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The main building of Uppsala University was inaugurated 17 May 1887 and is a central work in the history of Swedish architecture. The subject of the thesis is the construction, design and use of the building. It is a well-preserved example and an unusually cohesive milieu from its time in terms of architecture, interiors, furniture, painting and sculpture whose uses have remained largely unchanged. The building was planned for daily academic and ceremonial activities and was intended to be a monument to the importance of education and the history of the University. The thesis shows how the University Main Building is part of a long European building tradition in which universities developed a unique building type. The aesthetic formation of the building is also part of a long tradition in its use of symbols and visual idiom. The thesis thus studies how various perspectives based on the history of architecture as well as the world of imagery and symbols influenced the design.

The thesis covers the approximate period of 1870–1900 and encompasses the planning, creation and contemporary reception of the building. The primary materials are the building, its ornamentation, interiors and works of art, as well as sources and texts dating from the time of its origin. The thesis studies the building process from concept to inauguration and the discussions and debates surrounding its form in relation to its function. Two themes run through the thesis, one concentrating on appearance in terms of reception history and one that concentrates on the functional and the performative. These themes interact and unite the function of the building with its artistic ornamentation and architecture.

The thesis shows that the Uppsala University Main Building is an important source of knowledge about the history of architecture, design and ideas in the late 19th century. The idea that the art should refine and cultivate citizens was embedded in the philosophy of education at the time, and the Uppsala University Main Building became an instrument of this endeavour.