The Uppsala Observatory is the oldest astronomical observatory in Sweden, founded in 1741 by Anders Celsius — the same Uppsala professor whose temperature scale you encounter every day. Celsius designed the original building himself, on what was then the edge of town; the observation deck on the roof still survives, and a plaque marks the spot.
The observatory is no longer used for serious research — Uppsala's modern instruments are at Kvistaberg, well outside the city — but the building remains a working part of the university's astronomy department and occasionally opens its historical rooms to the public for guided tours. Even from the outside, the elegant rococo facade is one of the small surprises of central Uppsala.
The building stands on Svartbäcksgatan, a short walk north of the cathedral and just a few minutes from the Linnaeus Garden.