A few days in Visby on the island of Gotland

I have spent a few days with the family in the beautiful medieval city of Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland, in the Baltic Sea between Sweden, the Baltic States and Russia.

The city of Visby is the most well preserved Viking and Hansa city and it has been declared a world heritage.

Visby was the main centre of the Hanseatic League in the Baltic from the 12th to the 14th century. Visby is the best preserved North European walled town and example of a fortified commercial centre.

Visby is called ‘The city of roses and ruins’, and has 200 medieval houses on winding lanes. In 1995 Visby was chosen by UNESCO as a World Heritage town.

Gotland is Sweden’s largest island, in the middle of the Baltic Sea. Some 50,000 people live here all year. Together with some minor islands it forms the Gotland province, Gotland Municipality and Gotland County. With a peculiar dialect, a glorious history and a scenery very different from mainland Sweden, the island has a spirit of independence. Gotland is said to be the homeland of the legendary Goths, it is a beautiful island with many things to see.

The rauk fields are extremely special and almost magic. These are photos from the Langhammar rauk field on the small island of Fårö, North of Gotland. A favourite.

A rauk is a column-like landform in Sweden and Norway, often equivalent to a stack. Rauks occur often in groups.

Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman recorded many films – like the masterpiece The Seventh Seal – on Gotland and the surrounding smaller islands, especially Fårö.