The medieval pearl of Sweden is the ancient Hanseatic city of Visby. Gotland Island (Sweden): What to see, photo Navigation information for the port of Visby Sweden
I have wanted to visit the Swedish island of Gotland for a very long time; last August I had the opportunity. Of all the summer travels and adventures, I miss this island the most :)
I spent 3 days on the island, but during that time I accomplished a lot. Even rest :))
First, a little information about the island and its main city (but it’s worth noting that I’m not a historian, I just collected some facts to make the post more interesting)
Gotland not only the largest island in Sweden, but also one of the oldest historical areas in the country. Now, together with nearby small islands, it forms the historical province of Gotland, Gotland County and commune. The climate and topography of the island are not at all similar to the climate and topography of the Scandinavian Peninsula.
During the Middle Ages, trade developed very actively here both with countries Western Europe, and with Russia and Asian countries. The island was a transit point between Russian (Novgorod) and German markets. Accordingly, people lived here quite richly; every village could afford to build churches. On the island with an area of 2994 km² (176 km long and 50 km wide) you can now find about 100 churches or their ruins!
Since 1679, Gotland has continuously belonged to Sweden, with the exception of a few weeks during the Russo-Swedish War of 1808-1809, when it was occupied by Russian troops and declared a Russian province.
Moment 1. So what was my main goal? It’s not so easy to convey the atmosphere in words and photos, I can only say it was simply wonderful - smiling medieval Vikings, traders, merchants, musicians, pirates, beautiful ladies, 100% living their roles; a wonderful market and medieval fast food, concerts and theatrical scenes, ancient fun in the form of throwing axes and archery...
02. First of all, you need to look like locals :)
03. To then immediately blend into the crowd :)
04. At the market 
05. Heroes. 
Moment 2. Visby.
The founders of Visby were the ancient pagan tribes of the Goths, as evidenced by the name of the island on which it is located. Visby is translated from Old Norse as “settlement near the shrine.” Visby was the main center of trade on the Baltic. For 100 years, German ships sailed to Novgorod under the Gotlandic flag. Merchants from Visby established an office in Novgorod. By the beginning of the 13th century, the city had become an important trading post due to its entry into the Hanseatic League, at which time construction began on the famous ring wall that surrounds the city to this day. Medieval churches have also been preserved in the city. Visby is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
06. How nice it is to walk along the cobbled medieval streets, and when you see this in front of you, you forget what time you are in. 
07.
08. Ruins of a church (I think St. Nicholas, but I could be wrong). They look amazing. They also hold concerts here! 
09. Unparalleled in Northern Europe according to the degree of preservation, the city wall is 3.4 km long with 44 towers from the 12th to 14th centuries. 
Moment 3. Ice cream in Glass Magasinet (Visby).
Visby is home to Europe's largest ice cream bar. Here you can choose the flavor of your ice cream scoop from more than 180 varieties (on the day of our visit, I counted 210!)
10.
11. Only a small part of the range:) 
12. Ice cream with basil, beer, licorice, tiramisu and Jack Daniels flavors - no problem!
Moment 4. Sea.
In summer it’s simply impossible not to swim in the Baltic Sea. We did not live in Visby itself, but 5 km from it in a huge hotel and tent complex, if you can call it that. Accommodation here includes both tents and trailers, you can live in simple houses (like in a camp) with outdoor amenities or in improved houses.
13. Lyrical digression. On the territory of the complex (photo from phone). Cool tent, right?
14. Of course, it was a bit shallow to swim, but look at the landscapes here!
15. And it’s not necessary to swim here. You can simply throw pebbles into the water to see who gets the most splash :) Or just enjoy the sunset :)
Moment 5. Högklint Naturreservat
Observation deck on the rock. Located approximately 5 km from Visby, it can be reached by car or bicycle. The views of the city and the sea are wonderful, and the steep cliffs make the landscape even more mysterious. On the day of my visit, they were filming some kind of film about knights :)
16. Sunset 
17. Rock. Did you find me? :) It was scary to pose there :)))
I was also very pleased that the site has places for a picnic and grill. And in the free parking lot there was a free (and clean!) toilet.
Moment 6. Meeting with Ira agnessss . Not only did I give her Viking family (who are regulars at the medieval festival) a short photo session in authentic ruins, but I also received valuable advice on how to best spend 1 day on the island.
Moment 7. As I already said, on the territory of Gotland there was great amount medieval churches, some of which have survived to this day and are even active.
19. Lärbro Church. Almost all the churches on Gotland are open around the clock, this one was also open, but there was no one inside. The strange feeling was even intensified by the fact that a ghost lives here (according to legend). 
