Carolina Rediviva
Uppsala's university library, where the sixth-century Silver Bible written in silver and gold on purple vellum is displayed.
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The library opened in 1841 and holds several million volumes, but the object on display is the Codex Argenteus - a Gothic gospel book written in Ravenna in the sixth century for the Ostrogothic court, in silver and gold ink on vellum dyed purple. It reached Sweden as war booty from Prague in 1648. Around a hundred and eighty-eight leaves survive of an original three hundred and thirty-six. The exhibition room also shows the Carta Marina, Olaus Magnus's 1539 map of the north with its sea monsters, and rotating manuscripts and early prints. The reading rooms are for students, but the exhibition is free and open to anyone.
What you actually see
- The Codex Argenteus - silver and gold on purple vellum, sixth century.
- The Carta Marina of 1539 - Olaus Magnus's map of the north.
- Rotating manuscripts and early prints - changed periodically.
- A working university library - the rest of the building.
When to go
Year round; exhibition hours are shorter than the library's. An hour.
Honest expectations
The exhibition is one room and the visit is short. Light levels are kept very low for the manuscripts. Summer hours are reduced. Reading rooms are not open to visitors.
Nearby
Gustavianum and the cathedral are downhill; the botanical garden is west.
What to pack for Carolina Rediviva
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
