Carolina Rediviva

Uppsala University Library is one of the oldest research libraries in the Scandinavian countries. The library was founded in 1620 by the king Gustavus Adolphus, who also donated the first manuscripts and books to it. Since then the collections have grown significantly and many rare and valuable items have been added to its collections, which today constitute a rich and unique cultural heritage.

Here you find samples from our valuable collections that have been gathered here 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 Through historical documents you see the development of society and democracy in past centuries.

The exhibition contains the famous Codex argenteus, as well as the earliest reasonably accurate map of the Nordic countries, Carta Marina printed in 1539.