Moment 8. Fore Island and its incredible landscapes!
According to Wikipedia, the island of Fårö is separated from the island of Gotland by the Fårösund Strait. Transport communication is carried out by two ferry crossings. The area of the island is 111.35 km², of which 9.7 km² are swamps. The population is 524 people (2012). There is no post office, police, hospitals, banks, road network underdeveloped, despite this in summer time The island is often visited by tourists.
Until the 1990s, Fårö and the north of Gotland were closed to foreigners because they were home to state military coastal defense units.
Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman lived and died on the island, and several of his films were filmed here.
Stone columns called "Raukar" are often found here, formed as a result of erosion during the Ice Age.
20. Gamle Hamn. Old harbor. Probably one of the most famous stones (this is raukar) of the island. At first it seemed to me that it was a sheep, then a camel and finally I saw a dog :) 
21. Just some lunar-Icelandic landscapes! 
22. Fishing village 
23. I think that we were lucky with the weather - the cloudy sky added its own atmosphere. 
24. Langhammar is a peninsula in the northwestern part of Fårö, on which the nature park of the same name is located, with rocky shores and stone columns formed during the Ice Age, called “raukars”. Ingmar Bergman's film Through a Glass Darkly was filmed in Langhammar. 
I note that it was only here that tourists were seen. This is due to the fact that large ones can get here tourist buses, but in other places (20 -23) - no. By the way, everyone iconic places there is a short description of the attraction, free parking and free toilets.
25. I'm on the Moon:) It just seems to me that this is exactly how it should be there. Or in Iceland (only the photo was somehow shrunk down) 
Moment 9. Incredible cafe Kutens benzin(Creperie Tati)
26.
No, this is not a landfill or a garbage dump, but the “entourage” of the establishment. There are a lot of “rusty exhibits” collected here, I’ll try to write about the cafe separately.
The inside is all "Elvis era style" and serves crepes (pancakes) with a variety of different fillings. The cafe is very popular, we had to wait about 40 minutes for our order.
Moment 10. Gotlandic.
Did you know that there are more sheep in Gotland than people? :) The approximate number of people is 57,300, and the number of sheep is 70,000! In Visby they were not very noticeable (only on flags and in the form of statues), but it was worth driving further away... And I’m generally silent about the island of Fårö.
27. Sheep in Visby. 
28. Sheep from Fårö. 
Bottom line - I really liked Gotland, impressed, inspired (although I was only in the northeast) and I already want to return here this year and continue exploring the island.
Now a question for my beloved readers, haven’t I been writing too long posts lately? 28 pictures and a decent amount of text - is this a lot or is it readable?
Stone Age burials, poppy fields, and caves with stalactites are scattered around the island. And that's not all: Gotland has Europe's largest limestone quarry and even its own (now inoperative) oil pump.
Tourists from all over the world flock here, and among the Swedes it is considered prestigious to have a summer house on Gotland. Here are the summer villas of Swedish politicians, millionaire businessmen, movie stars and musicians.
Gotland is the largest island in the Baltic Sea. It belongs to Sweden, but the Gotlanders themselves consider themselves not Swedes, but specifically Gotlanders. The Swedish dialect here is also special.
If you are traveling without a car, then along with a ticket for the ferry itself, you can immediately buy a ticket for the bus to the ferry (båtbus). The bus leaves from central station Stockholm (T-Centralen, City Terminal), you can find it by following the signs on the “Destination Gotland” board. Here you need to pay attention to the fact that the bus leaves according to its occupancy - it can leave five minutes before the time indicated on the schedule.
When is the best time to go?
It's simple: Gotland is good at any time of the year, but best time for visiting - from mid-May to mid-June or at the end of August.
In summer there are more entertainment and amenities than in winter, but there are also a lot of tourists. The peak occurs in mid-August, during Medieval Week. During this holiday, it is impossible to crowd the streets of Visby, and all the hotels are packed. The disadvantages of traveling in winter are the inability to get to many nature reserves.
Transport on the island of Gotland
Car rent: At Visby airport and at the ferry terminal you can find all the main car rental companies: Herz, Europcar, Visby Biluthyrning (Färjeleden 41, next to the ferry terminal), in Visby itself there is an Avis car rental at Donners Plats 2, and in the city of Färjeleden there is Carina's Car Rental in Farosund(phone +46 708 231408).
Bicycle rental: There are several bike rentals on Gotland (and most hotels and guesthouses will offer bikes for free).
