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Gamla Uppsala, Uppsala

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Gamla Uppsala: Old Uppsala
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  • MalenaN
  • Updated By MalenaN on February 5, 2005
  • Uppsala Page by MalenaN
  • Burial mounds, Old Uppsala - Uppsala
    Burial mounds, Old Uppsala
    by MalenaN, 4 more photos
    5 km north of Uppsala is old Uppsala, where there are three big burial mounds and several small ones. The big burial mounds are from the 6th century and might be graves for kings. When I visited as a kid one could walk up and down the mounds but that is not possible now. Nowadays there is a walking path around the mounds and along the way there are several signs with information, also in English. It is believed Old Uppsala was a place of heathen worship and that the church was built over an old temple.
    The archbishop seat was moved to Old Uppsala (then only Uppsala) in 1130. But as the River Fyris silted up ships could no longer go far up the river and East Aros some kilometres down the river became a more important place for trade. When it was time to build a new cathedral it was built in East Aros, but the name Uppsala still had to be used for the town of the archbishop seat, so East Aros became Uppsala and former Uppsala became Uppsala.
    To go to Old Uppsala (Gamla Uppsala) you can take bus number 2 from the city centre of Uppsala. The last stop for the bus is Gamla Uppsala, close to the burial mounds. You can also take number 91, 110 127.

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    Gamla Uppsala: Inside Old Uppsala Church
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  • MalenaN
  • Updated By MalenaN on February 5, 2005
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  • Old Uppsala Church - Uppsala
    Old Uppsala Church
    by MalenaN
    Inside the church there are wall- and roof paintings from the 15th century. And you can see some artefacts from medieval time, for example a bishop’s seat, a wooden statue of Mary and the child and crucifixes. There are also some bridal crowns and cups, which are a few hundred years old.

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    Gamla Uppsala: Old Uppsala Church
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  • MalenaN
  • Updated By MalenaN on February 5, 2005
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  • Old Uppsala Church - Uppsala
    Old Uppsala Church
    by MalenaN, 2 more photos
    The church in Old Uppsala started to be built in the 1050s, after Sweden had become Christian. Hundred years later it became a big cathedral, larger than the church standing there today. After a fire in 1245 some parts were torn down.
    The church is built in grey stone and the bell-tower beside the church in wood.

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  • Directions: About 5km north of Uppsala.
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    Gamla Uppsala: Christian Church of Gamla Uppsala
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  • Maline
  • Updated By Maline on July 5, 2005
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  • The Church of Gamla Uppsala. - Uppsala
    The Church of Gamla
    Uppsala.
    by Maline
    To this day a Christian church stands at the spot of the old hethen temple in Gamla Uppsala. This church dates back to the 1300s so it is not exactly young itself!
    The smallish church has a stone exterior and some interesting painting on the inside.
    Actually, most countryside churches in Sweden were once full of paintings on the walls and ceilings, but many were chalked white some hundreds years ago. At some places the original paintings have been restaured.

    While at Gamla Uppsala, also check out preserved farmhouse of Disagården. (see my travelogue named Midsummer in Sweden on my Sweden page for photos from Disagården).

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  • Directions: North of Uppsala, some 15 minutes by bus. Take lines 22 or 110. Walking distance, ask for map at Tourist office.
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    Gamla Uppsala: Gamla Uppsala
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  • marielexoteria
  • Updated By marielexoteria on November 15, 2007
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  • Church in Gamla Uppsala - Uppsala
    Church in Gamla Uppsala
    by marielexoteria, 3 more photos
    At Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala) you'll find 3 mounds (or tombs) from the 6th century of what it's believed to be kings. According to some myths, 3 Norse gods, Thor, Odin and Frej, are the ones supposed to be buried there.

    Besides the royal mounds, there's a museum with displays of finds of the mounds and information about myths and tales, among other things. Information on the website below.

  • Address: Disavägen
  • Directions: From Uppsala: Bus 2 and 110.
  • Website: www.raa.se/cms/extern/en/places_to_visit/gamla_uppsala/gamla_uppsala.html
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    Gamla Uppsala: Old Uppsala Mounds
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  • Sjalen
  • Updated By Sjalen on October 2, 2005
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  • Gamla Uppsala - Uppsala
    by Sjalen, 3 more photos
    One of Scandinavia's most famous heritage burial sites and by far the biggest religious complex, even if Anundshög mound in Västerås is higher. There are three main burial mounds and five smaller from around 500 A.D. and you can walk along paths around them as you are no longer allowed to walk ON them unless as part of a guided tour which happens some afternoons in high season. Throughout history, you have been able to walk on them and in particular, this happened in the mid 20th century when local Uppsala people used the mounds for skiing on, before having hot chocolate in nearby Odinsborg!

