Things to see and do Visby

A remarkable museum that takes us back in time, from the first engraved stones dating from the^5th century to the reconstruction of a Gotland farm in the ^19th century, through the exceptional Viking treasures discovered in the north of the island and the geological curiosities of the "island of a hundred churches". Children will love the Ship o'Joy exhibition, where they can play together in boats, fishermen's huts and cargo ships. A small café and a store.

The fortifications are undoubtedly the most striking feature of this city, as they are almost perfectly preserved. The wall surrounding the old town was built between the 13th and 14th centuries. It was initially very basic, but in the late 1300s it was raised and strengthened with high, solid towers to protect the city from Danish attempts to take over. Today, the walls stand all around the city. It is possible to walk along the ramparts and climb the two towers overlooking the sea at the north-western end.

Between the beginning of the ^12th and the end of the ^13th century, the city was an important commercial crossroads in the Hanseatic League. Slavic, Russian, German, Polish and Baltic communities settled in the various districts of Visby and, quite naturally, built places of worship there. Damaged by the attacks of the Danes or the Lübeck troops, by fires or by wear and tear over the centuries, seven churches stand today with their medieval skeletons between the ramparts. An exceptional and astonishing concentration that the visitor will discover during his walks. Take the time to stroll around and have a good look at everything, because there are many very interesting buildings to discover. Here is the list:

Sankta Katarina. On Stortorget, completed around 1250 by the Franciscan order. The ruins of this gothic church dominate the main square.

Sankt Nikolaus. Also called "the cultural cathedral" (Kulturdralen) where concerts and plays are held in summer.

St.Helge Ands. Built around 1200, this church is unique in Sweden: its bell tower is octagonal, like those in the medieval castles of Charlemagne's Europe.

Sankt Lars. A church whose architectural structure is characteristic of the Byzantine style.

The other ruined churches : Sankt Drotten, almost next to Sankt Lars, Sankt Clemens, Sankt Hans, of which almost nothing remains. So you'll have to imagine!

A dozen kilometers north of Visby, Lummelunda Cave, carved by sea currents up to 3 km inside the rock, is open to the public. The explored part of this karst cave is almost 4.5 km long, making it one of the longest caves in Sweden. Although the entrance to the cave has been known for centuries, the main part was discovered by three teenagers in the 1940s-1950s. It is visited by 100,000 people a year.

The walled village of Västergarn, 5 km south of Tofta Strand, was a major trading center in Viking times. The history is clearly expressed in the town walls, the medieval church and the ruins of the old church and castle. It is believed that the city wall was built around the year 1000 and that it originally surrounded Västergarn completely. Today it is about 1 km long. There is no similar site on Gotland, and in Sweden the most comparable site is probably the walled city of Birka.

This church was built from the end of the ^12th century by the Germanic community of Visby. It became a cathedral in 1572 and underwent several structural changes during the Middle Ages. The characteristic black spires of its three steeples were added in the ^18th century. The interior is worth a visit. The medieval style is still predominant, embellished by baroque ornaments and remarkable stained glass windows. A beauty not to be missed!