In Visby on Skeppsbron 2 there is a bike rental shop called Gotlands Cykeluthyrning. It operates from early May to mid-September. You can book bicycles or tandems in advance, along with tents, trailers for children, dog carriers, helmets, baskets, and child seats. There are even ready-made bike camping packages that include all of the above.
Municipal transport: There is also a bus service between settlements on Gotland, but the breaks between buses can be long, and on some routes they run once or twice a day.
The schedule can be found on the Gotland.se website in the Kollektivtrafiken section by selecting Busstidtabeller per linje and the desired route line.
Accommodation on Gotland
Accommodation options in tourist season many: hotels and guesthouses in the city, hotels and villas outside the city, cottages, summer houses and campsites in the forest and on the seashore.
The Visby Prison Hostel is located next to the ferry terminal in Visby. Until 1998, the building, built in 1857, functioned as a prison, which was called Sjumastaren (“Seven Mast”): thanks to the seven protruding chimneys, the structure from the sea looked like a ship with seven masts.
On east coast Gotland, near the town of Lärbro, on the island of Furillen (the island can be reached by bridge), there is a hotel Fabriken Furillen, designed by the Swedish photographer Johan Hellström. It all started when Hellström used the industrial landscape of a limestone quarry that closed in 1990 to film music videos and advertising photo shoots. He then bought the buildings that previously belonged to the factory and opened a hotel on the site in the early 2000s.
Visby Prison Hostel
Visby Prison Hostel
Fabriken Furillen
Fabriken Furillen
Fabriken Furillen
Visby
Gotland's capital, Visby, is called the "city of roses and ruins" and is, of course, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visby - the best preserved medieval city in Scandinavia. It was built in the mid-13th century on the site of a Viking settlement; its historical part is surrounded by a fortress wall with 44 towers. In order to save materials, some buildings were attached directly to the walls. People still live in these houses. It would probably be nice to have a Sunday barbecue in your yard, where instead of a fence there is an 800-year-old wall protected by UNESCO!
All the streets of the city are decorated with flower beds and rose bushes.
In the Middle Ages, Visby was part of the Hanseatic League. The favorable location of the island quickly enriched its inhabitants. The fortress wall protected the wealth of the townspeople not only from foreign invaders, but also from fellow citizens-farmers, from whom enterprising merchants extracted taxes if it occurred to one of the Gotlanders to bring their goods for sale abroad.
Merchants from different lands, in order to show who had more money, each built their own church in Visby and tried to outdo each other. Therefore, this city has the highest concentration of ancient churches per square meter in Europe. There are now about a dozen churches inside the city walls. True, most of them are ruins maintained in good condition (weddings and concerts are held in these ruins, as well as summer terraces of restaurants).
In 1808, Gotland was briefly conquered by the Russian general Nikolai Bodisko. They say that for 24 days that Bodisko held the island, balls and feasts were continuously given on it and everyone had fun. After surrendering the island back to the Swedish detachment without a fight, Bodisko was dismissed from service “for removing Gotland from the island ground forces, who were under his command, and the position of arms without resistance." In memory of the Russians, the names in Visby remained: Ryska Gränd (Russian Lane) and the restaurant Ryska Gården (Russian Courtyard), in the basement of which there was an Orthodox church built by the Novgorodians (now only the foundation remains of the church).
Ryska Gården ("Russian Courtyard")
Nature reserves of Gotland
Gotland has about 100 nature reserves (naturreservat) and one national park. For an island with an area of 3,000 square kilometers, this is, you see, a lot.
Grottoes in Lummelund
System karst caves with stalactites (total length - about four kilometers). The grottoes are located on road 149 (väg 149) 13 kilometers north of Visby. You can get into them from May 1 to September 15.
The grottoes were discovered in the 1920s - then about 40 meters were explored, after which the caves were forgotten until 1948, when three Gotlandic boys found a new entrance inside and spent several years studying the underground corridors. In 1959, the caves were opened to the public. Now you can choose a standard walking tour or an extreme boat tour along underground rivers. At the entrance to the grottoes there is a warning that the maximum temperature inside, even on the hottest summer day, does not exceed +10 °C.
In the Lummelunda grottoes, local cheesemakers from Stafva Gård produce a Gotlandic specialty - organic cheese. A special variety of blue cheese, stavfa grottblå, is kept on special racks for seven weeks. This cheese can be purchased both in the farm store and in Coop and Ica supermarkets.
Nature reserve on the island of Stora Karlsö
The islands of Stora Kalsø and Lilla Kalsø (Great and Small Charles Islands) are located six kilometers off the west coast of Gotland. They are small plateaus rising above the sea. On Big Island, Stora Kalsø, can be reached in 45 minutes by ferry from the town of Klintehamn. The island is open to visitors from early May to early September.
