The well known Swedish botanist from the Enlightenment period was born in the Southern part of Sweden and worked as a professor of Botanics in Uppsala, Sweden.

Birch trees close to Linnés place of birth

Råshult in Southern Sweden where Carl von Linné was born

Linnés favourite flower Linnea found in Gothenburg.

Råshult in Southern Sweden where Carl von Linné was born. Now a UNESCO World Heritage place

Carl von Linné (1707-1778) was a multitalented man who wrote in Latin and was also a physician, a zoologist while he was the headmaster of Uppsala University.

Why is Carl von Linné world-famous? excerpt from Uppsala University

Linnaeus’ idea was that if we learn the Latin names we won’t need to know the names in other languages. Even in the same language, there are often many dialectal names for the same species. In English, the great tit is also called titmouse. In Latin, there is only one name, Parus major. Thank you, Professor Linnaeus!

It’s said that God created the plants and Carl von Linné gave them the names and put them in order.

In the 1990s, I stayed for five years in Uppsala, Sweden one hour drive north of Stockholm. The pictures from this post come from visits to Uppsala in 2018.

Linnés Hammarby outside of Uppsala is one of his houses where he lived in the summer with his wife and seven children. You are allowed to enter with a guide from the museum. One of the things I took with me was Carl von Linné’s wife had a strict system of how to use her bedclothes in a specific order. After washing and drying, they were put in order in the cupboards so that every item was circulated evenly.

Today it’s preserved as a UNESC.O World Heritage as well as his home in central Uppsala.

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The Linné Garden in central Uppsala close to Uppsala University where he lived in the winter.

From the museum in Carl von Linnés house in Uppsala used for weddings etc.

Carl von Linnés favourite Linnea flower on his porcelain

The old tile stove in Carl von Linnés home in central Uppsala.

The old stairs in Carl von Linnés home in central Uppsala

Carl von Linnés home in central Uppsala

A statue of Carl von Linné in his home in central Uppsala

Linnés favourite flower Linnea at his home and botanic garden in central Uppsala.

In 2017, my husband and I traced Carl von Linné’s childhood area in the southern part of Sweden. His father was a priest who loved plants and trees. No wonder that Carl, as a child, took up that interest and never wanted to become a priest like his father.

A statue of Carl von Linné in a park in Växjö close to his Latin School

Surrounded by flowers, a figure of Carl von Linné in a park in Växjö close to his Latin School

Flowerbed in Växjö close to Linnés place of birth

Flowerbed in a park in Växjö close to Linnés place of birth and his school

Today it’s preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage as well as his home in central Uppsala where his students worked in the garden to study and cultivate the plants.

Swedish 100 kr med Linné from 1989-2016