Uppsala County
Uppsala County, Uppsala län, is located in eastern Svealand in middle Sweden, at the Baltic Sea. The county makes up most of the Uppland province; the south-eastern part belongs to Stockholm County. It borders Västmanland in the west, and Gästrikland in the north, and nearly has a quadripoint with Dalarna in the north-west.
Cities
As other Swedish counties, Uppsala County is divided between municipalities (kommuner), each with a dominant city or town.
- Uppsala is a millennial university city, with the largest cathedral in the Nordic countries.
- Östhammar is a coastal town, famous for the Walloon iron industry, and the northern outskirts of the Stockholm archipelago.
- Tierp is a quaint town between Uppsala and Gävle.
- Älvkarleby at the outlet of Dalälven River, considered the natural border to Norrland. The Dragon's Gate, a Chinese-themed hotel, can be found here.
- Knivsta, a modern suburb with heritage from the Viking age.
- Enköping, "Sweden's nearest city" with acclaimed public gardens.
Other destinations
- Uppsala countryside, containing Carl Linnaeus' botanical garden.
- West Uppland
Understand
- See also: Vikings and the Old Norse, Nordic history
Without tall mountains, Uppland was one of the last Swedish provinces to rise from the Baltic Sea after the Ice Age. Still in 1,500 BC, at the beginning of the Iron Age, most of today's land surface was below sea level.
Though the land itself is young, its fertility allowed the Suiones, svear, to found the Swedish nation around AD 1000, co-inciding with the arrival of Christianity. During the Viking Age, first Birka and Adelsö, later Sigtuna, and then Uppsala and Stockholm, were centres of power (see Nordic history). From the Middle Ages, Uppland was an international forerunner in metallurgy. In the early 17th century, blacksmiths from Wallonia founded several workshops around Östhammar, and forged weapons for the Swedish Empire.
Since the Industrial Revolution, Stockholm and Uppsala have grown, while the minor towns now function as extended suburbs of these cities. With nearly 1.5 million inhabitants, Uppland is Sweden's most populous province.
Though Swedish provinces are usually the foundation of folk culture and local patriotism, Uppland lacks a unifying identity, and very few inhabitants think of themselves as "Upplanders". Today, the province is much characterized by the gap between the bustle of Stockholm and Uppsala, and the quiet northern forests.
Get in
The search engine Resrobot can be used for all domestic public transport in the area.
By plane
- Stockholm-Arlanda Airport (Sigtuna) is Sweden's largest airport, with flights from all across Europe, North America and Asia. There are direct trains from Arlanda to Uppsala. Note that Arlanda has three train stations; these trains go from SkyCity between terminal 4 and 5.
- Stockholm-Bromma Airport (Stockholm/Västerort) mostly serves short-range flights. Bus to Stockholm.
By ferry
Ferries from Finland and Estonia arrive at Stockholm and Kapellskär (in Norrtälje). See Tallink Silja Line and Viking Line.
By train
Trains from Copenhagen, Oslo and Gothenburg end at Stockholm Central Station. Change train in Stockholm to go to Uppsala or Enköping. Tickets are sold by SJ. There are frequent trains from Stockholm to Uppsala, both SJ trains, and local Stockholm trains.
Get around
Public transport in Stockholm county (including Sigtuna and Norrtälje) is run by SL. In Uppsala County it is run by Upplands lokaltrafik. There is a fairly large city bus network in Uppsala.
In the countryside, driving is the most practical option. The E4 passes through Knivsta, Uppsala, Tierp, and Älvkarleby; see E4 through Sweden.
See
The architecture of and Uppsala.
Industrial heritage
Öregrund, Älvkarleby and Tierp have several metal works, bruk. Many of them were founded by Walloons during the 17th century.
Palaces
Uppsala County has a large collections of palaces and castles, slott, most of them open to the public to some extent. Noblemen and industrialists built themselves buildings in rural Uppland. Uppsala has of course Uppsala Castle. Enköping has Skokloster, Grönsö, Ekolsund and Haga (not to be confused with Haga of Solna).
Do
Hiking, water sport and cross-country skiing.
Eat
- See also: Nordic cuisine
A maritime province, fish has been a staple of the Uppland cuisine. Today, however, most wholesale of fish is done in Gothenburg.
Go next
- Gävleborg County is the gateway to Norrland.
- Stockholm County, of course including the capital
- Åland is an autonomous Swedish-speaking archipelago in the Baltic Sea, formally part of Finland.