Kungshuset, Public building in Lundagård, Sweden

Kungshuset is a red-brick building in Lundagård, 50 metres north of Lund Cathedral. Its long facade has rows of rectangular windows across several storeys, and a round brick tower with a crenellated top rises at the left end above the roofline. The steep grey slate roof carries protruding skylights and a few dormer windows near the tower, with green copper trim along the roof edges.

Danish King Frederick II commissioned Kungshuset between 1578 and 1584 as the bishop's residence of Lund. Later it became the first home of Lund University in 1666, shaping the city's academic identity ever since.

Kungshuset means "the King's House", but it was built as the residence of the bishop of Lund, not a royal palace. Since 1688 it has belonged to Lund University, and until about 1800 the whole university was housed inside it, including an anatomical theatre. The tower legend about Charles XII is false: the tower was added in the 18th century.

The building currently houses the Department of Philosophy and is not wheelchair accessible due to its historical design. Visitors should know this is an active academic space, so access may be limited depending on the university calendar.

Local legend says King Charles XII rode a horse up the tower's wide wooden stairs during his stays in Lund in the 1710s. The story cannot be true: the round brick tower was added in the 18th century, after his visits. The tale is still told in Lund.