Historical student experience in the app Uppsala konst och kulturarv (Uppsala Art and Cultural Heritage)
The Sju helvetes gluggar (Seven Holes of Hell) tavern lay on the corner of Östra Ågatan and Bäverns gränd. It is famous in part because it features in Gunnar Wennerberg’s Gluntarna song cycle. And now it is also part of a digital city walk tracing student life in Uppsala. Photo: Alfred Dahlgren
The Uppsala Art and Cultural Heritage app is now offering a new walking tour of Uppsala. The Institute for Dialectology, Onomastics and Folklore Research has created a walk called ‘A historical student experience’.
Uppsala Municipality is behind the Uppsala Art and Cultural Heritage app. The app was launched in June 2022 and consists of seven historical city walks and 18 art walks in Uppsala, explains Katarina De Verdier, who is the head of public art in the municipality.
“There are also walking tours associated with a particular occasion such as the Uppsala Light Festival and Walpurgis Night, and these are produced in collaboration with Destination Uppsala,” says Katarina De Verdier. “The walks range from 300 metres (the Alma walk for children) to 9 km (Linneas Trail: Herbatio Danensis).”
You can do the walk on foot in the city, or from the comfort of your sofa at home, to take in some of Uppsala’s unique art and cultural heritage. If you are interested in Uppsala University, there are also walks such as From Carolinaparken to Blåsenhus. This walk takes you past a number of the University’s buildings and works of art.
“Several new walks are planned,” Katarina De Verdier reveals, “for example a medical history walk in partnership with the Medical History Museum, and one that takes in places connected with Dag Hammarskjöld.”
A historical student experience
The walk titled ‘A historical student experience’ was launched in September 2026. It was created by the Institute for Dialectology, Onomastics and Folklore Research, and takes visitors to places related to the history of students in Uppsala. These range from the corners where students gathered to read the news and gossip to houses of ill repute and taverns where the alcohol flowed freely.
Josefin Devine, research archivist at the Institute for Dialectology, Onomastics and Folklore Research, what is the purpose of the historical student experience walk?
“We want to highlight local history and a body of material that not everyone might know about. I’m referring to the place name collections we have at the Institute for Dialectology, Onomastics and Folklore Research. The theme of students is also an obvious one in a university city.”
The historical student experience is a walk of 3.5 kilometres. Who is its target audience?
“The target group is Uppsala residents who want to know more about their own city, students who want to be able to compare the past with the present, and visitors who want to experience the authentic Uppsala,” says Josefin Devine.
The walk is available in Swedish and English so far, and a Finnish translation is in progress. The walk is also available on the website of the Institute for Dialectology, Onomastics and Folklore Research in a version that does not use a map.
Ulrika Hurtig
Where can I find it?
- Download the Uppsala Art and Cultural Heritage app from the App Store or Google Play.
- The app is available for both iOS and Android and for both mobile phones and tablets.
- It is a free app.
- Select History.
- Select A historical student experience.
- Select Start tour.