The best family-friendly hikes and walks in Storskogen

Built from 1549 onwards as a fortress by Gustav Vasa, the castle was only rebuilt into a grand Renaissance palace after a fire in 1572. The old cannons on the Styrbiskop bastion still bear witness to its fortified early years.

Within the remaining ruins of Uppsala's original 16th-century castle, the Vasaborgen Museum offers insights into the history of Swedish rulers, recounting tales of kings and queens, princes and princesses. Guided tours led by costumed guides also reveal gruesome details of gruesome and violent sudden deaths. The museum is open from June 1st to September 1st.

Uppsala, a city of 175,000 inhabitants, is Sweden's fourth-largest metropolitan area. It can be wonderfully viewed from the hill in the city center where Gustav Vasa built his castle in 1549. It has been the ecclesiastical center of Sweden since 1164 and is the seat of the Archbishop of the Church of Sweden. The university, founded in 1477, is the oldest university in Scandinavia. The cityscape is still defined by the Fyrisån River, the cathedral, and the castle. Uppsala is rich in historical buildings but also has some very modern areas.

What would old fortresses be – anywhere in the world – without these decorative old cannons?

Here you have a fantastic view over the city. Don't forget your camera!

The Gothic Uppsala Cathedral (Uppsala Domkyrka), consecrated in 1435, is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Uppsala, the parish church of the Uppsala Cathedral parish, and a national shrine of the Church of Sweden. It houses the relics of Sweden's national saint, Saint Erik, and a relic of Saint Bridget. The church is traditionally the coronation and burial church for Swedish kings and queens. Following a fire in the former cathedral (in Gamla Uppsala), the Pope granted permission in 1258 to move the bishopric to present-day Uppsala (then Östra Aros). The move to Domberget took place in 1273. Initially, the existing Saint Erik Chapel was used for services while French builders, under the direction of Etienne de Bonneuil, began constructing a new cathedral. The construction would continue for over a century and a half. The cathedral's towers are the tallest church towers in Scandinavia, reaching 118.7 meters. The most powerful of its five church bells, called Storan, weighs 7,360 kilograms, making it Sweden's largest church bell. The Church of Sweden estimates that around half a million people visit Uppsala Cathedral each year.

With its commanding position on Kasåsen hill high above Uppsala, the castle is visible from afar. Today it is the residence of the Governor of Uppsala County. Built as a fortification by Gustav Vasa starting in 1549, the castle was the site of the Sture Murders in 1567, the decision regarding Sweden's participation in the Thirty Years' War was made here, Queen Christina abdicated here in 1654, and many of Sweden's former kings and queens were born and lived here. As early as 1572, the castle had been remodeled by Johan III and expanded into a grand Renaissance palace. After the great city fire of 1702, parts of the main building, the so-called Cross Castle, were demolished. During its reconstruction in 1744, the entire castle acquired its present form in the French Neoclassical style, based on designs by Carl Hårleman. The room, the district council hall, which was specially set up for the district council meetings after the municipal reform of 1862, is today primarily used as a representative reception room.

The Gunilla Bell, one of Uppsala's landmarks, was cast in 1588 and donated to the castle church by Queen Gunilla. It was recast in 1759. The inscription on the bell reads in Swedish: "Queen Gunnila had me cast in 1588. Under King Adolf Frederick, I was freed from my infirmity. In the year 1759." Since around 1700, the bell has been rung only once a day, at 6 a.m. and 9 p.m., a total of 151 times, to mark the beginning and end of the day. The ringing of the Gunilla Bell, along with the opening ceremony at the Carolina Rediviva, is a key event of the Walpurgis Night celebrations. At 9 p.m., the curator curatorum delivers the spring address to the students of Uppsala.