Swedes' passion (besides coffee, Nordic walking and detective writing) is bird watching. Therefore, on the island you can see many people with binoculars, cameras and easels - all of them are busy studying, photographing or sketching birds. As soon as the ferry from Klintehamn arrives on the island, tourists are gathered into a group and the rules of conduct are explained in two languages (Swedish and English). The basic rule is not to go beyond the restrictive markings. This is especially important during the hatching season - birds behave extremely aggressively at this time and pose a threat to humans.
You can come to Stora Kalsø for the day and leave on the evening ferry, or you can stay in the old lighthouse from 1887 or in a hostel. Near the pier there is a restaurant (the food is good) and a small souvenir shop.
Fårö Island
To the northwest of Gotland is the island of Fårö. This beautiful place can be visited only in the absence of snow - the road network on the island is poorly developed, and when the roads are covered in snow, it is almost impossible to drive through. You can get to Fårø by ferry from the town of Fårösund; the ferry runs all year round, twice an hour (more often in the high season), from early morning until 22:00. In summer, the queue of cars at the pier can reach several kilometers.
Fårö's calling card is the stone formations of the Silurian period, for which a special name was invented - rauki, or raukars (rauk - singular, raukar - plural). Rauks look like huge columns fancy shapes. This is a consequence of the fact that they were once the bottom of the ocean, and Gotland was a coral reef in the equator region.
Rauk "Hunden" in the shape of a dog
You can look for rauki on the island of Fårö on the Langhammar peninsula, in the town of Digerhuvud and in the Old Port (Gamla Hamn). There is a rauk there, shaped like a dog. The locals call him that: Hunden - “dog”.
Fårö Fyr Lighthouse
In the north-eastern part of the island is the beautiful Fårö Fyr lighthouse, built in the mid-19th century.
Besides sandy beaches, pine forest (full of blueberries in August!) and raukov, Fårö is famous for the fact that film director Ingmar Bergman lived there. The famous Swede is buried in the cemetery of the local church. The films “Passion”, “Shame”, “Hour of the Wolf” were filmed in Fårö; the film “Scenes from a Marriage” was filmed in the house of Bergman’s ex-wife, and “Through a Glass Darkly” was filmed in Langhammar. In the summer, look for the Bergman Center on the island - they organize tours, lectures and film screenings. Every June, a week-long film festival is held on the island in Bergman's honor.
An equally important attraction of Fårö is the cafe and home bakery “Sylvia’s Daughters” (Sylvis Döttrar Hembageri). The most delicious buns in all of Gotland are baked here, and if you manage to get into this cafe, be sure to take some cinnamon buns (kanelbullar) with you. Unfortunately, the cafe is not open all year round, but you can check this information in advance on the page Facebook.
Another interesting place - Cafe Kutens Bensin. Old rusty cars, 50s atmosphere and even concerts.
Cafe and home bakery "Sylvia's Daughters" (Sylvis Döttrar Hembageri)
Gotska Sandön National Park
The island of Gotska Sandön is located 38 kilometers north of Gotland. The word "sandyeong" translates as "island of sand" - its coastline consists of long beaches and dunes. Rare plant species grow on the island, such as Gotlandic orchids. A colony of gray seals lives off the coast: upon arrival at Gotska Sandön, you can find out on the information board where the seals are located and whether you can see them. Unfortunately or fortunately, seals do as they please, so there is no 100% guarantee that you will be able to see them.
You can get here by ferry from Fårösund or from the mainland from Nynäshamn; the ferry service operates from May to September. You must reserve your place in advance. You can stay on the island in houses (Fyrbyn - “village by the lighthouse”) or in a campsite. It is worth remembering that you need to take everything you need (including bed linen) with you - there are no shops on the island, everything is very ascetic and camp-like.
You can book a trip to Gotska Sandon.
Shops and specialties in Gotland
On Gotland, you should definitely try saffranspannkaka - local saffron pudding (this dish is most similar to pudding). It is served with jam made from a special variety of blackberry that grows in Gotland - salmbär (this berry is also called gray blackberry or blue raspberry). Very tasty saffron pudding is served in the restaurant of the Breda Blick hotel in Visby (Tranhusgatan 33).
Saffranspannkaka
In the very center of Visby (Wallérs Plats 4) there is an edible souvenir shop called Wisby Ost, a brand of local Gotlandic cheese. In addition to cheese, here you can buy (and, most importantly, taste it completely free) locally made marmalades, bread and cookies. The store also hosts wine tastings (ost och vinprovning - “wine and cheese”), but you need to sign up for them in advance.
