Navigation certificate for the port of Visby, Sweden. Hanseatic city of Visby - how to get there, what to see and where to stay. Places to stay in Visby

Hidden on the island of Gotland, once one of the main Hanseatic cities, Visby has been perfectly preserved since the Middle Ages: there is a perfectly preserved city wall with towers and an ancient interweaving of cobblestone streets and the atmospheric ruins of thousand-year-old churches scattered throughout the city and many, many other details , which complement the overall picture of this corner of untouched antiquity.

Some informational information. The city of Visby is located on the island of Gotland, so you can get here in two ways: by air or by sea. I chose the second option. There is a daily ferry connection with mainland Sweden; comfortable ships depart several times a day. Schedules, prices and reservations are available on this website.

The history of the city has always been eventful, only in the last peaceful decades can Visby exist peacefully. Formed at the end of the first millennium, the city managed to be part of Denmark, Sweden, Germany, and in 1808 it was even occupied by Russian troops for two months. This happened during the Russian-Swedish war (1808-1809).

The city has preserved medieval churches and a 3.4 km long city wall with 44 towers from the 12th to 14th centuries, which has no analogues in Northern Europe in terms of its state of preservation.

While on Gotland, it seemed to me that I had arrived at some kind of resort, probably the openness of the sea contributed to this. The sea here really goes beyond the horizon; you won’t see this in Stockholm.

One of the symbols of the city is roses. Visby residents try to grow these beautiful flowers everywhere, some streets are literally buried in flowers, the small street Fiskargränd looks especially beautiful.

Everywhere you can find neat ruins of churches; free entry is available here.

The city wall, almost all the most interesting things are inside it.

This is already a legacy of the wars of the 20th century.

Modern housing on the outskirts of Visby. The balconies and windows offer beautiful views of the endless sea.

I got to the outskirts of Visby only to see this place - a preserved gallows; people were executed here until 1845.

Swedish neatness: perfect cleanliness of everything, thoughtful design down to the smallest details. There is a mailbox in the very corner on the right.

The ram is one of the symbols of Gotland.

For all this time I have met only one church that is not in the form of ruins and this is the Cathedral, which was built in the Middle Ages.
The construction of the parish church for the large community of German Catholics, with money from German sailors and merchants, began in the 12th century and was completed in 1225. Over the years, the church was enlarged several times, a choir and two eastern towers were built, after which the church was rebuilt several times during renovation work. After the Reformation, in 1572, St. Mary's Church received the status of a cathedral.

An interesting version of snow-white gothic.

Inside the temple.

Near the church there is the best city panorama; from a small hill you can see the rooftops of the city and the Baltic Sea.

Russian lane. The name has been preserved since the time of Russian merchants in these places.

The Russian Court is very close by. In 1971, during archaeological research in the basement of the buildings, Swedish archaeologists discovered the foundation of the Russian Church of St. Nicholas of the 12th-13th centuries, as well as about thirty burials. The complex of two currently interconnected buildings dates back to 1680 and 1750.

Gotland is one of the most interesting places in the Baltic. Swedes themselves like to spend their holidays in Gotland; Germans, Finns, Norwegians, and Americans are the leaders among foreign tourists. There are few guests from Russia, especially recently: prices for hotels and food are quite high, especially in summer.

He talks about what you can see on this Swedish island in one day (8-10 hours). creator of the website rukivboki.ru Elvi Usmanova.

My advice is to plan your visit so as to make do with a minimum number of overnight stays or come for one day. This is quite real.

Getting to Gotland You can by plane (35 minutes from Stockholm) or by ferry (the journey takes about 3 hours). Most tourists prefer to travel by sea. You need to buy tickets in advance, then you can save a little.

Best time to travel to the island- from late May to mid-October. The Swedes believe that Gotland has the best climate in Sweden. Winter is quite warm, however, it does not vary from year to year, and frosts also occur. Cherry and apple trees usually bloom even a little earlier than in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and in mid-October it is still quite green and beautiful on the island, with roses blooming. However, describing the weather is a thankless task, so you should think carefully about what clothes to take with you. An umbrella is a must - rain is not uncommon here.

