Located 71 km north of the capital Stockholm, just 38 minutes from Stockholm and 18 minutes from Stockholm Arlanda Airport. Uppsala is the fourth largest city in Sweden, it is home to a major university, Sweden's largest Cathedral, and the Uppsala castle. Since 1164, Uppsala has been the ecclesiastical centre of Sweden, being the seat of the Archbishop of the Church of Sweden. Founded in 1477, Uppsala University is the oldest centre of higher education in Scandinavia.
Uppsala was originally located a few kilometres north of its current location at a place now known as Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala). Today's Uppsala was then called Östra Aroos. (Old) Uppsala was, according to medieval writer Adam of Bremen, the main pagan centre of Sweden, and the Temple at Uppsala contained magnificent idols of the Norse gods. the Fyrisvellir plains along the river south of Old Uppsala, in the area where the modern city is situated today, was the site of the Battle of Fyrisvellir in the 980s.
The Fyris river (Fyrisån) neatly divides the city into two different
parts: the historic quarter to the west of the river and the modern
administrative, residential and commercial city centre to the east. Most
of the historical sights and university buildings are in the western
part, with a medieval street layout, river views and parks and dominated
by the cathedral.
Uppsala, Sweden