Speaking of wine. There is a local winery on Gotland - Gutevin. Solaris, Phoenix and Rondo grapes, from which wine and spirits are made, are grown in the town of Hablingbo in the southern part of the island. You can purchase Gutevin products in Systembolaget stores (in Sweden there is a law on a state monopoly on the sale of alcohol - it can only be purchased in this chain).
Gotland also has its own whiskey distillery, founded in 2004 on the site of a former sugar factory. Isle of Lime Whiskey is made from local organic barley and special limestone spring water. From March 2017 it will be available in Systembolaget stores.
We have already mentioned farm shops (gårdsbutik) - in Gotland, as throughout Sweden, organic farming is very developed. In summer and autumn you can see signs on the roadsides: “jordgubbar” (“strawberries”), “potatis” (“potatoes”) and others. Typically, such local stores operate without salespeople, using the “walk in, take the goods, put the money in a box” system (yes, the Swedes are an honest nation). The products in these stores are often certified as eco-friendly (eg KRAV, Sweden's best-known food eco-label) and are significantly cheaper than in the specialty sections of supermarkets. Let's note the good shop Nickarve Gård, which is located near Visby (Hejdeby Nickarve 308, Visby). Even shops in mainland Sweden order the organic strawberries grown on this farm for sale - they are so delicious. Also during the season you can buy potatoes, onions, zucchini, zucchini, cucumbers, apples, blackberries, various jams and honey from neighboring apiaries.
Farm shop (gårdsbutik)
You can't ignore the loppis. Loppis (from the word lopp - "flea") is something of a flea market or consignment store, where anything can be sold - from antique coffee grinders, copper sugar bowls and antiques to brand new furniture from IKEA. Example: a family moves to new house and wants to get rid of some things before moving. What is the family happy with? That's right, loppies. Loppies are advertised in newspapers and signs are posted along the road. If you see a sign for “loppis” or “loppisbutik” on the side of the road, don’t be shy, stop by and take a look.
In the town of Hems.
Näsudden
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Sweden is located not only on the mainland, but also partly on islands. The leading position in terms of tourism is occupied by the island of Gotland, located in the Baltic Sea, 100 km east of the mainland. The city of Visby is the administrative center of the island of Gotland, the entire area of which is a fief with the same name.
Visby's area is slightly larger than 12 km², and the population as of December 2017 is more than 24,000 people.
Visby, the best preserved medieval city in Sweden and all of Scandinavia, is recognized as a monument World Heritage and is under the protection of UNESCO.
Neat cobblestone streets, fairy houses made of wood and stone, an endless number of ancient ruins and many roses in the ubiquitous flower beds - this is how you can describe Visby, which is sometimes called the city of roses and ruins.
Streams of tourists come here to see the most interesting sights, which are considered the pride of all of Sweden. The main city of the island of Gotland has quite a lot interesting places, but several of them are included in the list of the most significant.
The first attraction is the fortress wall, built back in the 13th century. It surrounds almost the entire old center, so it turns out to be a city within a city.
This ancient wall has been perfectly preserved, and now you can still see its former grandeur. The length of the structure is 3.5 km, and its structure includes 44 watchtowers up to 20 m high. If you look at the wall from the sea, you can see the Powder Tower, which has grown into the ground, and from the north side - the Maiden Tower with grass growing among the stones. An ancient legend tells that the daughter of a city jeweler was walled up alive in the Maiden Tower, having betrayed her fellow countrymen out of love for King Waldemar IV of Denmark.
Some towers have observation decks, from which you can admire panoramic views of the island of Gotland and the city of Visby.
The second attraction on the list in Visby is St. Mary's Cathedral. This is a majestic building located at Vastra Kyrkogatan.
The cathedral building was rebuilt many times, so its architecture contains elements of different eras: an ebony pulpit from the 17th century, a marble baptismal font from the 13th century, and exterior decoration from the 19th century. The cathedral amazes with its beautiful domes made of black smoked wood.
St. Mary's Church is a truly unique landmark in Sweden. It is the only active church in the city of Visby and the only active medieval church on the island of Gotland. Organ concerts and a choir often perform here.
Entrance to the cathedral is free, photography is allowed inside.
Behind the cathedral there is a staircase leading to the hill - you can climb it and admire the breathtaking view of the sea, red roofs of houses, and the city wall. This is also a great opportunity to take original photos of Visby, especially photos of the cathedral with the sea in the background.
Botanical Garden
A small compact botanical park is located in the old part of Visby, not far from the embankment. The park is bordered on both sides by a fortress wall, there are several entrances and exits, and the address is as follows: Tranhusgatan 21, Visby, Sweden.
