Museum
Upplands Museum
Upplands Museum is a museum.
About Upplands Museum
Overview
Upplandsmuseet serves as the county museum for Uppsala County in Sweden, dedicated to the preservation, research, and presentation of the region's cultural history and archaeology. The institution encompasses the historical province of Uppland, including the city of Uppsala, and operates under a foundation jointly managed by Region Uppsala and the Uppland Antiquarian Society. The museum's mission extends beyond static displays to include active research, educational programs, and the management of several affiliated sites, including open-air museums and historic houses. Its permanent exhibitions trace the history of the county over a span of 5,000 years, linking ancient heritage with contemporary societal issues.
History & Founding
The origins of Upplandsmuseet lie in the activities of the Uppland Antiquarian Society (Upplands fornminnesförening). In 1907, Axel Johansson, editor of Upsala Nya Tidning, initiated the formation of a cultural-historical museum, leading to the establishment of a museum committee. The final decision to found the museum was made in 1909, with Knut Hamilton serving as the first chairman. Initial collections were housed at Uppsala Castle, and in 1922, the collections were deposited at the Museum of Nordic Antiquities in Gustavianum, significantly increasing public visibility. The museum faced significant space constraints for decades, operating without dedicated exhibition halls after leaving Gustavianum in 1946, until the move to Akademikvarnen in 1959.
Building & Architecture
The museum is headquartered in Akademikvarnen, a former university water mill located on the Fyris River in central Uppsala. The original mill building was completed in 1768 and remained in operation until 1946. Between 1957 and 1959, the premises underwent a major restoration and reconstruction to accommodate the museum's needs, finally opening to the public in June 1959. The building's exterior is historically significant, having been used by director Ingmar Bergman as the setting for the bishop's house in the 1982 film 'Fanny and Alexander'. The structure is situated on Kvarnholmen island and serves as a central hub for the museum's activities.
Collection Highlights & Notable Holdings
Upplandsmuseet maintains a vast collection comprising nearly 800,000 items, of which approximately 600,000 are archaeological finds. The photographic archive is particularly extensive, containing over 1.5 million photographic carriers dating from the 1860s to the present day. A significant portion of the collection was acquired during the 1930s under the direction of the first curator, Nils Ålenius, who focused on collecting folk artifacts such as butter molds, cheese forms, and furniture from rural farms. The museum also holds Henri Osti's unique collection of approximately 16,000 glass negatives, purchased in 1929, which provides a critical visual record of the region's history.