Gotland Island
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Some 58 000 people live here. 500 000 tourists visit the island each year, mainly during the summertime. During the 1950s and 1960s Gotlands´ population decreased, but since then there has been a yearly increase of on average 150 people.

Visby, with its some 20 000 inhabitants, is the centre for administration and economy. Hemse, Slite, Roma, Fårösund and Klintehamn are service centres with populations of 1000- 2000 inhabitants.

Gotland is the land of contrasts: the vivid activity of a modern town in the middle of an ancient setting. The medieval town Visby with a city wall from the13th century, a network of streets and rowed buildings from the time of the Hanseatic league, also makes a contrast to the countryside and its districts with cultural traditions and sparsely populated areas which leave strong impressions of unspoiled countryside.

Gotland boasts an exceptional variety and richness in ancient remains and medieval churches and buildings that is unparalleled in Sweden. Its cultural heritage and rural areas hold a unique value from an international viewpoint, such as the 90 or so medieval churches that are preserved and looked after.

Gotland´s business sector has long been dominated by farming, tourism, the defence force and activities within the public sector, mainly health care, education and social services. 38.9 percent of the labour force work in the public sector, compared to 34.2 on the mainland.

The manufacturing industry has traditionally been relatively small on Gotland, but has of late increased. The largest manufacturing industry in the county is Ericsson in Visby. Second to the engineering industry comes the food industry. Among the major companies are Farmek slaughterhouse and Arla Foods in Visby. Cementa AB in Slite is the centre for Swedish cement manufacturing.

The central public administration of the county and municipality, one of the most modern hospitals in the country and the new college of higher education are all to be found in Visby. The way the college is organised is unique in the country and all education programmes are conducted in collaboration with other universities and colleges in Sweden and abroad. Among the educational programmes are accounting combined with information technology (IT), engineering and cultural science. The particular profile of the college bases itself on issues related to the Baltic Sea and culture in a broad sense.

Among the larger employers in the county - besides the Municipality of Gotland, the defence force, and the companies mentioned above - are GEAB in Slite, Sigma in Hemse, Nordkalk in Storungs and Penninglotteriet in Visby. There are mainly small enterprises on Gotland. As many as 99 percent of the companies employ less than 20 people. At the same time, Gotland is the county in Sweden which has the greatest number of businesses per inhabitant. Many business owners are women, which is one of the reasons why the number of wage-earning women is relatively high on Gotland.

The private services sector is still relatively limited, but illustrates a growing volume of tourism and many new businesses, and developing trends within the culture, media, and Information Technology sectors. Nowadays, Gotland is gradually establishing a clear role as a cultural meeting place in the Baltic Sea. Contributing to this is the college and the Baltic Centre for Writers and Translators - the only cultural institution in the country common to all of the Baltic region.

Means of transportation between it and the mainland are large modern ferryboats which call at a port in Nynäshamn in the north and in Oskarshamn in the south, and flights to Stockholm are frequent - by three different airlines at present. Tele/data communications increase in importance and are extended rapidly.

Few regions of comparable size can offer as many sights and leisure-time activities as Gotland. The participation in adult education classes of all kinds is unusually high on Gotland. Organisational activities are also particularly lively. Music, film and other types of artistic activities are practised by many, both as a hobby or as a profession. The unique richness in ancient remains, churches and settlements constitute a foundation of cultural institutions such as the county museum Gotlands Fornsal, where there are departments for art, natural history/ecology and the technology exhibition Fenomenalen for children and young people.

The summer simmers with life. There is a large number of festivals and arrangements to be enjoyed. The Shakespeare theatre in the monastery ruin in Roma, the Chamber Music Week and the Medieval Week in the beginning of August are probably the best known.

The climate is characterised by many hours of sun and mild autumns. The combination of this, the landscape and the special light attract both tourists and artists. Gotland is well known for swimming and sunbathing, but nowadays culture and nature tourism attracts many. Among other things, some 100 nature and culture sites worth visiting have been ranked as high quality destinations of excursions.

Among the most popular places to visit are the medieval town Visby, Stora Karlsö, Storsudret, Östergarnslandet, Fårö, Lummelundagrottorna, Kneippbyn och Tofta just south of Visby, the museums in Visby, Krysmyntagården just north of Visby, Bungmuseet and Bläse kalkbruksmuseum.

