Visby & Stora Karlso, Gotland, Sweden
We were greeted by an azure sky and pond-calm seas as we sailed into the beautiful harbor of Visby on the island of Gotland. This is a remarkably beautiful town. Originally founded as a small fishing settlement in the 7th century, it became a major trading centre during the middle ages. Such was its strategic position and accumulated wealth that it drew the attention of the Danish king, Atterdag, in 1361. He attacked with a formidable army and in the ensuing battles an estimated half of the male population of the island was massacred.
A busy morning onshore included walking tours accompanied by locally-based guides who helped us explore the history, archaeology and natural history of the town. The quality, variety and quantity of Visby’s historic architectural fabric has earned it a well-deserved place on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites. This is an extremely attractive town. A warren of narrow cobbled lanes, tiled roofs, closely packed houses and church ruins all draw and beckon the eye. A visit to Visby’s first class museum brought our visit to a fitting end. Here we were treated to a wide variety of displays covering the prehistory and historical development of Gotland including the famous Spilling’s Viking Age silver hoard.
Back on board a local group called ‘Spelfolki’ performed a number of folk tunes on traditional instruments including the keyed fiddle just before lunch. With everyone returned, National Geographic Explorer made her way to the small island called Stora Karlso located a short distance south of Visby. This is a protected nature reserve and is under the care of a warden who manages a small team of interpretive guides. Here we spent a wonderful afternoon exploring the island. One of many interesting sites here is a small limestone cave which was excavated in the late 19th century and revealed cultural layers extending back to 6,400BC when bands of stone age hunter-gatherers sought shelter. Its name is Stora Forvar, meaning “large storage.” Archaeologists discovered human burials at the lowest levels and these are among the oldest known in Sweden.
The entire island is composed of 430-million-year-old Silurian limestone, which is packed full of fossil remains of ancient sea creatures. These are found in abundance lying on the surface. A small museum details the natural history, archaeology and geology of this captivating island.
