Lund University Main Building
Encyclopedia
The main building of the Swedish
Lund University
was designed by architect Helgo Zettervall
and inaugurated by King Oscar II
in 1882. Construction began in 1874, when the old main building Kungshuset
had become too small for the growing number of students.
The design is characterised by Helgo Zettervall's fascination with classical antiquity
, and features column
s and fancy coping
s. There were originally four sphinx
es on the roof, but they had to be removed after some 30 years because of bad quality. In the 1990s four new sphinxes were located on the roof.
Like many of Zettervall's buildings, it was criticized for a lack of uniformity and not being well thought out.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
Lund University
Lund University
Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
was designed by architect Helgo Zettervall
Helgo Zettervall
Helgo Nikolaus Zettervall, older spelling Zetterwall, was a Swedish architect and professor of the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts...
and inaugurated by King Oscar II
Oscar II of Sweden
Oscar II , baptised Oscar Fredrik was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death and King of Norway from 1872 until 1905. The third son of King Oscar I of Sweden and Josephine of Leuchtenberg, he was a descendant of Gustav I of Sweden through his mother.-Early life:At his birth in Stockholm, Oscar...
in 1882. Construction began in 1874, when the old main building Kungshuset
Kungshuset
Kungshuset, the "King's House", is a building in Lund in Sweden, built by the Danish king Frederick II between 1578–84 and originally intended as the residence for the bishop of Lund...
had become too small for the growing number of students.
The design is characterised by Helgo Zettervall's fascination with classical antiquity
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
, and features column
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
s and fancy coping
Coping (architecture)
Coping , consists of the capping or covering of a wall.A splayed or wedge coping slopes in a single direction; a saddle coping slopes to either side of a central high point....
s. There were originally four sphinx
Sphinx
A sphinx is a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head or a cat head.The sphinx, in Greek tradition, has the haunches of a lion, the wings of a great bird, and the face of a woman. She is mythicised as treacherous and merciless...
es on the roof, but they had to be removed after some 30 years because of bad quality. In the 1990s four new sphinxes were located on the roof.
Like many of Zettervall's buildings, it was criticized for a lack of uniformity and not being well thought out.