The Linnaeus Garden
The Linnaeus Garden is Sweden’s very first botanical garden – today a living museum that changes with the seasons. Stroll among flowers, cultivated beds, fruit trees and the orangery, or join a guided tour to learn more about the plants as well as the garden’s fascinating history.
As early as 1655, Olof Rudbeck the Elder established a teaching garden on this site so that students at Uppsala University could study plants and medicinal herbs. With 1,800 different plant species, the garden became one of Europe’s most impressive botanical collections. Several species were cultivated here for the first time in Sweden, including the potato. After the great fire of Uppsala in 1702, the garden fell into decline, but when Carl Linnaeus became its director in 1741, it was revived. Through his extensive international network, he gathered plants from around the world and transformed the garden into a centre for botanical research.
Today, the Linnaeus Garden is laid out entirely according to Linnaeus’ own garden plan, with plants arranged according to his famous sexual system of classification – the system that brought him worldwide recognition and revolutionised the way plants were classified. Only plants that were part of Linnaeus’ collections are cultivated here.
The garden also bears traces of animal life. In the 18th century, a garden of high status was expected to keep animals. The small houses mounted on pillars around the garden are often mistaken by visitors for birdhouses – but in fact, monkeys lived here during Linnaeus’ time!
The Linnaeus Museum
Adjacent to the Linnaeus Garden is the Linnaeus Museum. This was the home of Carl Linnaeus and his family during the latter half of the 18th century. Here, you can explore furniture, objects and artwork that tell the story of their lives. Preserved items from his travels and his years as a professor at Uppsala University are displayed alongside his own insect cabinets, the family’s porcelain and various items of clothing. Together, they offer a unique opportunity to discover Linnaeus both as a scientist and as a human.
