Uppsala University Library is one of the oldest research libraries in the Scandinavian countries, and holds rich and valuable collections with cultural heritage materials. The library was founded in 1620 by the king Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, who also donated the first manuscripts and books. Since then the collections have grown through the centuries.
In the exhibition hall you find the famous Codex argenteus, a 6th-century manuscript, containing a 4th century translation of the four gospels into the Gothic language.
Here you also find samples from the collections that have been gathered for 400 years. In the exhibition you can follow the evolution of writing through thousands of years, the origin of book printing and how scientific discoveries spread in printed form. Through historical documents you see the development of society and democracy in past centuries.
Here you can also see the earliest reasonably accurate map of the Nordic countries – Carta Marina, printed in 1539 – on display.
