A brief history and earlier anniversaries

The 1477 foundation and the early years

Uppsala University was founded in 1477. The first vice-chancellor was Archbishop Jacob Ulvsson, who led the University until his death in 1521.

In 1523, Gustav Vasa became King of Sweden and started the Reformation. The University, then a Catholic institution, was profoundly affected and its activities were limited during the following decades. In 1577, a hundred years after the foundation, there was nothing to celebrate.

On 25 February 1593, Duke Charles and the Swedish clergy gathered at the Uppsala Synod where the Lutheran Church of Sweden was established, and there the decision was made to re-open Uppsala University. On 15 March 1595, Duke Charles issued a new charter and the University re-opened.

Why weren’t earlier anniversaries celebrated?

Approaching 1677, funds were limited due to protracted wars. There was also hesitation about celebrating the beginning of an institution that was perceived as inherently Catholic.

In 1693, the University participated in the centenary celebration of the Uppsala Synod and the re-opening of the University.

In 1777, the University Board discussed a jubilee to mark the 300th anniversary (the tercentenary), but the majority voted no. The reasons were a combination of a need to prioritise new buildings and an idea that the Uppsala Synod – rather than the foundation in 1477 – was the appropriate event to celebrate.

1877 – the 400th anniversary

During the second half of the 19th century, the resistance against celebrating the University’s Catholic roots had vanished. In the early 1870s, the University Board decided to celebrate the quadricentennial – the 400th anniversary – and a committee was established. The main celebration was on 5–7 September 1877.

The main jubilee activities in 1877

• Plans for a new university main building (inaugurated in 1887).
• Coordinated scholarly publication.
• The historian Claes Annerstedt was commissioned to write the history of the University. Part one, comprising 400 pages, was published during the quadricentennial year.
• Many members of the royal family participated, among them King Oscar II.
• A conferment ceremony with all faculties represented.
• A concert arranged by the Uppsala Student Union in the University Library, Carolina Rediviva.
• A ball in the Botanical Gardens, arranged by Uppsala Municipality.
• New music was composed, and the poem “Ur nattomhöljda tider” was written by Viktor Rydberg.

1927 – the 450th anniversary

In 1924 the decision was made to celebrate the 450th anniversary in 1927. The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ludvig Stavenow, argued that every generation should celebrate its own time in the history of the University. The main celebration was held on 15–17 September 1927.

Some jubilee activities

• Unveiling of the statue of Archbishop and Vice-Chancellor Jacob Ulvsson next to Uppsala Cathedral.
• Programme in the University Main Building with international tributes.
• Dinners at the student nations.
• Informal reception in the University Main Building.
• Hugo Alfvén composed a festive piece for the jubilee. As director musices at the University, he had principal responsibility for both the Royal Academic Orchestra and the music for the jubilee. Alfvén was also the conductor of Allmänna Sången at the time, which gave him the opportunity to direct performances involving both ensembles.
• Another important activity was the facsimile edition of the Silver Bible, Codex Argenteus.
• Discussions were held regarding a university museum.
• The conferment ceremony was held in Uppsala Cathedral (for the last time before the renovation of the University Main Building in 2016–17).
• Allmänna Sången gave a concert.
• A statue of Prince Gustaf by Carl Eldh was unveiled outside Carolina Rediviva.

1977 – the 500th anniversary

Planning started in 1966, led by Vice-Chancellor Torgny Segerstedt.

The quincentenary was marked by the political climate of the 1960s and 1970s. Olof Palme, at the time Minister for Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs, was in charge of the higher education reform UKAS, which was heavily criticised by students. Simultaneously, the Vietnam War and the 1968 protests affected universities at large.

Against this backdrop, Segerstedt emphasised that the jubilee was an occasion to celebrate science and scholarship rather than a glamorous party.

Some jubilee activities

The main days were 28–30 September 1977. The programme contained the following, and more:

• A ceremony in the Grand Auditorium
• A luncheon at Uppsala Castle
• Premiere of music by Allan Pettersson
• Banquet at Fyrishallen
• Conferment ceremony
• Banquets at the student nations with honorary doctors as guests
• Around 50 scholarly symposia
• Some 7,000 researchers from all around the world
• Over 100 honorary doctors
• Open house, exhibitions and renovations at the University Main Building
• A concert on New Year’s Eve 1976 with opera singer Birgit Nilsson
• Bror Marklund’s (1907–1977) monumental sculpture “DNA Molecule”, commissioned by the Public Art Agency Sweden

1995 – 400 years since the re-opening

In 1995 the University decided to celebrate 400 years since the re-opening. With the quincentenary in fresh memory, the committee chose to celebrate in a more limited way: a jubilee quarter year between March and June.

Vice-Chancellor Stig Strömholm described this as a balancing act. The theme was “Uppsala University Resurgent” – Universitas Upsaliensis Revirescens.

Some jubilee activities

• Anniversary Day on 15 March
• Scholarly symposia 22–25 March
• Jubilee book Universitetets bildvärld
• Spring concert at which Allmänna Sången performed Carmina Burana by Carl Orff
• Inauguration of the Museum of Medical History
• The student exhibition “Studiosus – student i Uppsala”
• A donation by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation for Museum Gustavianum, and more