Visby is the only large city in Gotland. 23 thousand people live here, this is almost half of the entire population of the island.

It is believed that among all the Scandinavian medieval cities, Visby is the best preserved, and all because of the fact that it is located on an island.

Indeed, the main Gotlandic city looks like a huge museum. It takes at least a day to examine it.

The main thing is not to rush anywhere, wander through the narrow streets, admire the old colorful houses - and there are several hundred of them here, look at the boats and porcelain figurines on the window sills.

During the warmer months there are free walking tours, conducted in English, the schedule can be found at the information center (Visby, Donnersplats 1).

The only medieval cathedral still in use today is Cathedral of St. Mary (Sankta Maria Domkyrka). This is one of the oldest buildings on the island - the temple, built by German merchants, was consecrated in 1225. Subsequently it was heavily rebuilt.

The spiers of the cathedral are visible from all points of the old city and serve as a kind of landmark for tourists. Inside the cathedral, pay attention to the ancient carved pulpit - it was made in Lübeck in 1684 from walnut and ebony wood. The font was made even earlier, in the 13th century, from local marble.

The church has excellent acoustics. Concerts are often held in the evenings and on weekends. Entry is, of course, free.

In the first half of August, Visby hosts a very famous medieval festival Medieval Week(in 2017 it will take place on August 6-13). At this time there are many interesting events here - a medieval market operates, knightly tournaments take place, musicians play ancient instruments and much more. The first festival took place in 1984. Now about 35-40 thousand people visit it annually. For a small island this is a lot and hotels have to be booked a year in advance. You should also keep in mind that in July the large political forum Almedalen Week takes place in Visby, and it is difficult to find hotel rooms at this time.

You definitely need to go outside the old city, move a couple of hundred meters away and from this distance look at fortress wall, which stretches for almost 3.5 kilometers. There are 44 towers in the wall, 15-20 meters high. The views are very beautiful. Here, on the lawns near the ancient walls, grandiose battles and knightly tournaments of the medieval festival take place. And then modern Visby begins - with five-story buildings (they resemble our Brezhnev buildings, but they look much neater) and supermarkets. This area of ​​Visby is no longer different from many modern Swedish cities. The rest of Gotland is sparsely populated, however, in the warm season the number of islanders increases several times - numerous summer residents come from mainland Sweden.

In the northwest of Visby, between the old town and the sea, there is a small but very interesting botanical garden Botaniska Trädgården. It was founded in 1855 and is a favorite holiday destination for the residents of Visby. In the garden, which occupies 2.5 hectares, there are many trees and shrubs unusual for Sweden - paulownia tomentosa, liriodendron (tulip tree), rare species of magnolia, walnut, etc. The garden is also famous for roses. In Botaniska Trädgården there is an unusual monument to Carl Linnaeus, made from the trunk of a large tree. In the southern part of the garden are the ruins of the Church of St. Olof (built at the beginning of the 13th century). In the summer months there are concerts (jazz and classical), excursions, and children's events. The botanical garden is open daily all year round and admission is free.

In the old part of the city there are many cafes and restaurants, prices are quite high. Thus, a small piece of the famous rice pudding saffranspannkaka (or gotlandspannkaka) costs 5-8 euros. This traditional Gotlandic dessert is made from rice, milk, sugar, almonds and always saffron. Previously, this was what distinguished it from the pudding that was prepared in other regions of Sweden. And all because saffron was brought to the island by merchants in those ancient times, when such a spice had not even been heard of in Scandinavia. But now, of course, times have changed and saffranspannkaka are made all over Sweden. The pudding is served with whipped cream and local blackberry jam. These are a slightly different blackberry than the ones usually eaten in Europe, but only botanists know about this. However, you can also try some cheaper and less advertised dessert, although the choice is usually not large.

More photos of Gotland

View of the glorious city of Visby from the sea

The date of the founding of the city of Visby is unknown for certain and is lost somewhere in the darkness of centuries, but this place was inhabited back in the 9th century AD. and definitely earlier too, since it had sources of fresh water and a convenient bay for trade. Name Visby comes from Old Norse Vis- holy place and By- village. The city was founded gutami- the indigenous population of the island, who gave it its name.