Nature on Gotland Island

Gotland is the largest island of Sweden and is one of its smallest provinces. Its position is not far from the Baltic countries. The island is 140 km long and, on average, 50 km wide. The area is 3 140 sq.km and the coastline 800 km. The island is mainly made up of limestone which also means it is very flat, the highest peak being only about 70m. above sea level. Many of the beaches are composed of pebbles although there are several sand beaches as well. Along the east coast you can spot limestone pillars (raukar) which are typical for Gotland. These pillars were formed by the sea eroding away the softer parts of the coastline and leaving only the reef limestone standing.

Gotland's flora and fauna differ much from the mainland's. Most of the mammals on the mainland are not found on Gotland. The animals that do live there, hares, hedgehogs and roe deer, have all been introduced from the mainland. There are also many types of bird to be found on and around the island.

Off the west coast of Gotland is Stora Karlsö, a very small island but still very special. The boat-ride from Klintehamn takes only 40 minutes and is well worth the journey once you have seen the view from the lighthouse. There are also several caves here where many Stone Age finds have been made. There is a restaurant on the island and even rooms for hire if you wish to stay overnight.

Fårö is off the north coast of Gotland. It seems as time stood still on this little island. 17th century farms are scattered over the area, both here and on the upper part of the mainland.

Sights and Attractions: Visby

Trappgatan
This street is winding above the rest of Visby and giving the visitor an excellent chance to see the entire city and wonderful views of the coast.

Gotland's Fornsal
The museum has collections of jewellery and other artefacts dating back over 8 000 years. The museum has collections spanning from the Iron Age, through the Viking Age and Hanseatic Period right up to the Middle Ages and beyond.

The Art Museum
The museum is the youngest of Gotland's museums but despite this there is a lot of exhibitions. Most of Gotland's artists are represented here, among others Sven X:et Erixson.

The Natural Museum
The museum shows how the island was formed and other ecological aspects of Gotland. Here you can see exhibitions showing the different landscapes, for example marshlands and forests. Many of the several thousand of fossils found on the island are exhibited here.

The Powder Tower (Kruttornet)
The tower was built in the 12th century to protect the harbour and it is the oldest monument in Visby.

The Sea Wall
The wall was built soon after the powder tower as a reinforcement against unwanted visitors. Over the years, gates and towers were added and making the city almost impregnable. The wall still stands today and is in excellent condition.

Sights and Attractions: Outside of Visby

Gotland's East Coast
Here you can see the famous "raukarna", the limestone pillars that line the coast. The East Coast is also where you find most of Gotland's sandy beaches.

Hoburgsgubben
This is probably the most famous of the limestone pillars on Gotland. "The Old Man of Hoburg" is one of the stone trolls about whom there are many tales.

Kattlund's Farm
This farm dates from the Middle Ages when a man by the name of Botulf Katlund owned the farm in the early 15th century. If he were to come back today, he would recognise his old abode immediately; it has changed very little since he died.

Källungens kyrka
This church is built some time in the 1300th century and has different art objects all the way from the 1200th century. This makes it to the most interesting church on Gotland from an art historical perspective.

Lojsta hed
This wooded area is where Gotland's indigenous horse lives. Once a year the wild horses are rounded up and counted. A festival is also held at the same time.

Lummelunda Caves
Underground caves which have taken millions of years to excavate. This is one of Gotland's most popular attractions with thousands of visitors every year.

Stora Karlsön
Off the west coast of Gotland is Stora Karlsö, a very small island but still very special. The boat-ride from Klintehamn takes only 40 minutes. The journey is well worth once you have seen the view from the lighthouse. There are also several caves here where many Stone Age finds have been made. The island is visited every year by thousands of birds - mainly razor-billed auks and common guillemots.
There is a restaurant on the island and rooms for hire if you wish to stay overnight.
Stora Karlsö Phone: 0498-24 05 00

Viking village in Tofta
The village offers an excellent chance to see how man lived during the Viking Age. Here you can see handicrafts being made, play games and eat "Viking" food.

Öja Kyrka
This Medieval church is most famous for its Madonna statue (14th cent.) and John the Baptist crucifix. The church itself dates back to the 14th century.

The History of Gotland Island

According to the Gotland Tale (Gutasagan); Gotland was an enchanted island which rose every evening and sank again every morning. The enchantment was broken when a man by the name of Tjelvar came to the island, bringing fire. Geological studies have shown that, although the tale might not be true, the island has sunk and risen many times from the sea.

