Castle, Uppsala

If you want to see the potential side effects of eating too many vegetables scamper along to Skokloster Castle and have a laugh at Giuseppe Arcimboldos's portrait of poor old Rudolfo II. One can only imagine his reaction when first unveiled. Just as well he didn’t commission a full figure portrait!

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Uppsala Slott is the light pink coloured fortress/castle up on the hill on Ovre Slottsgatan. Inside it is the Uppsala Kunstmuseum with art exhibits from the university's collection. It shut just as I arrived so I couldnt get in to see but I did enjoy the walk right around the entire castle to admire the architecture, gardens and views over the town.

Down in the town are lovely views up to the castle - a good example is from the gardens near the canal which make a nice foreground with the small lake and its birds swimming about on it.

New museum in Uppsala Castle. Exhibition "War and Peace," about conflicts, threats, hate, honor, and Sweden's 190 years of peace. Focus on the life and work of former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dag Hammarskjöld, whose spent his childhood days in the castle.

Construction of the castle was begun by King Gustav I in the 1540s. During King Johan III's reign, the magnificent Renaissance castle church and its stucco were designed, parts of which can still be seen. The castle facade was recently repaired and given the color it had at the time of Carl Hårleman's restoration. The castle has a dramatic story, with many crucial events in Swedish history taking place here. Art and architecture tours in Swedish and English arranged daily during the summer. For information on tours during the rest of the year, see the Uppsala Art Museum's website.

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Uppsala Castle's building started in the middle of the 16th century and it was thought to be Gustav Vasa's and his sons' fortification against their enemies. Today is the residence of the Governor of Uppsala and it has 3 museums:

Uppsala konstmuseum: Uppsala's museum of art. Features Swedish painting and drawing as well as ceramic sculptures from Uppsala-Ekeby. They're the ones who arrange guided tours inside the castle. Open Tuesday-Friday 12pm-4pm, Saturday/Sunday 11am-17pm and the first Wednesday every month 12pm-8pm (free entrance 4pm-8pm).

Vasaborgen: the oldest part of the castle. Open during Summer 11am-4pm (English tours at 2pm), by booked guided tours the rest of the year.

Fredsmuseum: the newest museum, with their exposition War & Peace, in which they bring up questions about hate, war, peace and conflicts in the world. Open Wednesdays 12pm-6pm, Saturday/Sunday 12pm-4pm.

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Once again constructed in 1744 after a fire of 1702 the castle was also a fortress.

The castle has two bastions - Sturbiskope and Gresgorten. There are premises and smart halls between bastions.

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There is a Hall of the State council in the castle of Uppsala now. There is also a residence of the mayor. In the right wing of the castle - the Museum of arts. You can see temporary exhibitions, giving a review of historical events in Sweden, graphic art from the beginning of the XVIth - till nowadays are exhibited, and also a fine collection of portraits of the first half of the XXth.

There is an university collection of products of painting, a collection of wax figures. It's an original Historical museum where generating in suits, color and music the most significant events of the last years.

It was built approximately during 1540AD by king Gustav Vasa..
I knew that it was an interesting place but,unfortunately,I have found it close...not turistic
period!("come in summer!"someone told me..)
From the castle's hill you can have a FANTASTIC view
of the city..
I will come back to visit it better during my next trip!

Uppsala Castle dominates the skyline as much as the cathedral, where it sits on a hill overlooking the centre and easily seen from the train. You have great city views from up here, especially of the cathedral and the botanical gardens, and this was part of the plan in 1549, when the castle was built by the new king Gustav Vasa who lead the reformation in Sweden could now look down on the less important catholic cathedral from his new castle. These times belong to the greatest in Uppsala and the castle was the start of all the so called "Erik's Roads" (Eriksgata) where the kings travelled to show themselves to their subjects throughout the country. Queen Christina who later converted to catholisism also abdicated in the castle 1654 before moving to Rome.
The castle was built a typical Vasa castle which you can see from its round towers. Today, you can go for guided tours of the most historic parts but the castle and its battlements but it also houses parts of the university literature departments as well as the Uppsala Art Museum (responsible for the tours). The museum has a mix of art but sketches etc. by the famous local painter Bruno Liljefors belongs to the major exhibits.

From 2002 there has been restaurations going on of the castle facade of Uppsala Castle.
It is being repainted in a lighter color,to look more like the color it was originally, several hundred years ago.

Here is a close up of one of the towers in this new light-apricot-shade.

As of summer of 2005 the whole castle is now redone and painted in this new colour.