First published: 10/07/18.

Clyde 0

The Rise of Systematic Biology

The Rise of Systematic Biology (On tentative list)

The Rise of Systematic Biology by Clyde

I visited Sweden's only tentative WHS in June 2018 shortly after landing in Arlanda airport. 

It is just a short drive away to Uppsala where a visit to Carl Linnaeus's home (museum) and garden will give you an interesting overview of who Linnaeus was. Linnaeus was known as the father of modern taxonomy and he was one of the most reknowned scientists in the 18th century. Although it was an interesting stop and it is definitely a site of regional importance especially for Uppsala, I failed to appreciate any OUV overall.

Being a couple of kilometres away from Uppsala, towards the direction of my next destination, I decided to stop by another component of this strange WHS, namely Linnaeus' summer home, Hammarby estate (photo). This falun red estate is hailed as one of the most authentically preserved estates from the 1700s with plant species from all over Europe which were mentioned in Linnaeus' major publications, Systema Naturae and Species Plantarum. From May to August, it is open everyday from 11:00 till 17:00 except on Mondays. Its setting reminded me of the Brickendon Estate in Tasmania, Australia. Again, nothing really of OUV was evident even though there are information boards everywhere clearly hoping for inscription on the WH list.

Having visited quite a number of WH gardens, I would be surprised to see this tentative WHS inscribed. Perhaps making it a transnational site could help, but until then what made my efforts worthwhile was the delicious fresh strawberry rulltårta fika I had at the Hammarby estate.

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