General information on Lund
Lund is a very pleasant city, both young and old at one and the same time. The large numbers of students are plain to see in the street life of the winding medieval alleyways. At one time Lund was known as an academic backwater, but now, in the 21st century, people are more likely to talk about the future. New districts are growing, a future tram system is being planned, and large-scale constructions such as ESS and MAX IV are in full swing. It’s easy to like Lund. Everything is within easy reach. The Cathedral, the university, the museums, restaurants, cafés, and pubs, and most of the hotels, are all within walking distance of the centre.

History of Lund

Lund was founded at the end of the 10th century and is one of Sweden's oldest cities. New excavations show that the city probably moved from Uppåkra, about 5 km further south, when the settlement there burned down. Previously there was a mint here, as well as the oldest school in Scandinavia, the Cathedral School, founded in 1085. The splendid Cathedral was built during the first half of the 12th century, and in the Middle Ages Lund was Denmark's most important city.
In 1658 Skåne became the property of Sweden rather than Denmark, and in order to speed up the process of becoming properly Swedish, Lund University was built in 1666. In the middle of the 19th century, a railway was constructed from Malmö via Lund and further north. Now the industrial revolution had reached Lund.
The city grew throughout the 20th century, and today it is home to 110,000 people. This growth is partly due to the university and the health service, and partly to high-tech industries such as Tetra Pak and Gambro, all with links to the university.

Lund University
Lund University was founded back in 1666, making it one of the oldest universities in Scandinavia. With 47,000 students and offering Sweden's broadest range of courses, Lund takes the lead year after year when Swedish students vote for their favourite student city.

Lund University has over 650 professors and 2,900 postgraduate students. In recent years Lund University has succeeded in obtaining large research grants. A little over SEK 4 billion is spent on research annually. World-class research is conducted in the fields of nanotechnology, control engineering, physics, chemistry, biology, Quaternary geology, philosophy and economic history. There is also internationally leading research on diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease. Research in musical instruction is also ranked very highly.

These successes are largely due to the cross-disciplinary research that is carried out, as well as the diversity that a full-scale university can offer.

The university offers 210 masters programmes, and around 6,000 international students come to Lund each year. There are 280 different teaching programmes and 2,300 independent courses within: technology, natural sciences, law, social science, economics, medicine, humanities, theology, art, music and theatre.

Expansion – Lund at the cutting edge
Lund is one of Sweden's fastest growing cities and has several new initiatives under way. Currently it has 110,000 inhabitants, and the forecast for 2020 is 124,000 inhabitants.

Max IV and ESS are two gigantic future projects within materials research that are due to be completed in 2015 and 2019 respectively. A brand new city district, complete with services and housing, is now growing up around these facilities. Nearby, Ideon Medicon Village is located. This is a unique research facility for life sciences. It will integrate research, innovation and enterprise in order to create value, products and services for human health and better lives.
Lund University is needed for this strong high-tech business community to thrive, and the list of Lund innovations that have spread all over the world is growing all the time. Here are some of them: Tetra Pak packaging, Gambro artificial kidneys, Astra Zeneca's Turbuhaler, inkjet printers, Bluetooth from Ericsson, Axis network cameras, and ProViva functional food - all are the results of Lund ideas and Lund research.

Lund - always close by
Lund is easy to get to, whether you are travelling by air, train, car or bus. Lund is 50 km from Copenhagen Airport, and you can reach central Lund from there in 35 minutes by train. Trains depart every twenty minutes, going over the Öresund Bridge and through Malmö before stopping in Lund.

The nearest airport on the Swedish side is Malmö Airport, 30 km to the east. An airport bus or a taxi can take you to Lund in under 30 minutes.

If you come by train you get off right in the centre of town, close to everything. On the X2000 train from Stockholm the trip takes 4 1/2 hours, and from Gothenburg 2 1/2 - 3 hours. The distance from Stockholm is about 600 km and from Gothenburg 260 km. At Lund's Central Station you can easily find a taxi. Taxi Skåne and Dalby Taxi are just two of the local taxi companies. If you want to travel by bus within Lund, the best place to get off is at the Central Station or at Botulfsplatsen in the city centre.

Taverns and going out
In Lund all restaurants, cafés and pubs are within comfortable walking distance of the centre. Lund people are famed for their insistence on high-quality ingredients. In Lund the distance from field to table is short, and its location, in the far south of Sweden, means that early produce really does appear early in the season. Local ingredients may be combined with influences from international cuisines, and in Lund there are restaurants from all corners of the world.

There are plenty of places where you can eat outdoors, in the parks and in the delightful pedestrian- friendly squares and streets. There are many cafés, as well as plenty of pubs and sports bars.

To take home with you
Lund has many delightful shops, so it's an easy matter to find presents to take back home with you. The tourist office has a good selection, as does the shop at the Museum of Cultural History. The magnolia is Lund's own special flower, and many gift items feature a magnolia design. Local handicraft items, often with a modern design, are sold by the handicrafts collective Skånekraft, which has a shop in central Lund.

Or you might choose a speciality tea, for example, some Lund Blend from Tehuset Java? Or a Lund variety of trail mix, known locally as Studentfoder ("student food") from Ahlgrens Konfektyr?
The famous Lund sausage known as Lundaknake is a delicacy available from Holmgrens in Saluhallen or from Widerbergs Kött & Charkuteriaffär. Genuine pyramid cakes of various sizes are available from Ramklints Café & Conditori.

Not to be missed in Lund:
The Cathedral, preferably when the medieval cathedral clock is playing In Dulci Jubilo. This happens every weekday at 12.00 and 15.00. On Sundays 13.00 and 15.00.


Museum of Cultural History, southern Sweden's answer to Skansen.


The History Museum's exhibition Barbaricum with interesting finds from the Iron Age settlement of Uppåkra.

The Museum of Sketches, the only art museum in the world to specialise in collecting sketches and models for public art from all over the world.


Botanical gardens and Stadsparken. Go for a little walk and enjoy the greenery.


Lundagård, go for a stroll there and on Universitetsplatsen.

Mårtenstorget and the market, which is especially busy towards the end of the week.


In Lund there is good range of delightful shops of all kinds, with everything you could want. An even broader selection can be found at Lund's shopping centre Nova, just outside the city. Bus no. 5 goes direct to Nova.

Klostergatan, which is now Lund's foodie district, bustling with top-quality grocery shops and restaurants. In 2012 the renovation and expansion of Saluhallen in the centre of town will also be completed. Try Lundaknaken, a spicy sausage made to a secret recipe. The sausage is eaten hot, with mustard. You can buy the sausages from Holmqvist in Saluhallen or from Widerbergs Kött & Charkuteriaffär.


Enjoy the street life in one of the many places serving food or drink outside.


Gerdahallen is a great place to do aerobics or strength training. It is used by both students and "ordinary" Lund residents. Open from morning to late evening.


Kino is Lund's own high-quality cinema. Large selection, often with films you never see elsewhere.

Advantages of Lund:
Proximity – it's easy to get to Lund, 30 minutes from Malmö Airport, 35 minutes from Copenhagen Airport and 4 1/2 hours by train from Stockholm.

A big city – but on a small scale. There is a clear international streak in Lund; everywhere you go you hear different languages being spoken. And yet at the same time there is a cosy and relaxed tempo to the place.

Pleasant atmosphere – Lund mixes culture, history, new ideas, solid knowledge and diversity in a relaxed way. Lund is a pleasant city with a strong spirit of enterprise.

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