Lund University Main Building

Attraction The university city of Lund
about ½ hour See also
• The University’s history The magnificent white University Main Building is one of Lund's most photographed buildings. The house was designed by the Cathedral architect Helgo Zettervall and built between 1878 and 1882. It was inaugurated on 27 September 1882 by Swedish King at that time, Oscar II. The architecture of the house both inside and out is inspired by the Greek Ancient. At the top above the main entrance from university plaza there is a sign “Regia Academia Carolina”. That’s the original mane of the university, named after King Karl X. It means the Royal Karolinska Academy. This visitor's guide tells you about the University Main Building and shows pictures of what it looks like inside.

The University Main Building is closed for renovation right now. When it reopens in a few years, it will become a visitor center for Lund University.

The University Main Building will be a visitor center for Lund University

In November 2017, the University Main Building had to be evacuated as there were problems with ventilation and moisture and mold were found. Previously, the University Main Building was the workplace of the University Management. The University Vice-Chancellor had his office in the northern part of the ground floor with windows facing the University Plaza. The university management moved to temporary residence, awaiting the renovation of the King's House. In January 2024, the King's House renovation was completed, so now the university management and the Vice-Chancellor have their workplaces there. The King's House is not open to public visitors, but the University Main Building will probably be a visitor center when the renovation is completed.

The decorative ornaments at the University Main Building

The University Main Building is decorated with a variety of ornaments. Torches of learning symbolizes the light of knowledge. On the lamps outside the entrance, shaped like candelabras, there are laurel wreaths symbolizing the educated person who is crowned Doctor of Philosophy.

Initially, there were four large women sculptures next to the doors at the main entrance, called the Faculty Madams. They represented the university's four original faculties. Each of them carried a sign with the texts Juris Scientia, Theologica, Philosophia and Medicina. The sculptures soon began to crack because they, and all other sculptures, were made of cement, so in 1902 they were removed. The four original sphinxes on the roof were removed in 1959. They were replaced with new ones in 1993, but they too were taken down, on November 2, 2021. The current sphinxes were lifted up to the University Main Building in beginning of October 2024.

The interior of the University Main Building

Inside the entrance, there is an atrium almost like a Square, from where you can access the other parts of the building. The University Main Building has not changed much since it was built, but several rooms have been given new functions and modern toilets have been installed in the basement.

Straight ahead is the auditorium, and directly to the right you will find the University Board Room. The next door leads to a corridor parallel to the University Board room, which leads to the Vice-Chancellor’s office. Originally, the room directly to the left was the University Board Room, and the room behind it was used for the university management and administration. There is an entrance from the south side of the University Main Building leading to that room. This was the entrance for the students when they were to be enrolled at the University. On the left side of the stairs to the auditorium there is a stair leading down to the Hall of Pillars. Further to the left you will find some rooms originally used for the university's finance department and there used to be a large vault there.

The University Main Building auditorium

The stairs straight ahead from the entrance lead to the auditorium. Above the door to the auditorium, stating ΜΗΔΕΝ ΑΜΟΥΣΟΝ in Greek, which means "Nothing to the muses (goddesses of poetry) strange".

The auditorium is the main ceremonial hall for the university, used for special events such as the annual celebration, Professor installations, graduation ceremonies, concerts and conferences. There are 40 benches with numbered seating from 1 to 16 in each row. At the end of the auditorium is a pulpit. When the University Main Building was built, only men were allowed to study at the University, therefore, the seats at the gallery were intended for visiting women. Above the entrance to the auditorium there is a gallery intended for an orchestra.

The auditorium has a magnificent ceiling with decorative paintings. The windows, placed high up, let in plenty of light.

The University Main Building second floor

From the second floor of the University Main Building, you can enjoy the view of the beautiful atrium. From there you also reach several lecture rooms of different sizes. At the top, on the third floor, there is a room originally used as a gallery with light coming in through a skylight.

Above the atrium there is a ceiling consisting of 700 hand-painted glass panels, letting in plenty of soft light.

The University Main Building first floor

The University Board room is a meeting room for the University Board. The door at the end leads into what was the Vice-Chancellor office, but since January 2024, the Vice-Chancellor office is on the second floor in the King's House.

The hall of Pillars in the southern part of the University Main Building's basement was originally used for the University's historical and archaeological collections and served as a historical museum. When the university library got its new building in 1907, the collections moved back to the first floor in the King's House. The Hall of Pillars was then used for receptions and parties.