Welcome to the Duke's Page of Life In Uppsala
Intro to Uppsala
Welcome to my student life in Uppsala, Sweden. Uppsala is a beautiful city located about 75 km northwest of Stockholm. As you drive towards Uppsala, the first thing you always see is the towering spires of Uppsala's DomKyrka(picture), a Cathedral. Next, as you come nearer to the city, you see the Slottet(castle), which sits on a ridge a short ways from the cathedral. These two majestic buildings dominate your view until you are emersed within the city. From then on, Uppsala is a combination of the new and the old. The outskirts of Uppsala give rise to new homes and apartment buildings, while the inner city is a culmination of many older buildings, many dating back as far as 400 years.
The river Fyris runs through the center of the city, separating, on the west, the cathedral and castle from, on the east, the downtown shopping areas. Arrayed throughout Uppsala are the Uppsala University faculty buildings. The university campus is not concentrated in any area, in fact most buildings are almost 10 minutes walk from one another. However, most of the university buildings are located on the west side of the Fyris river.
The main library, Carolina Rediviva, lies between the castle and the cathedral. One end of the main street ends at Carolina, and the other rolls away down the ridge to the river and across to Stora Torget(Main Square). Behind Carolina lies a small but picturesque park, behind which lies the Chemistry and Language Faculties. Just to the north of the Language faculty lies the kyrkog�rd(graveyard), which is astonshing to behold. Through it lies several gravel paths which students utilize as short cuts or take for peaceful walks.
Uppsala does not have a centralized student union, as do most universities, but instead has 13 separate student unions or nations, as they are called. The Nations each have their own buildings, with pubs, restaurants, discos, libraries, and other odds and ends. The nations are arrayed around the cathedral and below the castle, all within short walking distances of one another(approximately 10 minutes at most). To the northwest of the cathedral lies the nations of Kalmars, V-Dala, Upplands, G�teborgs, Sm�lands, and Snerikes. Directly to the south of the cathedral is V�rmlands, nearly behind that is Stockholm's and farther south, across the main street and below the castle, are Norrlands, GH, V�stg�ta, and �stg�ta. The 13th nation, Sk�ne, has no building and is a nearly inexistent club.
To the northwest of Uppsala lies Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala). This is the original location of the city and the cathedral. However, in approximately the 1100's(?) the site of the city was moved. At Gamla Uppsala the original kyrka(church) can be seen, also rebuilt after having burnt down. Three large hills are to the southwest of it, and these mounds are the resting places of three viking kings of sweden. Other small hills in the area proclaim the memorial mounds of other viking chieftains and leaders.
Back in Uppsala though, there are many more sites to see. Just behind the castle is the king's garden, where Linn� used to examine and categorize plants. A five minute cycle ride west from here is Stads Skog(the city forest), which is a forestpark with many trails winding between old, tall trees. Just up the hill from the cathedral is the University Building. Inside it has a beautifully decorated theater hall, with wonderful, gold enamelled carved banisters and railings, plus a fantastic chandelier. Outside, a little park lies at the foot of this building. Spaced around the park are old Viking rune stones which have been brought in from around Uppsala.
to be continued....
Student Living
As a student in Uppsala you will soon learn the locations of the various student residences. Some students come from Stockholm and other cities, but most live within Uppsala. The Nations supply student residences as does Student Staden. The respective Nations own various apartment buildings around the city, while Student Staden owns two apartment block areas, Fl�gsta(picutre) and Rackaberget, which lie on the west side of the river. Fl�gsta lies a 10 minute bicycle ride to the west of town, while Racakaberget is fairly central, and in fact is situated right behind Ekonomikum, the university building for business studies. Most exchange students live in either Fl�gsta or Rackaberget. One other student residence is Basic Hotel, which lies on the east side of the river. Basic Hotel is the most costly of the dorms, but does supply cleaning and meal service.
Student Life
An important part of student life in Uppsala is going out to the nations. Each of the nations has a bar, and most of them even have a disco once or twice a week. Additionally, the nations have fika and restaurants. In the dark of winter, going to a nation is necessary to fight off the winter blue, and to feel the pounding of heavy base. Each of the nations is slightly unique in the type of music they play, so a student can usually find a place to their liking. The nations also manage a lot of intramural activities and arrange student parties and trips. The nation is a critical component of student life. Oh, and incidentally, the nations sell beer for the cheapest price in all of Uppsala(next to Systembolaget, that is).
The nations host some really good events throughout the year. Gasques are one of the best events to go to. At a gasque you sit for dinner, drink, and sing. Usually several speechs are given and a toastmaster leads the singing. After the sitting has ended, the normal club dancing begins. At the same time Sl�pp opens. Sl�pp is the swedish word for the late-comers. Sl�pp usually opens at 2300, so if you missed the gasque, you can always attend the sl�pp, which sometimes is better. Some key gasques and/or Sl�pps to attend are: Reccegasque(reception gasque), Luciagasque, Ny�rsgasque, Valborg Sl�pp, and V�rball.
Some of the nations that I enjoy hanging out at are:
- V�stg�ta Nation
- V-Dala Nation
- Snerikes Nation
- Sm�lands Nation
- V�rmlands Nation
- Norrlands Nation
- �stg�ta Nation
- Kalmars Nation
- Stockholms Nation
Main Page