The founder of the garden is Carl Linnaeus, to whom a monument is erected here. In fact, this monument in itself is a unique landmark of Visby: it is made from a single elm trunk and looks very original and unusual.
There are many plants in the garden from all continents of our planet - both simple and exotic. Tulip trees, magnolias, mulberries, Chilean araucaria, and numerous varieties of roses harmoniously coexist here.
The Visby Botanical Garden is a great place for walks and picnics. There are antique stone benches and tables, a Chinese gazebo, and also lawns on which you can lie down.
Opens from the park beautiful view to the fortress towers, and on its territory there is another attraction - the romantic ruins of a church, entwined with ivy!
Entrance to the park is free, you can visit it any day until 22:00.
Gotlands Museum
The next attraction of Visby is one of the best museums in Sweden (according to the Swedes themselves), the Gotlands Museum. In Visby he located at: Strandgatan 14.
Here are presented silver and gold treasures from found Viking treasures, rune stones of the 5th-11th centuries, mummies, products of East German tribes, ancient Roman coins, evidence of a large-scale battle near Visby, paintings by the artist Ellen Ruusval von Hallwil, and household items of the inhabitants of Gotland.
You can view all these exhibitions any day of the week from 10:00 to 18:00.
Ticket prices: for adults 400 kr, family – 500 kr.
More detailed information about the museum and the exhibits presented in it can be found on the website www.gotlandsmuseum.se/en/.
Another attraction, famous not only in Visby, but throughout Switzerland, located at Lummelundsbruk, Visby, Sweden.
Visiting the cave is only possible with a guide. Admission for adults costs 150 CZK, for children from 4 to 12 years old – 75 CZK.
Before the tour of the cave itself begins, visitors are shown a film about the history of its discovery.
There are no stalactites hanging from the ceiling here, but the sound of the water of underground rivers can be clearly heard and springs gushing out from under the stones can be seen. It will be especially interesting to visit this attraction for those who have not yet seen more impressive underground passages and grottoes.
Excursions are conducted according to the following schedule:
- Friday from 10:00 to 14:00;
- from Saturday to Thursday – from 10:00 to 16:00.
By the way, the temperature inside the cave is +8 °C, and the duration of the excursion is approximately 30 minutes. That is, in order not to dream only about how to go out into the sun as soon as possible, it is advisable to take a warm sweater with you.
Places to stay in Visby
Uncle Joe's Sweden is the most dear country in Europe, and on the resort islands prices are even higher. There will be no difficulties with accommodation on the island of Gotland, in particular in Visby - there are quite a large number of offers, but in summer period It is impossible to find housing for less than 100 €.
In general, for that kind of money you can only stay in a double hostel room. For example, Uncle Joe’s and Visby Logi & Vandrarhem Hästgatan are popular among booking.com users.
Volontärgatans Lägenhetshotell For 120 € you can rent a campsite outside the city, for example, Visby Strandby - it can accommodate 6 adults. In the 4*Best Western Strand Hotel, which occupies a building that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, you can rent a double room for 160 – 180 €. For a day in an apart-hotel you will have to pay from 175 € - this is the price requested at Volontärgatans Lägenhetshotell, located 1.5 km from the main square of Visby.
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How to get to Visby
The best way to get to Visby is from Stockholm - the 200 km distance between these cities can be covered by ferry or plane.
Visby Airport There are 10-20 flights per day from the capital of Sweden to Visby, and you can fly from the airports of Arlanda and Bromma. Flight duration is 45 minutes.
Flight schedules change constantly, and some road carriers serve this route only in the summer season.
Ticket prices start from 70 €, but such figures are very rare. As a rule, you have to pay 90-100 € for a flight.
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To Visby from Stockholm by ferry
There are several ports from which ferries run to Gotland, which is rich in many attractions. But the port closest to the Swedish capital, from which the ferry goes to Visby, is Nynäshamn.
Ferries in this direction run 2-4 times a day, the journey time is 3 hours 20 minutes. You should check the schedule before your trip as it changes frequently. You also need to take into account that there are ferries that carry exclusively passengers with a car and vice versa - only pedestrian passengers. You can find out this information on the website www.destinationgotland.se/.
It is possible to buy tickets on the same website, and in the summer season this must be done in advance. Travel from the capital of Sweden to the island of Gotland to the city of Visby will cost 10-40 € - the price depends on the chosen place (in a cabin or in a common room). Discounts are provided for children, students and pensioners.
