Visby, Gotland, Sweden
This morning was spent cruising on the National Geographic Explorer off the western coast of Gotland. This island is the largest in the Swedish Archipelago and consists of ancient Silurian fossiliferous limestones. As we made our way to anchor in the sheltered bay at Kappelshamnsviken a couple of Viking themed presentations were delivered in the lounge in preparation for our afternoon visit to the wonderful Fornsal Museum in Visby, the main town. The island is incredibly rich in Viking period material including silver hoards, weapons and burials. Numerous Arabic coins from the Near East attest to the far flung trading activities of these salt water bandits.
Following lunch we boarded Zodiacs for the short ride to shore from where we were taken by coach to Visby. The forty-five minute journey traversed rich agricultural land peppered with stands of native broadleaf trees and introduced Scot’s pine which is commercially exploited. When we arrived in Visby nature, history and photography walks were all taken advantage of to explore this fascinating UNESCO designated Heritage Town. From the twelfth century onwards the settlement had became strategically important as a centre of commerce based on the importation of exotic goods from a wide based trading network initially established by the Vikings. A jewel in the crown of the Hanseatic League it grew to become one of the richest and most successful of its member towns and the extant medieval buildings attest to this.
All of the exploratory walks culminated at the Fornsal Museum which houses one of the most important and varied collections of geological, historical and prehistoric material in the entire Baltic Sea region. Viking picture and rune stones, Silurian fossils, prehistoric burials and Viking silver hoards were among the rich array of items on display. A new exhibition details the famous Battle of 1361 which took place just outside the walls of Visby when a peasant army of Gotlanders were massacred by an invading Danish army led by their king Waldemar Atterdag. Mass graves containing the remains of the defenders were excavated and give a vivid insight into this violent episode in the town’s history. Certainly a highlight of this memorable day was a performance by local musicians dressed in traditional attire who charmed us with emotive renderings of island tunes.
