Top Historic Sights in Lund, Sweden

Explore the historic highlights of Lund

Lund Cathedral

Lund Cathedral was consecrated in 1145, and contains many well-known artefacts and features of considerable historical interest. Since then service has been held here every day for almost 900 years. Today over 700 000 persons visit the church each year with some 85 000 who attends a service. The first cathedral was built in Lund before 1085, but it is difficult to know if the present building was built in the same place. ...
Founded: 1080-1145 | Location: Lund, Sweden

Lund Historical Museum

The Historical museum in Lund, founded in 1805, is the second largest archaeological museum in Sweden. Its collections contain among other things Kilian Stobaeus' Cabinet of Curiosities from the 18th century, thousands of finds from the excavations of the Iron Age city of Uppåkra and numerous artefacts from the Scanian Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages. The museum also has the second largest coin collection in the country ...
Founded: 1805 | Location: Lund, Sweden

Kungshuset

Kungshuset, the "King's House", was built by the Danish king Frederick II between 1578–1584 and originally intended as the residence for the bishop of Lund. After the secession of the Scanian lands to Sweden at the Treaty of Roskilde 1658, and the foundation of Lund University in 1666 to enhance the Swedification of the Danish provinces, the house was incorporated to serve as the university's main building and libra ...
Founded: 1578-1584 | Location: Lund, Sweden

Lund University Main Building

The city of Lund has a long history as a center for learning and was the ecclesiastical centre and seat of the archbishop of Denmark. A cathedral school for the training of clergy was established in 1085 and is today Scandinavia's oldest school. A studium generale (a medieval university education) was founded in 1425, although it was not until 1438 that education was started by the Franciscan order for a baccalaureus degr ...
Founded: 1882 | Location: Lund, Sweden

Drotten Church Ruins

Drotten Church was built around 1050 and it was the second largest church in Lund. The building was about 50m long and probably made for bishop’s church. Archaeologists have also found evidences of even earlier stave church on the site, built probably in the 990 by Danish King Svend Tveskæg. Drotten Church was rebuilt several times and since 1150 it functioned as a parish church and later an abbey church. The church w ...
Founded: ca. 1050 | Location: Lund, Sweden

St. Peter's Priory

St. Peter's Priory (Sankt Peters Klosters kyrka) was one of Denmark's early monastic houses. It was established before 1166 during the tenure of Eskil, Archbishop of Lund, for Benedictine nuns. It was originally dedicated to Saint Mary and Saint Peter, but by 1200 it was simply referred to as St. Peter's Priory. The original church was built in the latter half of the 1160s of sandstone with the rounded arches of the Roman ...
Founded: 1160s | Location: Lund, Sweden

Allhelgonakyrkan

The neo-Gothic Allhelgonakyrkan (All Saints Church) was built between 1887 and 1891. The tower is 72m high and of the highest buildings in Lund.
Founded: 1887-1881 | Location: Lund, Sweden

Norra Nöbbelöv Church

The original church in Norra Nöbbelöv was built in the 12th century, but it was demolished in 1899. The current Neo-Gothic style church was completed in 1901. The font (made in the 12th century) was moved from the old church. The triptych from the 15th century is today located at Lund University Historical Museum.
Founded: 1900-1901 | Location: Lund, Sweden

Vallkärra Church

Vallkärra Church was built in the 1100s in Romanesque style. Today only the choir remains of the original church, it was largely restored and rebuilt in 1844-1845.
Founded: 12th century | Location: Lund, Sweden

Svenstorp Castle

Svenstorp Castle was built in 1596 by Beata Hvitfeldt, a powerful lady-in-waiting to the Danish King Christian IV. Her architect was Hans Steenwinkel. In November 1676, the Danish king, Christian V, stayed at Svenstorp before the Battle of Lund. The night after the battle the Swedish king, Charles XI, whose troops had won the battle, stayed in the same room and the same bed. Since 1723, the castle has been owned by the Gy ...
Founded: 1596 | Location: Lund, Sweden

