Johanna Hansson hosts guests on Carolina balcony
Johanna Hansson opens the doors to Carolina Rediviva’s famous balcony, where the Vice-Chancellor celebrates the arrival of spring every year. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt
The countdown has begun outside Carolina Rediviva. On 30 April at 15:00, the University Library will be the focal point of the city. And this year it is the new Library Director Johanna Hansson who is inviting guests to the balcony.
Johanna Hansson’s office is on the third floor of the Carolina building. Portraits of her predecessors hang on the walls, and behind tall doors you can glimpse Carolina Rediviva’s famous balcony. This is where the Vice-Chancellor celebrates the arrival of spring every year.
On the last day of April, up to 220 people usually gather in Johanna Hansson’s office and neighbouring rooms. The doors between the rooms are only opened once a year, she says.
“First we mingle for a bit and then I give a speech. Then we all head for the balcony and wait for the clock to strike three.”
Gets crowded
The tradition of waving student caps at three o’clock started in the 1950s and has continued ever since, although the number of people gathering on the hill has varied over the years.
Last year, around 50,000 people gathered. In the pandemic years 2020 and 2021, there were considerably fewer. That was followed by a record 80,000 people in 2022.
Johanna Hansson took up the position of Library Director in August. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt
Took office in August
Johanna Hansson took up the position of Library Director in August, but has celebrated the last day of April at Carolina several times since she became Deputy Library Director in 2019.
What does this tradition mean to you at the library?
“It means a lot. Carolina has a central place in Uppsala’s architectural or urban landscape all year, but on the last day of April we really are in focus. And I am delighted to be able to invite these guests and welcome them. There’s a festive atmosphere both inside Carolina and outside. It’s both rather exclusive and very inclusive.”
A library for the whole city
This particular day is a reminder that the University Library is not just a resource for researchers and students, but is a library for the whole city.
“The Library Act states that publicly funded libraries must be accessible to everyone, so anyone is welcome here, though on the last day of April specifically, the library is actually closed to everyone except specially invited guests,” says Hansson.
“We design our activities for students and researchers, but whatever is of interest to the general public, they are welcome to use. I see the library as a good, neutral meeting place in general, not just on the last day of April.”
Annica Hulth
The donning of the caps
The tradition of putting on the student cap on 30 April has its roots in the early 1900s. It was only in the 1950s that it became a tradition for the Vice-Chancellor to raise his or her cap at exactly 15:00 as a signal to everyone in the crowd on Carolina Hill to do the same. It was the Vice-Chancellor at that time, Torgny Segerstedt, who started this tradition that made the donning of the caps the sign of the beginning of spring.