Uppsala is a city in Uppland, Sweden, the fourth-largest city in the country. According to legend, Uppsala was founded in the 1st century AD by the pagan god Freyr. In the 3rd and 4th centuries, Uppsala became a major religious and political center of Scandinavia, with both the Temple at Uppsala and the Thing of All Swedes being built in the town. For centuries, Norsemen from across Scandinavia made pilgrimages and sacrifices at the temple while seeking the gods' guidance. In 1087, amid the Christianization of Sweden, the Temple was burned, and, in 1164, Uppsala became the seat of a Catholic diocese. Uppsala's cathedral was inaugurated in 1435, followed by Uppsala University in 1477. Following Gustav Vasa's seizure of power in 1523, the city declined due to Gustav's repossession of his vassalized lands and the closure of the university due to a lack of funds. After the Reformation, much of the Church of Sweden's power shifted to Stockholm, but, in 1549, Gustav initiated the construction of Uppsala Castle. Under the Swedish Empire, Uppsala was revived as the nation's second-largest city, and Uppsala adopted its first city plan in 1643. In 1702, much of the city was destroyed in a large fire, and, while the city was rebuilt over the following decades, it lost its status as the second capital of Sweden. In the 18th century, Stockholm surpassed Uppsala as a business center, and the French Revolution led to the university's decline. However, the 19th century saw the university refocus on natural science, and the opening of the city's central train station in 1866 made industrialization possible. Between 1870 and 1900, the population doubled from 11,433 to 22,818 inhabitants, and the food industry and brick manufacturing dominated the city's economy after the Industrial Revolution. Following World War II, Uppsala became one of the fastest-growing cities in Sweden, but much of the old city was demolished and rebuilt as part of an urban renewal plan. From 1940 to 1990, the population boomed from 74,000 inhabitants to 156,000, and it reached 200,000 inhabitants in 2011.
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