How about a pleasant day trip from Copenhagen which involves crossing an international border on a famous bridge?
I’m in Lund for the day, a city I’ve been meaning to visit for quite some time. With me, I have my iPhone, wallet and sunglasses. That’s all. Travelling super light today.
Lund is a lively university town just 40 minutes from Copenhagen Airport by the Öresund train. If the name Öresund sounds familiar, you may have seen the Scandinavian crime series The Bridge, which I hear is rather popular in the UK. The series starts out with a body being discovered on the Öresund Bridge, right on the Danish/Swedish border.
From 990, this is one of two towns vying for the title Sweden’s oldest. Die-hards will claim the other contestant for the title, Sigtuna, is really the oldest. Lund might be equally old, they say, but this part of Sweden belonged to Denmark in the 900s, so Lund was Danish rather than Swedish then.
As I’m neither Swedish nor Danish, I’ll stay neutral in that particular dispute. And whether oldest or second oldest, history is very visible throughout town, from the 10th century rune stones in the front garden of the wonderful open-air cultural history museum Kulturen, to the imposing cathedral from 1103.
As I wander along main street, I’m in for a spot of time travel as well: men in medieval garb on horses similarly decked out, rides past, to advertise for a jousting tournament at nearby Hovdala Castle.
My favourite part of Lund, however, is wandering through the narrow cobbled streets with the medieval, colourful architecture.
It’s not all ancient history, of course. Lund has a lively art, café and pub scene, as one would expect from a university town. You’ll find plenty of places to enjoy fika, that ubiquitous Swedish tradition of socializing over coffee and cake. I try the rhubarb meringue pie (yum) at Patisserie near the cathedral. I also try the large, comfortable sofas outdoors at Kulturen, but only coffee this time; no room for any more cake.
There are numerous quaint and fun little shops as well. They draw me in, even though I’m not normally that interested in shopping.
As the day turns to evening – a gliding transition during the Nordic summer – I’m reminded it’s time to cross the Bridge once again.
Beautiful pictures and great story!
Thanks, Gilla. So many beautiful spots in Scandinavia 🙂
I love the medieval architecture, and thanks for the great write up.
Thank you 🙂
For me, “..wandering through the narrow cobbled streets” of an old European city is often the highlight. Looks like I would enjoy Lund a lot. Thanks for the tip on a lovely side trip from Copenhagen as well as on the Scandinavian crime series. I’ll see if I can get it on Netflix.
It’s an interesting series. I read somewhere that they did an American spin-off, too – on the border of the USA and Mexico.
What a beautiful town! I love the colorful architecture. Wandering and getting lost on Europe’s cobblestoned streets is one of our favorite ways to see a city. This is great to know if we go back to Copenhagen. We did cross the Oresund Bridge when we were there to go to Malmo.
Lund is just the next stop on the train after Malmø 🙂
You crossed a bridge into a different country, a different city and a different era! Love it!
Me too 🙂
I love The Bridge, jag pratar lite svenska, and I’ll be teaching in Lund next summer–can’t wait!
Thanks for stopping by, Lev. Lund is a lovely town, you’ll enjoy your stay there, I’m sure 🙂