Archaeological findings show that people have lived in Gotland for over 7 000 years. Over 31 000 ancient remains have been recorded, making the island one of the richest areas in Sweden in ancient findings. Silver findings from Gotland has shown that trade with continental Europe was in full swing during the reign of the Roman Empire and probably even earlier.

During the Viking Era and for several hundred years onwards, Gotland and especially the capital city Visby, became the center of trade in the Baltic Sea. Thanks to the Gotlanders' skills in boat building, they travelled far and wide, trading with whomever they met on their travels.
The island lost its independency when the Germans moved in, taking over the trade. The city of Visby joined the Hanseatic league The businessmen were showing their wealth by building private churches, of which many still exist. Finally, the differences between the rich city businessmen and the poorer peasants ended in the invasion of the island by the Danes who killed many peasants in the process. It is generally considered to be the end of Gotland's period as a powerful trading nation.
Soon after, Mecklburgian fleets took over the island. Finally, the German Order State had its turn in invading and ruling the island. Gotland returned to Swedish ownership in 1645 and has since then remained Swedish.

Gotland became christianised in the 12th century. According to Gutasagan, a Norwegian king, on the run from his own peope, came to the island, bringing Christianity. The Gotlanders were not very impressed but finally the island joined the ranks of the faithful. It was not long before the Gotlanders took Christianity to their hearts, building many, many churches. There still exists over 90 churches on Gotland. Most of them date from the Middle Ages.

Gotland has a history as a sanctuary for refugees. During both World Wars, hundreds of Balts risked life and limb sailing over the Baltic Sea in small boats to reach safety, out of the hands of German and Russian invaders. Even today, refugees flee war and persecution, most of them coming from the Middle East via Russia.

The Vikings

The name "Viking" was first used by foreign authors in the 11th century AD. Its origin is probably the Swedish word for bay, "vik". This shows the close connection between the people and the sea, of which they were totally dependent for their livelihood. They had a mythology of their own. Their gods were called "asar", The Vikings are often considered wild, drunken, merciless robbers. In fact, their main occupation was farming and trade. The Viking expeditions were mostly trade expeditions that sometimes degenerated to looting. But to be honest, there were also expeditions whose main purpose was to loot foreign coastal regions.

The Swedish Vikings

There is a distinction between "Swedish" and "Danish/Norwegian" Vikings. The Danish and Norwegian expeditions went westwards, concentrating on Western Europe and England. The Swedish, on the other hand, went mostly eastwards into modern-day Russia and further on to Byzantium and the Caliphate. Runestones and archaeological artefacts found in eastern Sweden and on the island of Gotland show that the trade exchange between eastern Sweden and the Near East was very intense at this time in history. These expeditions often started from trade centres like "Birka", situated on an island in Lake Mälaren, not far from modern-day Stockholm. The Vikings also settled in the Russian town of Novgorod, which they called "Holmgård". As time went by their influence on the economic and political life grew and became decisive. According to a chronicle written in the 12th century AD, the Swedish Vikings were the founders of Russia. Although this is not very likely, the influence of the Vikings is still visible. The name Russia for instance, probably originates from one of the names of the Swedish Vikings, "ruser".

The way towards a state

During the Viking period (circa 750-1060 AD) the Swedish state began to take form. At the beginning of the period the power structure in Scandinavia was built mainly on small chiefdoms, where small local chiefs ruled over a limited area, often not more far-reaching than a large farm or a village. These chiefdoms grew in some areas and became more extensive as time went by. In what was to become Sweden two "tribes" or local "nationalities", "Göter" and "Svear" became the most influential and formed two "states" with kings as leaders. Later in history these "states" merged and formed Sweden. Even today we talk about "Götaland" (the Land of Göter) and "Svealand" (the Land of Svear).

The Gods

According to Nordic mythology the gods lived in "Asgård", the humans in "Midgård, and the giants in "Jotunheim". These places were situated in the world tree, the ash tree "Yggdrasil". The most important god was "Oden", the lord of gods and humans. After battles, he took the fallen Vikings to "Valhall" on his horse "Sleipner". Other gods were "Frö", the god of love and fertility and "Fröja", the goddess of love and fertility. The perhaps most famous among the gods is "Tor" the mightiest warrior of them all. He was the god of thunder and had a hammer called "Mjölner" which, like a boomerang, returned to his hand after he had thrown it.