From Stockholm to Nynashamn
Nynäshamn is located 57 km from the capital of Sweden, and from there you can reach it by train or bus. The train and bus stations in Stockholm are located nearby. Both the bus and the train stop near the pier. Travel time is almost the same - 1 hour. Even the cost of tickets is comparable - about 20-25 €. So you can choose transport based only on personal preferences.
Buses from Stockholm depart from Cityterminalen and arrive directly at the pier in the port of Nynäshamn. There are about 5 flights per day, so you can arrive at any ferry with plenty of time. The schedule can be found on the website www.flygbussarna.se/en.
You can buy a bus ticket at the bus station ticket office.
Trains from the Swedish capital's Central Railway Station run to Nynashamn from 5:00 to 24:00 every 30 minutes. Tickets can be purchased in advance on the website railway www.sj.se/ or directly at the station in the terminal.
Weather conditions in Visby
The city of Visby, like all of Gotland, is located in a temperate maritime climate zone. In summer, the air warms up to a temperature of +25 °C, in winter – up to +7 °C. As for precipitation, it falls about 500 mm per year (this is mainly rain and fog).
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There are battles that are famous for their victories, for example, the famous “Battle of the Ice” and the Battle of Kulikovo. There are “not glorious” battles, but rich in finds on the battlefield - this is, for example, the site of the battle at the Zolotarevsky settlement near Penza. There are battles glorified both by the result and by the fact that they were depicted by talented artists - this, of course, is the Battle of Grunwald in 1410. There are many other battles, glorified to one degree or another, and against their background the Battle of Visby turns out to be glorified in a very specific way. Everyone who writes about armor mentions it, but no one is interested in either its result or its significance. Only one single fact is interesting, namely that it was there, and that those killed in it... were buried! Moreover, all of them en masse in a mass grave, and in addition, in all their equipment!
Armor from a burial at Visby. Gotland Museum.
The museum building where all this is exhibited.
It is known that the Middle Ages were poor in iron. Iron armor and weapons were valued; they were not abandoned on the battlefield, but collected, if not for themselves, then for sale. And then they buried “a whole treasure” in the ground. Why? Well, today we can only guess about this, but we should talk about the battle itself in more detail.
Visby city gate and fortress wall.
The same towers and gates on the opposite side.
It all started with the fact that on July 22, 1361, the Danish king Valdemar IV moved his army to the western coast of the island of Gotland. The inhabitants of the island paid taxes to the Swedish king, but the population of the city of Visby was very multinational, and Russians, Danes, and Germans lived there, and everyone traded! Since 1280, the city was a member of the famous Hanseatic League, which, however, led to the fact that the inhabitants of Visby were on their own, and the peasants of Gotland served them and... did not really like them. Well, people lived well and, according to the peasants, did nothing. But here they are... The song is familiar, isn’t it? And it came to direct hostility between townspeople and villagers. Moreover, it came down to swords and, although the peasants called the Estonian knights to help them, the townspeople beat them in 1288! And they began to live and live well and make good money, but now it was not the local men who laid their eyes on their wealth (“men are men” - the movie “The Last Relic”), but now the king of Denmark.
Battle of Visby. Drawing by Angus McBride. Surprisingly, for some reason he dressed one of the warriors in sheepskin, although... this is happening in July.
So this is where the Danish troops came from on the island and why they were moving towards Visby. At that time people lived by robbery! Some have it, others don't! So we have to go and take it away!!! Here, however, local peasants got involved in the matter. It’s one thing when you rob your rich, and quite another when foreigners come to rob you. On the first day of the invasion, two clashes took place between the Danish army and the peasants. The very next day, peasants gathered from everywhere and attacked the Danes, but the forces were unequal, and they killed from 800 to 1000 people of the local peasant militia. But... the brave peasants did not give up, did not give up, and on July 27... gave the aggressors a battle 300 meters from the city wall! And then about 1,800 people died, but how many Danes died is unknown. In any case, there were some killed among them, but there were only a few of them. Archaeologists managed to find only a few items - for example, the wallet and armor of a certain Dane from the Roord family from Friesland. As noted above, the battle took place at the very walls of the city, but... the city militia did not go beyond the wall and did not support “their” fighters, and such cynicism confuses many.
Plate armor from Visby.
But there was a reason for such a relationship, and it was serious. The fact is that the island’s peasants had another interesting “business” besides agriculture. They robbed merchant ships that crashed on the coastal rocks, sailing to Visby, and simply killed the people who escaped from them, having previously robbed them to the bone. This, by the way, explains the good weapons that the “peasants” had, which they could not have by definition. But if for many years you have been robbing merchant ships thrown ashore by a storm, then... you will have cloth, and velvet, and a good sword, and chain mail, even if you were at least three times a peasant.
