Uppsala
countiesorbcrossreligious
The coat of arms of Uppsala County features a golden orb (riksäpple) surmounted by a cross on a red field. The orb, or globus cruciger, is a symbol of sovereign power and represents Uppsala's historic role as the spiritual and political center of Sweden. Uppsala was the seat of the Archbishop of Sweden and the site of Old Uppsala, the ancient pagan religious center of the Norse gods. The imperial orb on red conveys the supreme ecclesiastical and royal authority that once emanated from this province.
Uppsala University, founded in 1477, is the oldest university in Scandinavia, and the botanist Carl Linnaeus — who invented the modern system of naming living organisms — was its most famous professor.
Adopted: 1560
