Lund, city, Skåne län (county), southern Sweden, northeast of Malmö. It was founded about 990 and became the seat of a bishopric in 1060 and the seat of the archbishop of all Scandinavia in 1103; today it is the seat of a Lutheran bishopric. After Sigtuna, Lund is Sweden’s second oldest town. During the Middle Ages it played an important part in Danish affairs. It was reduced in importance after the Reformation and the Swedish conquest in 1658 but developed rapidly after 1850.
The city centre is dominated by the 12th-century Romanesque cathedral, and several examples of medieval streets and architecture have survived. Among the city’s museums are the Cultural History Museum, the Archives of Decorative Art, and the Art Exhibition Hall. Known as the cultural centre of southern Sweden, Lund has the second oldest university in Sweden, founded in 1666 by Charles XI. The various educational institutions and hospitals of the city employ a considerable part of the population, but there are also important industries, including packaging, pharmaceuticals, and the manufacture of food-processing and medical equipment. Pop. (2005 est.) mun., 102,257.