Gustaf Svanberg was born in Uppsala in 1819, the son of Gustaf (the astronomer) and Fredrika Svanberg. Later in life he became mayor and active in municipal politics in Gothenburg. Svanberg was also elected as a member of the second chamber of the Riksdag.
The tombstone that adorns the Svanberg Burial site is one of the most eye-catching in the Old Cemetery. The allegorical female figure in bronze is called "Sorrow" and was made by sculptress Sigrid Blomberg. A similar sculpture adorns Carl Wijk's family grave at Östra Cemetery in Gothenburg.
Burial site: 0109-0461B
Image description: Portrait of Gustaf Svanberg, 1910 Photo: Unknown photographer / Wikimedia Commons. [The image is cropped] Click here for an uncropped image
Gustaf Svanberg was born in Botilsäter in Värmland and became a student in Uppsala in 1819. He first studied classical languages, but switched to mathematics and astronomy and was professor of astronomy 1842-1875.
Between 1833-1835 Svanberg studied earth magnetism in Germany. As a member of parliament, Svanberg succeeded in obtaining funding for a modern observatory in Uppsala, which was built in the area between Rackarbacken and the old fjärdingstullen, the area now known as Observatorieparken.
The observatory ca 1860 and the avenue.
Photo: Artist Eric Österlund (1812-1907) / UUB.
The Observatory neighborhood before 1890, view from the north.
Photo: Henri Osti / UUB.
The observatory was completed and inaugurated in 1853 and received its first main instrument, a 24 cm refractor from Steinheil in Munich. It was replaced in 1893 by the double refractor (36/33 cm) that is still in the main dome of the observatory.
Gustaf Svanberg organized regular meteorological observations from 1865. The Department of Meteorology moved to the Ångström Laboratory in 2000, but the "Old Observatory", as it is called, is still used by amateur astronomers and for public displays.
Burial site: 0109-0461B
Image description: Portrait of Gustaf Svanberg, ca 1870-1880. Photo: Henri Osti / UUBThe image is cropped] Click here for an uncropped image
Egmont Tornberg was born in 1891 in Rytterne and later in life became a second lieutenant in the navy in 1914, a lieutenant in 1917 and took up flying in 1918.
He joined the Air Force when it was formed in 1926 and in the same year, as a captain, he set an altitude record for seaplanes. The altitude record was set at 5731 meters with a Heinkel with 500 kg load (equivalent to combat load). The record was duly approved by the International Federation and surpassed the previous record by 700 meters.
In 1928, Egmont was in charge of the Swedish rescue expedition of survivors from the Italian airship Italia north of Spitsbergen. He showed impressive leadership during two months of severe material and personal strain under very difficult and rapidly changing weather conditions with risky flying over the Arctic Ocean, ice drift and dense fog.
Part of the rescue team with Tornberg in the middle.
Photo: From private collection.
From the Italia action in 1928.
Photo: From private collection.
Later in life Tornberg was commander of F 1, Jämtland Air Base F 4 and Norrbotten Air Base F 21.
In 1940 Tornberg became a colonel and eleven years later he died at the age of 59, the last of the naval aviators who had begun their flying careers in 1917.
Burial site: 0115-0811B
Image description: Portrait photograph of Egmont Tornberg, commander of the Western Air Base Area 1943-1946. Signed, framed photo. Photo: Unknown photographer / Air Force Museum. [The image is cropped] Click here for an uncropped image
Anders Strandberg came to Uppsala at the age of 13 and started working as a messenger.
In 1885, Strandberg started a haberdashery shop at Stora Torget. The shop was later moved to the corner building (built in 1905) on Drottninggatan in the so-called Strandbergska huset. The building was the first in the city with an elevator, central heating and electricity. In the same year, Strandberg, who was socially and technically interested, promoted an electricity plant for the city.
Stora torget in Uppsala 1901-1902, view towards Kungsängsgatan. At the time of the photograph, the building housed Anders Strandberg's haberdashery. The corner plot was owned and developed by Olof Rudbeck the Elder. It housed a post office until 1715. The houses were demolished in 1934. Photo: Alfred Dahlgren / UUB.
Stora torget with the Strandbergska house (built in 1905) to the right, April 29, 1911. On this occasion, the Swedish Week was celebrated as a manifestation to promote Swedish industry. Photo: Unknown photographer / UUB.
Strandberg was a member of the city council from 1899 to 1930, an executive member of the county council from 1916 to 1928, and also a county councillor and member of the hospital board at Uppsala University Hospital. He was also a member of the Civic Elders.
Adolf Noreen was born in Östra Ämtervik in Värmland and defended his thesis Fryksdalsmålets ljudlära in 1877. The thesis deals with the dialect from his homeland and was the first dialect description based on scientific principles.
Noreen published handbooks on language history, for example on Old Icelandic in Altisländische Grammatik (1884) and on Old Swedish in Altschwedische Grammatik (1904).
In his major work Vårt språk (1903-1924) he sets out his basic view of language and presents a blueprint for grammar. Noreen was also one of the driving forces behind the spelling reform of 1906.
Between 1887-1919 Adolf Noreen was professor of Nordic languages, was elected member of the Academy of Sciences in 1902, member of the Academy of Sciences in 1917 and became member of the Swedish Academy in 1919.
Together with Johan August Lundell, he founded Upsala Enskilda Läroverk (now Lundellska Skolan) in 1892.
