Things to see and do Lund

Since the 12th century, the two towers of the cathedral, called "Lunna Pågarna", have been rising above the plain, telling the traveller that he or she is no longer far from Lund. It also reminds us that there were as many as 27 churches and 8 convents here. The church has an unusual play of different shades of sandstone from a quarry in the Lund area. The same quarry, which is still used for the cathedral's purposes today, provided the sandstone for its unusually rich ornamental and figurative sculptures. The cathedral's most popular attraction is its astronomical clock, which dates from the late 14th century. Every day, at the twelve strokes of noon and at 3pm (Sundays at 1pm and 3pm), a mechanism sets wooden figures in motion: the show begins with an exchange of swords between two knights... The church is home to a set of beautiful stalls designed for the canons of the old Saint-Laurent monastery which belonged to the church. The triptych above the altar dates from the 15th century. The apse ends at the top with a mosaic of Christ, the work of Joakim Skovgaard in 1925.

Be sure tovisit the crypt, which is reached by descending the stairs beside the altar. It dates from 1123 and contains the tombs of famous people. It is supported by columns on which sculptures are carved. One of them represents Finn the Giant who, according to legend, built the church for Saint Lawrence.

In the west of Mårtenstorget, rue Kattesund, you can see the ruins of the Drotten church. The archaeological excavations carried out in 1984-1985 highlighted its richness and the fascinating character of its history. Everything suggests that the church, built in the middle of the th century, was destined for the diocese. Originally, there were crypts under the choir and under part of the big nave. Drotten housed a convent before serving, around 1300, parish church until the Reformation in 1536, the date of its demolition.

The street in front of the bishop's palace (Biskopsgatan) leads to the Botanical Garden, with 7,000 plants from all over the world. The institution houses a beautiful museum and a laboratory. The garden is an enchantment for botanists and strollers. You will discover many beautiful species and learn a lot. There is a small store where you can do some shopping for the gardeners, and a very pleasant café invites you to take a gourmet break.

Lund University was founded in 1666. Today, about 35,000 students are enrolled at the university. Opposite the university building and on the right side of Lundagård Park stands the Student Union building (Akademiska Föreningen), which houses meeting rooms, concert halls, a pub, a restaurant and the administration. During the academic year, the area between the university, the Akademiska Föreningen and the many institutes is crowded with students. The library is located behind the bishop's house.

We highly recommend that you walk through Lundagård Park, which lies north of the cathedral. Here you will find Kungshuset, also called Lundagårdshuset, a red brick house built in the last half of the ^16th century and former residence of King Frederick II of Denmark. In the park, between Kulturen, the Museum of Folk Art and Traditions and the Student Union building, Tegnér Square is recognizable by the statue of Esaias Tegnér, a famous Romantic poet who was a student at the University of Lund before teaching there.

The Kulturen (opened in 1892) is comparable to the Skansen Museum in Stockholm, and is located on the edge of Lundagård Park, in a maze of small cobbled streets. The museum's grounds provide a shortened history of southern Swedish architecture. Small farmhouses, vicarages and dwellings have been reconstructed as they were originally, as well as a beautiful wooden church from the village of Bosebo in the province of Småland. The houses are open to visitors.

Medieval brick building, built around 1580 by order of the Danish king Frederik II as a residence for the bishop of Lund. A century later it was donated to the University of Lund. The tower was once used as an astronomical observatory. The building now houses the university's philosophy department. A very beautiful building that one contemplates with pleasure, that leaves one wondering and that makes one want to return to the university!

Preceded by a sculpture garden, this is an exciting and original museum! It presents the work of creating a work of art (and in particular a public monument) through sketches, models and other preparatory work.

Most of the collection is devoted to Swedish artists, while the large international room takes us into familiar territory: we discover Jean Lurçat (tapestry for Chichester College, 1952), Jean Dubuffet (Nanterre University, 1965), Sonia Delaunay (pavilion for the Paris World Fair, 1937), Raoul Dufy (with the sketch for the famous Electricity Fairy, now in the Museum of Modern Art in Paris), Henri Matisse (drawings for the chapel in Vence, 1959), Pierre Soulages (Maison de la Radio in Paris, 1963), Jean Bazaine (preparatory cartoons for the stained glass windows of the church of Saint-Séverin in Paris, 1970), Fernand Léger (Gaz de France building in Alfortville, 1955) and Marc Chagall (synagogue in Jerusalem).

Thereis also a rich Mexican collection with sketches by the main muralist painters, Diego Rivera, Juan O'Gorman and José Clemente Orozco.

Finally, the museum presents sculptures. Bourdelle and Jean Arp are present, but also Henry Moore with his Arches of the Hill, without forgetting Christo and Jeanne-Claude presenting diagrams of their famous packaging of the Pont Neuf.

Finally, on the first floor, there is a small Danish room with a model of the Andersen statue in Copenhagen and works by Robert Jacobsen and Per Kirkeby.