Gotland Island
Island is a county and province of
Sweden and the largest
island in the
Baltic Sea. Its is 3,140 square kilometers in area, making it the largest island of Sweden, though less than one percent of Sweden's total land area. Inhabitants of the island number 57,600 (2004 figure), with about 22,600 living in the primary city
Visby. The main sources of income to the island are tourism and agriculture.
The island constitutes its own province, or
landskap, in Sweden. The province also includes the small islands of
Fårö and
Gotska Sandön to the north, and the tiny
Karlsö Islands to the west.. The
Latin name of Gotland, which may occasionally be encountered today, is
Gotlandia. The region is also part of the traditional origin of the
Goths,
Götaland.
The island province of Gotland is represented by the current administrative entity,
Gotland County. This county consists of the sole municipality (
kommun)
Gotland Municipality.
Visby, with almost half of the island's population (circa 22,600), is the seat for the county council and municipal council.
Gotland is located about 90 km east off the Swedish mainland and about 130 km from the
Baltic States. The island Gotland is obviously just one island, but the historical province of Gotland also includes adjacent islands, which are often considered part of the Gotlandian culture:
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Fårö* The
Karlsö Islands (
Stora Karlsö and
Lilla Karlsö)
*
Gotska Sandön, a
National park of Sweden.
The island is the home of the
Gotlanders. Early on Gotland became a commercial center and the town of
Visby was the most important
Hanseatic city in the Baltic Sea. The island had in late medieval time twenty
things, each represented at the island-ting, called
landsting, by its elected judge. New laws were decided at the landsting, which also took other decisions regarding the island as a whole. The city of Visby and rest of the island was governed separately and a civil war caused by conflicts between the German merchants in Visby and the trading peasants on the countryside had to be put down by King
Magnus I of Sweden in 1288. In 1361,
Waldemar Atterdag of Denmark invaded the island.
Victual Brothers occupied the island in 1394 to set up a stronghold headquarters on their own in Visby. At least Gotland came as a
fiefdom to the
Teutonic Knights to fight Victual Brothers at their fortified sanctuary. An invasion army of the
Teutonic Knights conquered the island in 1398, destroyed Visby and drove the Victual Brothers out of Gotland.
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Picture of the Visby city wall, near the North gate |
The authority of the landsting was successively eroded after the island was occupied by the Teutonic Order, then sold to
Eric of Pomerania and after 1449 ruled by
Danish governors. In late medieval time the ting consisted of twelve representatives for the farmers, free-holders or tenants. Since the
Treaty of Brömsebro in 1645 the island remains under Swedish rule.
Heraldry
Gotland was granted its arms in about 1560, even though the island was at the time occupied by
Danish forces. The coat of arms is represented with a ducal coronet. Blazon: "Azure a ram statant Argent armed Or holding on a cross-staff of the same a banner Gules bordered and with five tails of the third."
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Another proposal for an unofficial flag that depicts the Nordic cross. |
The Gotlandic flag with the Gotlandic national coat of arms, white on red ground, known from the 13th century in the shape of the seal of the Gotlandic Republic with the proud ram. It reads: "Gutenses signo xpistus signatur in agno". This can be translated as follows: "I (the ram) am the sign of the Gotlanders but with the lamb one symbolizes Christ".
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Lärbro church at Gotland |
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Iron age axe from Gotland |
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Picture of Lärbro church at Gotland |
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Picture of Tingstäde church at Gotland |
The
medieval town of
Visby has been entered as a site of the
UNESCO World heritage program. An impressive feature of Visby is the fortress wall that surrounds the old city, dating from the time of the Hanseatic League.
The inhabitants of Gotland traditionally spoke their own language, known as
Gutnish. Today however, they have adapted a dialect of Swedish that is know as "Gotländska", arguably one of the most beautiful dialects in the Swedish Language. In the 13th Century there was a writing published that contained the laws of the island, it was called "The Gotlandic law" (Guta lagh), and this work was also written in the ancient language Gutnish.
Gotland is famous for its 94 medieval
churches, most of which are restored and in active use. These churches exhibit two major styles of architecture:
Romanesque and
Gothic. The older churches were constructed in the Romanesque style from 1150-1250 A.D. The newer churches were constructed in the Gothic architectural style that prevailed from about 1250 to 1400 A.D. The oldest painting inside one of the churches on Gotland stretches as far back in time as the 12th Century.
Traditional games of skill like
Kubb,
Pärk, and
Varpa are played on Gotland. They are part of what has become called "Gutniska Lekar", and are performed preferably on the Midsummers Eve celebration on the island, but also throughout the summer months. The games have widespread reputation, some of them are played by people as far away as in the United States.
Christopher Polhem (1661â€"1751), the father of Swedish mechanical physics was born in Visby. He was also called the "
Archimedes of the North".
Currently, famous Swedish film director
Ingmar Bergman lives on
Fårö, the small island directly north of Gotland Island.
Since 1772, Swedish Princes have been created Dukes of various provinces. This is solely a nominal title.
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Prince Oscar (from his birth in 1859 until his loss of succession rights in 1888)
References in popular culture
The Long Ships, or "Red Orm" (original title: "Röde Orm"), a best-selling
Swedish novel written by
Frans Gunnar Bengtsson, contains a vivid description of Gotland in the Viking period. A section of the book is devoted to a Viking ship setting out to
Russia, stopping on its way at Gotland and engaging a pilot from the island who plays an important part in their voyage. Gotlanders of the Viking Era are depicted as city people, more sophisticated and cosmopolitan than other Scandinavians of their time, and proud of their knowledge and skills.
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Gotland Tourist Site*
Gotland*
Select Gotland - complete guide to Gotland!*
Picture pages about life in eastern Gotland - Oestergarnslandet
