Memorials of Carl Linnaeus

Carl Linnaeus (knighted Carl von Linné in 1757) is probably the most famous professor of Uppsala University. He was born in 1707, son of a clergyman in Stenbrohult, prov. Småland. He is known as the inventor of the binomial nomenclature of plants and animals (i.e. the practice to give each closely related group of species a generic name (e.g. Anemone) and each species an epithet added to the generic name (e.g. Anemone nemorosa)).

He came to Uppsala as a student in 1727 and became a professor in 1741. There are two main sites commemorating him in Uppsala: the Linnaean botanical garden and his summer residence outside Uppsala.

The botanical garden of the university was in a state of decay when Carl Linnaeus already as a student was asked to manage it. It is now kept as far as possible in the way Linnaeus maintained it, including old varieties of many cultivated plants. NB This garden, called the Linnaean garden is different from the present Botanical Garden of the university, which is below the castle and founded after the death of Linnaeus. The Linnaean garden is in the city centre along the street Svartbäcksgatan. The city home of Linnaeus is just beside the garden and kept as a museum.

The summer residence of Linnaeus is at Hammarby, 12 km outside Uppsala. It is also as closely as possible kept the way it was during the time of Linnaeus. It is open to visitors from May to August and can be reached by bus or taxi.

Most of Linnaei collections of plants and animals are not in Uppsala. They are kept in London by the British Linnaean Society.