Odarslöv Church

Odarslöv Church dates from the 1100s and is built in the Romanesque style. It was restored according the plan of C. G. Brunius in the 19th century. The font dates from the original church and is made by so-called “Mårten stone master”. The cuppa was made in Germany in the 1500s. The altarpiece was painted by Gunnar John in 1937.
Founded: 12th century | Location: Lund, Sweden

Bonderup Church

Bonderup Church was built in Romanesque style in the 12th century. The vaulting was added in the 15th century and the tower in 1850. The tower was damaged by lightning in 1916 and rebuilt. The altarpiece dates from the 1600s.
Founded: 12th century | Location: Lund, Sweden

Håstad Church

Håstad Church was built in the 1200s in Gothic style. The tower was added later in the Middle Ages. It remained untouched until 1861, when it was restored by the design of C. G. Brunius. The font and wooden sculptures date from the 16th century. The triptych is also medieval. The altarpiece was painted by Justus Lundsgård on 1930.
Founded: 13th century | Location: Lund, Sweden

Stora Råby Church

The first stave church in Stora Råby lied probably on the same site as the current one, stone church from the 13th century. The porch and was added in the 1400s and the tower was reconstructed in 1770s. Windows were extended in 1773 and in 1843 C. G. Brunius restored the church. The baptismal font, made of sandstone, dates from the 13th century. The pulpit was made in 1909.
Founded: 13th century | Location: Lund, Sweden

Västra Hoby Church

Västra Hoby Church was built in 1886 since most of the previous church had been demolished. The old church was built in the Middle Ages, but of that church there is only the tower left. On a wall in the back of the church room there is a reredos from the 15th century. It was stored in the Museum of cultural history in Lund, but has now been moved back to Västra Hoby Church. The reredos is divided into 19 fi ...
Founded: 1886 | Location: Lund, Sweden

Igelösa Church

The Romanesque style apse of Igelösa Church was built in the 12th century. The tower and vaults were added in the 15th century. Two choirs were added in the 17th century. There are two sarcophagi in the so-called “Gyllenkrookska koret”, which is the grave of Axel Gyllenkrook and his wife. The current appearance dates from 1859, when the church was restored by the design of C. G. Brunius. The altarpiece an ...
Founded: 12th century | Location: Lund, Sweden

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Monte d'Accoddi

Monte d"Accoddi is a Neolithic archaeological site in northern Sardinia, located in the territory of Sassari. The site consists of a massive raised stone platform thought to have been an altar. It was constructed by the Ozieri culture or earlier, with the oldest parts dated to around 4,000–3,650 BC.

The site was discovered in 1954 in a field owned by the Segni family. No chambers or entrances to the mound have been found, leading to the presumption it was an altar, a temple or a step pyramid. It may have also served an observational function, as its square plan is coordinated with the cardinal points of the compass.

The initial Ozieri structure was abandoned or destroyed around 3000 BC, with traces of fire found in the archeological evidence. Around 2800 BC the remains of the original structure were completely covered with a layered mixture of earth and stone, and large blocks of limestone were then applied to establish a second platform, truncated by a step pyramid (36 m × 29 m, about 10 m in height), accessible by means of a second ramp, 42 m long, built over the older one. This second temple resembles contemporary Mesopotamian ziggurats, and is attributed to the Abealzu-Filigosa culture.

Archeological excavations from the chalcolithic Abealzu-Filigosa layers indicate the Monte d"Accoddi was used for animal sacrifice, with the remains of sheep, cattle, and swine recovered in near equal proportions. It is among the earliest known sacrificial sites in Western Europe.

The site appears to have been abandoned again around 1800 BC, at the onset of the Nuragic age.

The monument was partially reconstructed during the 1980s. It is open to the public and accessible by the old route of SS131 highway, near the hamlet of Ottava. It is 14,9 km from Sassari and 45 km from Alghero. There is no public transportation to the site. The opening times vary throughout the year.