided tour. Other remnants include the many rune stones scattered in the area's fields.
Uppland, the province in which Uppsala is set, was the center of the ironworks industry of Sweden from the mid-17th to late 18th centuries. Historic iron foundries and manors such as Osterbybruk and Forsmark are open to the public in the summer months. Most are located beside a lake and have lovely gardens, gift shops and cafes attached. Uppsala is 50 mi/80 km northwest of Stockholm.
