VÄSTERGARN

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.