In 9-11 centuries. and especially during the Viking Age, Gotland and Visby were the most important trading towns in the Baltic on the great trade route from Danish Hedeby to distant Novgorod and further to the East. It is not without reason that the richest treasures of Arab, Anglo-Saxon and German coins of this time were found on Gotland. Power in Visby belonged to the local council - tingu gutov.

In 1161, in Artlenburg, the inhabitants of Visby entered into an agreement with the Saxon Duke Henry the Lion, who renounced the trade monopoly in the German city of Lübeck, for which the Germans were allowed to trade in Visby. From that time on, more and more incoming German merchant elements began to appear in the city, which over time acquired significant weight in city politics.

This fact caused natural irritation of the indigenous population of the island - sailors, pilots, peasants, which later resulted in confrontation, sometimes even armed, which is why the townspeople also naturally became concerned about their own safety.

City wall in Visby or ringmur They began to build at the beginning of the 13th century, and in 1280 they rebuilt it, increasing the height and adding new towers. In 1288, the conflict between “city and countryside” reached its extreme point and the militia of the peasant republic, together with a number of Danish mercenaries, tested new fortifications during an unsuccessful assault on the city. The tests were generally considered successful by the townspeople; the wall was slightly reconstructed and by the beginning of the 14th century. it acquired its current appearance with a length of 3.5 km and 29 towers (currently 27 have been preserved).

The cunning Swedish king Magnus Ladulos entered the conflict as a peacemaker, and for supporting the city in this war he received an “act of obedience” from the townspeople with some financial obligations. The city prevailed over the village, but from that moment Visby began to slowly lose its independence.

By the end of the 13th century. The Wendish Hansa, led by the city of Lübeck, began to gain more and more weight in trade in the Baltic, in addition, trade with Russia decreased significantly due to the Mongol invasion. Trade flows increasingly shifted south into the Mediterranean, while in Visby, meanwhile, things were going downhill.

In July 1361, the Danish king Valdemar IV (Atterdag) appeared on the horizon and landed with an army 13 km away. south of Visby. The Swedish king Magnus Eriksson had already ceded Blekinge, Skåne and Halland to him and could not provide any help to Gotland, even if he wanted to. The peasant army of Gotland opposed the Danes, which was defeated in three battles near the village. Fjelemur, at Aimund Bridge and under the walls of Visby. The burghers preferred to sit outside the city walls and pay indemnity. The indemnity was large, and now the Danish Visby finally ceased to be a key link on the Baltic trade routes.

In 1391, 1394, the city was attacked by the “Vitalian brothers” - sea pirates who fought with the Danes on the side of the Duke of Macklenburg, the father of the Swedish king Albrecht, captured by the king Margaret. Pirates captured the island in 1394, turning it into a naval base of operations against the Danes. The war soon ended, but the pirates were not used to sitting idle, and began to rob everyone, which is why trade in the Baltic began to completely die out.

Concerned, the Hanseatic League forked out the cash and hired the Teutonic Order to solve the problem. The Teutons quickly equipped a fleet and, together with the friendly Livonian Order, defeated all the pirate cities in the Baltic, including Visby in 1398, within a few years. Until 1408, Gotland was ruled by the Teutons, after which they sold it and all its contents to the Danish crown.

In 1436, King Eric of Pomerania, expelled from Sweden, invaded Gotland and settled in Visborg Castle, turning Visby and Gotland into a real pirate nest for 13 years, doing the same thing as the “Vitalian brothers”, albeit on a slightly smaller scale. Yes, it was a fun time... Wisborg Castle was built by the Germans around 1400 near the southern part of the city wall.

In 1448, on the orders of King Karl Knutsson Bonde, the Swedes attacked Visby, captured it and led the people to swear allegiance to the Swedish crown, but the Danes recaptured the city and the island that same year. Gotland became disputed territory for almost 200 years. It was ruled by Danish Lansmans, sometimes purely nominally, especially since in church terms the island belonged to the Lynköping diocese in Sweden.

