Lund Cathedral

Lund Cathedral tickets: which one to buy

Lund Cathedral stands in the centre of Lund, a university town in southern Sweden, about fifteen minutes by train from Malmö and forty minutes from Copenhagen, and entry is free. It is one of the most important Romanesque buildings in Scandinavia and famous for its astronomical clock, which plays twice a day, at noon and at three in the afternoon on Sundays. Guided tours are offered in summer.

Walking tours of Lund combine the cathedral with the university, the Kulturen open-air museum, the botanical garden and the Lundagård park, where the university's main building stands. The cathedral's crypt holds the famous figure of the giant Finn. The cathedral is active, with daily services and a strong musical tradition, and visiting pauses during services. Lund is an easy day trip from Copenhagen across the Öresund Bridge. Trains from Copenhagen Airport to Lund take about forty minutes.

Visiting Lund Cathedral: what to see

The cathedral was begun around 1080 and consecrated in 1145, when Lund, then part of Denmark, was the seat of the archbishop for all of Scandinavia. It is built of sandstone in the Romanesque style, with two towers on the west front, which were rebuilt in the nineteenth century. Inside, the nave is simple and severe, and the apse is covered with a golden mosaic of Christ, made in 1927. The astronomical clock, called Horologium Mirabile Lundense, was made in the fifteenth century and restored in 1923; when it plays, figures of the Three Kings and their servants process in front of the Virgin and Child, and knights clash above, while the organ plays In dulci jubilo.

The crypt beneath the apse, consecrated in 1123, has columns carved with figures, including the giant Finn, who according to legend built the cathedral and was turned to stone. The choir stalls are carved with fourteenth-century figures. The cathedral's organ, the largest in Sweden, has more than seven thousand pipes. The bronze font, from the fourteenth century, is supported by figures. The crypt's columns include one with a figure of a man and a child, said to be the giant's wife and son. The apse mosaic was designed by Joakim Skovgaard. The carved choir stalls show prophets and scenes from the Bible. The cathedral's library holds medieval books. The south transept holds tombs of archbishops. The cathedral's square, the Kyrkogatan, is surrounded by old university buildings.

Lund Cathedral opening hours and the best time to go

The cathedral is open daily, and the clock plays at noon and at three in the afternoon on weekdays, and at one and three on Sundays and holidays, times that can vary; arrive early to get a seat. Lund is lively during the university term, with students filling the cafes. Summer brings long days, and winter is dark but has Christmas concerts in the cathedral. Allow about half an hour for the cathedral and crypt, plus time for the clock, and walk through the university park and the Kulturen museum afterwards. The Kulturen open-air museum, a short walk away, displays historic houses, gardens and crafts from southern Sweden.