Gamla Uppsala

Gamla Uppsala , in French old Upsal , to 7 km in the north of the town of Uppsala (Sweden), is a village with 17.164 inhabitants. Traditionally, this place is also regarded as " the cradle of Suède" , even if other Swedish areas as the Västergötland claim sometimes for this reason.

What one believes it with more certainty, it is that until the 12th century, old Upsal was the center of the great historical area of Svealand or at least of the historical province of Uppland. Vieil Upsal was also the first seat of the archbishop's palace of Sweden, created in 1164, the city having been moved towards its current place only in 1274, in the place where had hitherto located the port of old Upsal, called Östra Aros .

The church of old Upsal, set up at the 12th century at the place of a probable pagan temple (or at least on the place of an old place of pagan worship), was thus the first cathedral of Uppsala.

According to the legend the three funerary hillocks, generally called the Kungshögarna (in france royal Hillocks ) would be indeed the tombs of some of the first mythical kings of the Svear (Svear, populates Germanic this area, gave their names to the Svealand and the Sweden), kings who would have reign on these people at the 6th century and mentioned by the Icelandic sagas. According to certain myths they would be even the tombs of the divinities of the Germanic Pantheon: Thor, Odin and Freyr (Frö). Modern archeology could date them at the 6th century and determine which they are tombs of chiefs.

The Icelandic sagas and Adam of Bremen also mention ritual sacrifice to which the Svear would have been devoted old Upsal. It seems that the last sacrifices carried out in this place would have taken place in 1087 pennies the reign of the last pagan king of Sweden, Sven Sacrificateur.

A museum, open in 2000, explains the myths of the former Scandinavians and the possible part played by this place at the dawn of the history of Sweden.

See too

  • Uppsala
  • List of the kings de Suède
  • Sven Sacrificateur

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