Despite many wars and several transitions between Danish and Swedish rule, the school has maintained some form of teaching continuously since it was founded in 1085.

There are a number of Student Societies in the school, the two most venerable ones being the theatre association Scenia (a word game alluding to 'wikt:scene' and the Latin name of the province of Lund, Scania) and the photographic society Asarna (a similar word game alluding to Norse mythology and to the ASA standard for analogue photography).

Scenia was started in 1945 by a group of students, including the later famous actor Max von Sydow.

The drama group arranged and performed a variety of different Swedish plays and it became a tradition that passed on to younger students after graduation.

Scenia was active throughout the 1950s but was then laid on ice until it was reborn as Katterevyn in the 1980s, that today is considered a Spex and is arranged every spring.