Coat of plates is a typical piece of armor from the burial at Visby.
It is interesting that in the end the Gotlanders lost as many people in this battle as the French did in the famous Battle of Poitiers in 1356.
Then the fun began. Do you think that the city's inhabitants are under siege? Nothing happened! Having watched from the walls and towers the defeat of the hated peasants, they hastened to surrender to the King of Denmark and thereby save the city and their property from plunder. It is believed that they gave almost half of their wealth to the winners, and this “payment” itself became a truly legendary event, although it is not known for sure whether it actually happened or not, and even if it did, how it happened. True, although the Danes took tribute, they still plundered several churches and monasteries. Then King Valdemar appointed several sheriffs to manage the city of Visby, left them a detachment of warriors, gave the residents a safe conduct, in which he confirmed their rights and liberties (!), and... left the island.
King Valdemar collects tribute from the inhabitants of Visby. Painting by K. G. Hellquist (1882).
A year later (what he was waiting for is unknown!) he also added the title of King of Gotland to his title. But then King Albrecht of Sweden declared that the island was part of his possessions, that his right was inviolable, and if Valdemar allowed himself to do this, then let the swords speak. The island was so easily returned to Swedish control that Denmark's hold on it was obviously not strong. It was only in 1376, under Queen Margaret I, that Gotland officially became part of Denmark.
Another version of armor made of plates, found in a burial near Visby.
King Albrecht got involved in civil war 1389, in which Queen Margaret supported the "rebels" and forced him to abdicate. But... the king is the king, so he was given the island of Gotland with the “capital” of Visby, which at that time was captured... by the real robbers - the Vitali brothers, and... they supported him and recognized his rights. Such “touching friendship” between aristocrats and robbers happened in those days. They were driven off the island only in 1408.
Gauntlet.
Well, now about the most important thing. And the main thing in this battle is that those who died in the battle were buried in common graves. Moreover, no one took off either the armor or clothes from the soldiers. They were simply thrown into holes and covered with earth on top. Why this happened is unknown to anyone for certain, but there are two versions that explain this oddity.
Another plate gauntlet.
Historian John Keegan, for example, believes that the reason was the July heat and fear of plague, which, it was then believed, could result from “malignant miasmas” and a large number of corpses (the remains of approximately 2,000 people were discovered!). This is the first reason.
The second could be the result of banal disgust: the Danes captured such loot that they were too lazy to bother with the corpses swollen from the heat, to clean off the blood, leaked brains and dirt from the chopped armor, and that is why they rushed to bury all the dead. But they collected almost all the iron from the field itself, so there is simply nothing on it.
Chain hood.
Be that as it may, for archaeologists this unusual “necropolis” became a real gift. We managed to find out very interesting things, which were not reported in any chronicles at that time. For example, that a third of the island’s army consisted of... minors and elderly people. That is, the weakest and most incompetent died, and the strong and most skilled... fled!
The study of bone remains in five mass graves outside the city walls provided rich material for analyzing battle damage, but, most importantly, archaeologists obtained many well-preserved samples of military equipment. In the graves they found chain mail, chain mail hoods, plate gauntlets of more than ten types (!), and even 25 pieces of very well-preserved plate armor. Moreover, at least one of them was made from plates made in Rus', with which Visby traded, and traded actively.
Sword from 1400, possibly Italian. Philadelphia Museum of Art.
The injuries suffered by the soldiers who fell in the Battle of Visby are very interesting. Judging by them, the actions of the soldiers in it were very organized, which speaks of their training and discipline. The Danes acted - precisely the Danes, because their victims were buried, something like this: one Dane strikes with a sword or an ax a Gotlander standing right in front of him. He raises his shield to deflect the blow, but at the same time his left side opens and that’s where the other Dane delivered his blow. That is, the Danish warriors fought in pairs, or were taught to stab “where it opened”, and not wait for “who will win”!
Perhaps this is what the Danish warriors looked like when they entered the island of Gotland. Rice. Angus McBride.
English historians received full confirmation that the main type of armor at that time was coat-of-plates, that is, “jackets made of plates.” These were clothes made of fabric or leather, onto which plates were riveted on the inside, posing as rivet heads. The combat gloves were made according to the same principle: metal on the bottom, fabric on top. But it is clear that between the skin and the metal there was another thin glove made of leather or fabric. True, neither helmets nor shields were preserved from the graves at Visby. Perhaps the helmets were removed from the dead, but the shields... were used for firewood?
In any case, the Battle of Visby is important precisely because it happened, and after it this “fraternal burial” remained.
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