In 1524, King Gustav Vasa sent a fleet to the island of Gotland. In general, there were no problems with the countryside and the city, but the Swedes could not take Visborg and were forced to retreat this time.

In 1620, the Danes organized the Gotland Merchant Company in Visby, whose activities on the island almost led to open rebellion. The company had to be quickly wound up, since Sten Sture, vigilantly monitoring the situation on the disputed island from Stockholm, would not fail to take advantage of the opportunity.

In 1645, the next Danish-Swedish war ended in peace in Bromsebra, according to which the Swedes, among other things, got Gotland for themselves. True, in 1675-1679 the Danes again ruled the island a little during the war for Skåne, but from 1679 Gotland finally became Swedish. Before leaving, the harmful Danes completely destroyed Visborg Castle. Finally, peace seems to have come to Gotland...

In 1718-19, during the Great Northern War, Gotland experienced several devastating raids by Russian military teams under the command of Apraksin, who landed on the island and burned coastal villages.

1808 "Finnish War" between Russia and Sweden. "To have the island of Gotland seems to us as valuable as to own Finland"- this is what Emperor Alexander I said to Rear Admiral N.A. Bodisko, commander of the Russian troops assigned to capture Gotland. On April 22, 1808, a Russian squadron, disguised as Swedish flags, entered the harbor of Visby. There was no resistance, since almost everyone capable of holding weapons fought in Finland. On April 25, Gotland was included in the Russian Empire “for eternity.”

“Eternal Times” lasted three weeks, after which the Swedish fleet with a landing party entered Visby harbor. Bodisko, having no more than 2 thousand Cossacks, soldiers and sailors with 6 guns, decided to surrender the city and the island on a chord, without a fight, in order to avoid senseless casualties and destruction, for which the local residents are still grateful to him. At home, he was put on trial and spent three years in Vologda, in exile, but was then forgiven and ended his life as commandant in Sveaborg.

In the 19th century, before the invention of Swedish socialism, Sweden was a very poor country. The government in Stockholm tried to somehow improve the living conditions in Visby, but it didn’t go beyond the plans, and therefore medieval Visby remained on the whole practically untouched, for which I personally thank him [the government] very much. In the second half of the 19th century. In Europe (and in Sweden), interest in medieval antiquity began to arise and Visby began to turn into a tourist center. Archaeological excavations on the island clearly showed the Swedes what a treasure they owned.

Among other things, Visby is now an industrial center with 25 thousand people, a large commercial port, a university town and, in general, a notable resort place.

You can climb walls only at your own peril and risk!

Impression

It is said to be the longest and best preserved medieval city wall in Europe. 3.5 km. long with 27 towers. Nothing has been added to the walls; for the most part they have retained their original height. Only a small area in the port area has been dismantled. The stones of the destroyed Visborg castle were apparently used for the needs of medieval city construction. And in general, there are plenty of stones on Gotland.

Visby - views of the city and the Baltic Sea coast

It seems that in Visby there was no redevelopment as in medieval Vyborg under Catherine II, the city landscape was not disrupted with new buildings, as in St. Petersburg under Putin, and in general, it seems that nothing significant was built until the beginning of the 20th century. More than 2 hundred medieval houses have been preserved here.

The town is strongly recommended for a thoughtful and leisurely visit to lovers of fortification and antiquity, since it has it here, and in abundance. You can go in any season, even right now... Just don’t forget to wear rubber galoshes (just kidding).

Gotland Island. Hanseas To1st city - Visby

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In April I was able to visit the island of Gotland. The island is simply strewn with rune stones. At the same time, in the museum of the city of Visby there are unique rune stones with solar symbols of the Wendel and Viking eras in Scandinavia. The city of Visby itself (historical part) is surrounded by a medieval wall, which dates back to the 12th-14th centuries. The entire territory of the island represents a unique place where time has simply stopped. Despite this, natural and ancient historical objects are very harmoniously combined with modern innovative technologies.

History of Gotland

Gotland Island in the Baltic Sea. View from the ferry.

I will list the main historical events associated with the island. I won't go into details so as not to be boring.

Streets of Visby.