Archbishop Jakob Ulvsson founded the university in 1477, thus beginning the town's unbroken tradition of being the intellectual centre of the country. It was initially run by the Catholic Church and trained future members of the clergy. Lutheranism then replaced the Catholic tradition, and finally the laity took the institution in hand. The current buildings were opened in 1887. The grounds contain several rune stones and a statue of the historian and poet Erik Gustaf Geijer, who officiated at the university from 1816 to 1847.