Lund University throughout the ages
Medieval Lund was a city of churches and the needs of the cathedral led to Lund becoming the foremost centre of education within the Nordic region. As early as 1438, the Franciscan order had already established a centre for general studies. Located in the current Klostergatan, it provided a university level of education.
Much of the teaching discontinued following the Reformation – but the need remained. When Skåne became Swedish, Bishop Peder Winstrup is said to have proposed the establishment of a university in Lund to the then new king, Charles XI. Not everyone was in favour of the proposal. Several other cities considered themselves more entitled to a seat of learning. However, on January 29, 1668, in stately manner, Lund University was inaugurated. The motto that adorned the seal was a crowned lion bearing a sword and a book – ad utrumque paratus. Prepared for both.
During this period, Sweden was a great power and already had four universities within its borders: Greifswald (1456), Uppsala (1477), Dorpat in Estonia (1632) and Åbo (1640).
Successful beginnings
The first years proved to be a success for the university. There were four faculties – theology, law, medicine and philosophy – and plenty of students. Several internationally renowned professors were recruited, adding prestige. Amongst the foremost of these were political philosopher and jurist, Samuel Pufendorf and astronomy professor, Anders Spole, who built the first observatory tower in Sweden at his home on Winstrupsgatan.
However, Denmark was in the process of attempting to regain control of Skåne. After the battle of Lund in 1676, the university closed and several of the professors left and when teaching eventually resumed, only a few returned. In 1711, Lund was to suffer yet a new ordeal, this time the ravages of the plague. The teachers were urged to conduct their teaching outside the city. Philosophy professor Andreas Rydelius did just that and stumbled along the country roads of Skåne lecturing to his students. He was one of the first teachers to lecture in Swedish and not Latin.
Another renowned person was Johan Jacob Döbelius who became professor of medicine in 1710. He was the first to perform a public autopsy in Skåne. He discovered the Ramlösa well and his portrait can still be found adorning the bottle labels of Ramlösa mineral water. His student, professor of history and natural philosophy, Kilian Stobæus, was also a physician but later terminated his post as professor of history. His collection of curiosities became the basis of the University Museum.
Dance master and fencing master
Each year, between 50 and 100 new students enrolled. Most were from a clergy or nobility background. Others were the sons of civil servants, wealthy citizens, and farmers. Talented young men from poor homes could also attend classes – tuition was free, and scholarships were awarded. Among the teaching staff was a Master of Dance, a Master of Fencing and later also a Master of Languages.
The teaching took place in the cathedral, Liberiet (the chapter house library building), the Cathedral School and Lundagårdshuset (the building which previously had been the residence of the bishop).
The 18th century was a time characterized by both education and science. Botany was considered useful for “the economy and to assist the upkeep of rural maintenance”.
The scientist Erik Gustaf Lidbeck became the plantation director responsible for the botanical gardens. He planted some 50,000 mulberry trees to raise silkworms for the domestic production of silk. However, the project proved too costly and was ultimately unsuccessful – neither the trees nor the worms were able to survive the harsh winters.
Lectured seven hours a day
One professor who stands out is David Nehrman Ehrenstråle, a lawyer and the only teacher who remained at the faculty for almost 30 years.
He could lecture for seven hours a day, conduct private courses and still find time for the students. His subject was civil law, and he published a large work on Swedish legislation. One student was Sven Lagerbring who later changed to history and was called the father of Swedish critical history research. Anders Jahan Retzius was a driven scientist and co-founder of the Physiographic Society, which was the first scientific society in Lund.
With the new century came new ideas and ideals. German philosophers, researchers and poets had gained influence. Antiquity and national history had found a place. On October 4, 1799, Carl Adolph Agardh and Esaias Tegnér enrolled at the university – one becoming the foremost humanist and the other a foremost scientist. Both also became bishops – (the church was a common career path for professors) – and were elected to the Swedish Academy. Tegnér is best known for his poetry and brilliant speeches. Agardh, amongst other things, initiated the student association Akademiska Föreningen and the bank, Sparbanken in Lund.
Theology for all
The Faculty of Theology held a strong position and was very active. Students who studied law, medicine or philosophy had first to pass an examination in theology. This requirement however ended in 1853. An education in medicine, which previously had been purely theoretical, was now supplemented with clinical studies.
A somewhat romantic view of history characterised the academy. Lawyers viewed the legal system as a testament of the past and contrary to the ideas of natural law. Carl Johan Schlyter, professor of legal history, was the foremost name of the historical school.
Physics, chemistry and mathematics had a somewhat obscure existence. However, over time, they developed into subjects in their own right – external impulses and scientific discoveries also played their part.
One person who stands out in mathematics was professor Carl Johan Hill. He introduced his own sign system that no one else could decipher in his writings (Latin and French). He also designed the family’s house on Skomakargatan, where his son, Carl Fredrik Hill, who later became a well-known artist, also lived.
Sven Nilsson was a giant where learning was concerned. His subjects included zoology, geology and archaeology. When he died in 1883, he had completed 70 years of research.
Scandinavianism
The student generations from 1830 onwards saw themselves as representatives of progress. It was the time of liberalism and student Scandinavianism. New institutions and traditions were created by the students, such as the choral association with composer Otto Lindblad.
