History
Norrlands nation
- since 1827
The Norrland nation was formed in 1827 by a merger of the Bothnia and Medelpad-Jämtland nations.
The original Norrland nations in Uppsala were the Ångerman nation (1646-1800) and the Västerbotten nation (1647-1800). These were merged in 1800 to form the Bothnian nation. The Medelpado-Jämtland nation was formed after a dispute during an election of trustees in the Ångermanland nation in 1685. When it was founded, Norrlands nation had around 60 members. The nation rented premises around Uppsala and has, among other things, been housed in the current Upplands Bank building at Stora Torget. After many years of effort to raise money in the Norrland region, the nation's own house was inaugurated in 1889. This building, now known as the 'Old House', is undoubtedly Uppsala's most magnificent nation house with its classic façade facing the Fyris river.
The large influx of Norrland students to Uppsala in the 1950s and 1960s forced the extension of the nation, leading to the 'New House', which was inaugurated in 1972. Norrlands nation is today Uppsala's largest student nation with over 8,000 members
About the nations
From 'Uppsala University 1477-1977' by Sten Lindroth
The University of Paris, together with the universities of Bologna and Oxford, is the oldest academic institution in the world and was founded in the 12th century. Particularly in Paris, students from many parts of Europe gathered together in so-called 'Nationes' in terms of origin. If there was no nation for the home country, a geographically or culturally neighbouring one was chosen. The oldest known nations at the University of Paris, dating from the early 13th century, are: the French, the Picardy, the Norman and the Anglican (to which the Scandinavians belonged). However, the direct model for the nations that emerged in Uppsala in the first half of the 17th century came from the German universities. After the Reformation, so-called 'Landsmannaskap' (Societates nationales) had arisen spontaneously at the evangelical German universities, not least at the University of Rostock, where many Swedes studied. In Uppsala, students joined together in 'nations' depending on which diocese and province they belonged to, as they usually came from the same high school, and the associations were called 'Landskap' and the Landskap's meetings were called 'Conventus Nationales'. These peer groups with a common provincial background were organised more and more firmly over time, until in the 1640s the first actual nations were formed with officials, statutes and a treasury.