    No one knows for sure who were buried here. The main mounds have men's names, from noble viking families, but an interesting issue is that it could in fact be female graves. The reason is that when they were dug out in the 19th century, no weapons were found amongst all sacrificial items in the graves. This is supported by the fact that women's role in society was a much bigger one in Scandinvia at viking times than after Christianisation.

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  • Directions: 3 kms north of Uppsala and easily accessible by local bus to it. You can also walk as the foot path around the mounds take you to Uppsala through the countryside.
  • Website: http://www.raa.se/olduppsala/index.asp
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    Gamla Uppsala: Old Uppsala Church
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  • Sjalen
  • Updated By Sjalen on October 3, 2005
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  • Gamla Uppsala - Uppsala
    by Sjalen
    When Sweden was Christianised in the 11th century, a church was built here, next to the King's Hall, which was in fact much bigger than what you can see today even if the remains of walls can still be seen here and there in the now smaller church. The church grew to become a cathedral in the very important Uppsala, before being degraded in 1270. This was because the Fyris river had started to silt up out here and the town had to move to the village of Östra Aros, three kilometres downstream. In connection with the diocese moving to Östra Aros, that village in turn had to change its name to Uppsala - the city we now know - as the Pope would otherwise not agree with the move. In the 15th century, the church left at Old Uppsala got the looks it has today after having suffered a fire just after the degradation. I found it a very pretty church and the setting makes it particularly peaceful.

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    Gamla Uppsala: Old Uppsala Museum
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  • Sjalen
  • Updated By Sjalen on October 2, 2005
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  • Gamla Uppsala - Uppsala
    by Sjalen
    The museum is of course tied to the burial mounds. Here, you find out about the digs througout centuries and who historians think are in the mounds but also how debates have taken place throughout history as to the gender of the buried. You also learn about how things were first glorified during the national-romantic era and then so well concealed in shame after WWII events that not even young Uppsalians knew what the mounds really were about when they instead skied on them in winter. There is also a general exhibition that puts the vikings in perspective to the rest of Europe's history and tells you about viking nobility and ordinary people and that the two groups worshipped different Norse gods - some noble, some nature gods. It is also interesting to read about what the religous Adam of Bremen thought of the heathen temple at Ubsola during his northern travels at the time. He describes the remains of human sacrifices hanging from trees and such, which we today do not know if it was an exaggeration to promote Christianity in Europe or if he was in fact telling the truth.
    The architecture of the building itself was much debated too when it was built. Locals hated it and said it was in the way and that the design was odd. To me, it looks just like it was meant to - like some sort of viking hall. A very nice feature is the arena style seatings where you can listen to legends about Old Uppsala in earphones and which has a huge glass window, overlooking the mounds. There is also a good souvenir shop here, although you're already into viking things, you will find that it has pretty much the same items for sale as in York, Roskilde and other typical viking destinations and that the books are the only really local things.

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  • Address: Disavägen, Old Uppsala
  • Phone: +46 18-23 93 00
  • Directions: Same as above. The first thing you see when you enter the mound complex.
  • Website: http://www.raa.se/olduppsala/index.asp
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    Gamla Uppsala: Disagården
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  • Sjalen
  • Updated By Sjalen on October 3, 2005
  • Uppsala Page by Sjalen
  • Gamla Uppsala - Uppsala
    by Sjalen, 1 more photos
    At the back of Old Uppsala, Disagården is a lovely little Open Air Museum, belonging to Upplands Museum, focusing on local Uppland farm architecture. Several old farmsteads have been placed here and you can walk in and out of stables, pantries and such. There are also some animal enclosures with sheep and hens as well as a stage where children can borrow toys, making it the ideal place for young children visiting Uppsala in summer which is when it is open.

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  • Directions: Follow signs from the burial mounds or the road leading to E4 from north of Old Uppsala.
  • Website: http://www.upplandsmuseet.se/templates/Page.aspx?id=456
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    Gamla Uppsala: Gamla (Old) Uppsala Church
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  • CharleneP
  • By CharleneP on October 30, 2002
  • Uppsala Page by CharleneP
  • Church - Uppsala
    Church
    by CharleneP
    It is very old and beautiful. It is another experience. Built during the first half of the 12th c., according to legend above a heathen tempel from the Viking age.

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  • Address: Gamla Uppsala
  • Phone: 018-25 30 63
  • Directions: Oct-March daily 9am-4pm, April-Sept daily 9am-6pm.
  • Website: http://www.svenskakyrkan.se/gamlauppsala
  • Other Contact: gamlauppsala@svenskakyrkan.se
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