Robert Fredrik von Kræmer came from Häme in Finland and took part as an officer in the campaign to Germany in 1813 and to Norway in 1814.
He was governor of Uppsala from 1830 to 1862 and, as head of the county, was an undisputed central figure and took a number of important initiatives. Communications were improved through road building, bridge building, dredging of sailing routes and the establishment of steamship companies.
Kræmer also initiated the founding of Ultuna Agricultural Institute and the establishment of Sweden's first cooperative trade in Örsundsbro in 1850.
Kræmer also played a significant role in the development of the city of Uppsala. The city park, the promenade at Flustret and Västgötaspången were created with his help and he was known for his tree plantings, which were mentioned in Gunnar Wennerberg's Gluntarne:
"My goodness, that Kræmer is good for the city. He builds bridges and plants trees."
Image description: Robert Fredrik von Kræmer, Stockholm, ca 1870. Photo: W.A Eurenius & P.L Quist / UUBThe image is cropped] Click here for an uncropped image
Christopher Jacob Boström was born in Piteå and became a student in Uppsala in 1815.
From 1842 to 1863, he was professor of practical philosophy in Uppsala and was Sweden's most influential philosopher in the 19th century. He built up a metaphysical system with roots in German and Swedish idealism. Boström was a persuasive lecturer and excelled in speeches.
Boström's so-called rational idealism, with its strong emphasis on the individual's duties in a moral and rational society, came to exert a profound influence on thinking in Sweden in the latter half of the 19th century.
Boströmianism, named after its originator, was the only original philosophical system to emerge in Sweden in the 19th century and, through Boström's disciples, came to dominate Swedish university philosophy throughout the latter part of the 19th century.
His disciples included Sigurd Ribbing, Yngve Sahlin and Axel Nyblaeus. Boström's niece is Ebba Boström, founder of the Samaritan Home. She is also buried in the Old Cemetery.
Image description: Christopher Jacob Boström, 1865. Photo: Litografiskt allehanda, fifth edition. Sigrid Flodin's publishing house. / Wikimedia Commons. [The image is cropped] Click here for an uncropped image
August Haglund became a citizen in 1862 and opened his own business in Lodénska huset at Stora torget.
When Uplandsbanken was founded, he became its first bookkeeper and was then bank cashier until his retirement. Haglund wrote poems for family celebrations and was a musician in the Skarpskyttekårens orchestra.
He is best known for his donation of SEK 50,000 in 1901 for a new bridge over Fyrisån at Skolgatan. The bridge is also known today as "Haglund's bridge" and replaced the previous bridge built on the site in 1889.
The former bridge was moved north (to Odensgatan) and named "Eddaspången" after the Edda neighborhood. The rafting on last April usually starts just north of Haglund's bridge.
Frithiof Holmgren established Sweden's first physiological laboratory in 1862 and became the country's first professor of physiology at the age of 33. He was also one of the most prominent teachers of his time at Uppsala University.
He became a world-famous scientist with the discovery of the retinal blood flow in the eye.
The studies of color blindness made Holmgren internationally known and in 1874 he described his method of using differently colored "sequined dolls", the so-called wool yarn test, to detect color blindness.
The method was of great practical importance for people in signal service, such as railway staff and seamen. A train accident in Lagerlunda in 1875 was suspected to have been caused by the inability of a dead engineer to distinguish between red and green. No one had considered that color vision could be important for railway personnel.
The equipment used by Holmgren to discover the retinal current, the electrical response of the retina to light. The equipment consists of a mirror galvanometer and a light catcher with a clockwork that drives the mirror. Photo: Museum of Medical History in Uppsala.
Sefirgarns dolls for carrying out the test of color vision developed by Holmgren, which became compulsory for all those to be employed in rail and maritime traffic. Photo: Museum of Medical History in Uppsala.
A more macabre study undertaken by Holmgren focused on whether beheading was a painless method of execution. Holmgren therefore attended four beheadings to examine the method from a physiological point of view.
According to Holmgren, the case studies showed that decapitation as a method met the requirements of painlessness.
Holmgren also participated in the debates in Verdandi, and his radical stance was reflected in his dictation to the minutes of the consistory:
"I hold freedom of thought to be one of man's most precious privileges, and the university in which the principle of freedom of thought is not paramount does not, in my opinion, fulfill its task. To educate the young people studied to become thinking men should, in my opinion, be one of the main tasks of the university".
Frithiof Holmgren also emphasized the importance of physical education and founded the Studenternas Sharpshooting Association, the Studenternas Gymnastics Association and was chairman of the folk dance association Philochoros and promoter of the Uppsala Swimming Society.
Louise Stiernstedt was born in Uppsala and was a cartoonist and graphic artist.
After studying at the Technical School in 1895-1896 and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm in 1897-1893, Stiernstedt continued his education at various schools in Italy and Munich.
Stiernstedt was a skilled woodcut and linocut artist and her art consists of portraits, landscapes and still lifes. She is represented at the National Museum.
Image description: Louise Stiernstedt, Landscape School at the Academy of Fine Arts, Stockholm, 1898. Back row: Helene Herslow, Astrid Kjellberg, Esther Salmson, Louise Stiernstedt, Mathilde Wigert, John Österlund, Manne Hallengren, Seth Nilsson. Front row: Herman Österlund, Professor Per Daniel Holm, Hildur Hult Photo: Unknown photographer / UUBThe image is cropped]. Click here for an uncropped image
