Counting down to the jubilee

This year, it is 549 years since the charter was issued. The countdown to the great 550th anniversary has begun. The jubilee will commemorate more than half a millennium of education and research.

The University has celebrated jubilees in the past, in 1877, 1927 and 1977. The quadricentennial in 1877 inspired the plans to build the new University Main Building, which was inaugurated in 1887. For the celebrations in 1927, Swedish composer Hugo Alfvén wrote a Jubilee Cantata and conducted the premiere performance personally in the University’s Grand Auditorium. The quincentenary was distinguished by works of art including Bror Marklund’s sculpture “DNA Molecule”, commissioned by the Public Art Agency Sweden and placed at the Biomedical Centre.

Now the 550th anniversary is just around the corner and planning is well underway for the upcoming jubilee. One of the first initiatives is a project that highlights historical figures associated with the University and with the city of Uppsala. By telling the story of their lives and achievements, the University aims to offer new perspectives on history and show how the ideas and labours of earlier generations continue to influence activities today.

“The jubilee is an excellent opportunity to pause and reflect on the University’s place in the world – to consider what we have contributed and what initiatives we want to take to realise our ambitions. I see our jubilee as a celebration of science and scholarship, but also as a launchpad for development and renewal,” says Uppsala University’s Vice-Chancellor Anders Hagfeldt.

What will happen in 2027?

The jubilee celebrations will last from 27 February until 27 November, with a wealth of activities for both the academic community and the public. Highlights include opening ceremonies in the Grand Auditorium, festive doctoral degree conferment ceremonies, the Jacob Ulvsson Day, the Rudbeck Day, excavations, book releases, inaugurations of professors and exhibitions. There will also be concerts, lectures and student congresses, both in Uppsala and on Gotland.

This coming year will be a time of preparations leading up to the jubilee year – an opportunity to celebrate and display the University’s importance in history and for the future. 

Annica Alvén