In the 1870s, activities and degree formats were modernized. The humanists had to include mathematics or a science subject in their degree and the sciences and physics had to include a couple of humanity subjects. Latin was compulsory until 1891. For a long time, a professorship in Latin was one of the most onerous posts. It was not until 1866 that the lecture catalogue was printed in Swedish. In the conferment of doctor’s degrees, that has its origins in the Middle Ages, Latin lives on.
In 1866, the first seminar in the Nordic countries took place in Lund. A language teacher had brought the idea from Germany, where the model had existed since the 18th century. It was then introduced in one subject after the other
The professor of modern languages, Carl August Hagberg, was a brilliant speaker and his lectures in aesthetics were always very well attended. As a result, Hagberg, the Shakespearean translator, became well-known outside the academy.
Quarrel about Darwinism
New and inconclusive theories are not always accepted. When Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, copies were sent to interested scientists. In Lund, a copy came to Jacob Georg Agardh, a zoologist, who completely rejected Darwin’s theories. However, his successor, Fredrik Areschough, devoted his installation lecture in 1879 to Darwinism. It was considered a scandal. His colleague, August Quennerstedt, a stubborn opponent of Darwin, held firmly onto the Christian doctrine.
An innovative scientist was physicist Janne Rydberg, who laid the foundation for the modern atomic theory – Rydberg constant. Astronomy took an international turn through the work of C.V Charlier, who became professor in 1897 and head of the newly built Observatory on Svanegatan.
A well-known physician was Seved Ribbing, professor of practical medicine, who was very keen on clinical education and a dearly beloved family doctor for many of Lund’s residents. Jacques Borelius ushered in a new era in surgery. He modernized the surgical clinic and was a prominent surgeon and enterprising hospital director.
The star architect Helgo Zettervall designed several university buildings, including the Department of Surgery and the Observatory. The most important being the university main building, completed in 1882.
Lund University remains a small-town university: during its anniversary in 1866, 338 students had enrolled. Uppsala university had almost four times as many.
The library is in constant need of more space. In 1907, a new brick building was completed on Helgonabacken – since then it has been extended many times.
The first female students
For centuries, academic studies were reserved for men only. However, in 1870, females were given the right to graduate, and universities were opened to them. The first female student in Lund was Hedda Andersson, who enrolled to study medicine in 1880. Literary scholar Hilma Borelius was the first woman to defend her dissertation in 1910 and was the only female teacher until 1917. For a long time, women had been excluded from regular employment.
Although the academic environment was conservative, radicals gathered in the club DUG – (The young old man club) – that was active in the 1880’s. Amongst the group were Bengt Lidforss, physician Karl Petrén and Lund’s most famous philosopher Hans Larsson. They were also part of Strindberg’s circle when he lived in Lund. DYG (The Younger Old Man club), which succeeded DUG and which was active into the 1930’s, was a school for future statesmen such as Ernst Wigforss, Östen Undén and Tage Erlander.
The vice-chancellor, Bishop Gottfrid Billing, tried to halt the winds from the left and used his power to prevent suspect academics from being promoted. This was the case for Knut Wicksell, Torgny Segerstedt and Bengt Lidforss.
Knut Wicksell was the radical pacifist from Uppsala who shocked the authorities with his talk about child restraint and conscientious marriage. Today he is considered the founder of Swedish economics.
Expansion and success
After the war, expansion gained momentum. Professor of physiology, Georg Kahlson, worked for better conditions for research and through him the Faculty of Medicine grew. The creation of research councils for science and medicine was partly due to him.
The efforts paid off. Scientific successes were gaining international attention. The Department of Medical Cell Research became a world-class neurobiological centre when Bengt Falck and Nils-Åke Hillarp in 1961 developed a method for detecting neurotransmitters in individual cells.
Chromosome scientists from all over the world flocked to Geneticum where Albert Levan and his colleague Joe Hin Tijo showed that humans had 46 chromosomes and not 48 as was previously believed.
The unique Museum of Sketches, an attraction for all art connoisseurs and art lovers, was founded in 1934 by professor of art history, Ragnar Josefsson. It contains sketches and models of public art from around the world.
Towards the end of the 1950s, students began to flock to the university in ever increasing numbers. Many now came from the working classes and many chose social science subjects.
The university grew – in 1965, a technical college was inaugurated. Dentists, teachers, musicians and actors were now being trained in Malmö. An art academy also moved here. In 1998, Malmö had a college, now a university, where teachers and dentists undergo training.
From scepticism to research village
By the 300th anniversary in 1968, student unrest had reached Lund, even though the manifestations were not as dramatic as on the continent. There was loud protest against the invitation of the American ambassador when mounted police took to the streets in the city. The following year, a contact conference between the university and the business community was suspended following violent protests. Scientists should not interfere with capitalism. In the 80s, other ideologies were being voiced and contact with the business community was being sought. It was within this environment that in 1984, IDEON was inaugurated; The first research village in the Nordic region.
The university had to adopt an international focus! The vision was clear from the start when Pufendorf and other well-known professors were recruited. War and plague interrupted the vision.
but only temporarily. Lund today is an international university – with recruitment not only taking place within Europe. Established researchers, doctoral students and other students now come from all over the world.
Text: Solveig Ståhl