VISBY Winter

The impressive and beautiful 12th century walls of Visby

Ashley : : December 2021 - Gotland, Sweden

The photos in this article and other photos of Visby are available for sale at the gallery in the beautiful Hotel Helgeand (see details below), Visby, Gotland or on our Collections page

It was one of those weeks... everything seemed to be breaking... it was around -10°C and we lost power to our remote cottage, our fridge died, the kitchen tap froze and our car broke down on Sweden's biggest and busiest highway, during peak hour, in the dark and snow. We were determined though to let nothing stop us from getting away for my wife's birthday to the medieval walled city of Visby on the island of Gotland, a place I had heard so much about.

Archipelago near Nynäshamn from the deck of the Gotland ferry

The city of Visby and the island of Gotland's history of human settlement goes back thousands of years. It was during the Viking era however that it rose to prominence as the Viking 'bank' and trading centre of all the powerful and wealthy nations around the Baltic. In the 12th and 13th century the Germany Hanseatic merchants gradually took over this important trading centre and the city's continued to prosper. It was during the 12th century that they started to build the city's impressive defensive wall and the old Viking wooden buildings were replaced with German style buildings of stone. Another building boom took place the the 15th and 16th century with the Danes having a greater of the city.

Visby with its beautiful mix of buildings from the 12-13th and 15-16th centuries from the deck of the ferry as it docked

While the city has been invaded a quite a few times during its long history it is not often that they did so by breaching the formidable walls and defensive towers. Most of the times the invasions succeeded through siege and negotiation. One part of the wall near the harbour was removed altogether by the Danish King Valdemarsvik in the 14th century after such a siege so that the city would remain forever submissive to him. A few parts of the wall were thought to have be damaged by attempts to breach the wall.

Small sections of damaged walls provide tantalising glimpses of the beautiful city within and the towers of Visby Cathedral

Today the beautiful Gothic arch gates through the magnificent walls are open to welcome residence and visitors so long as you can negotiate your way past the ram bollards - the ram being the symbol of the island of Gotland

The first thing you notice once you have penetrated the walls is the narrow roads between a clutter of beautifully maintained medieval buildings and homes. No room for footpaths here.

The Gothic arches of the city's walls, churches and buildings are a distinctive motif of the city and the ram is the emblem of the island of Gotland.

It is uncommon for it to snow in Visby but as luck would have it - I'm a bit of a fan of snow - it had snowed before we arrived and quite frequently while we were there. In between the passing snowfalls it was often sunny and blue skies. I really think we had the ideal weather to see Visby at its classic winter's best. Being close to Jul (Christmas) when we arrived also meant the magic twinkle of festive lights and candles, and traditional decorations adorning the buildings and the windows of the homes. Visby's Christmas Market was being set up for the weekend. As you are walked along the street with the doors of cafes and restaurant opening you could feel the warm air from inside together with the smells of good food, drinks and Christmas spices was over you.

Typical streets, houses and shops of the old city. The photo to the left shows Nordenport or North Gate - this gate is one of the main entrances and major roadway into the city

Another thing you soon become aware of is the number of church ruins you come across. Within the walls of this city one by a half a kilometre there are a dozen large once grand and beautiful churches almost all built in the 12th & 13th century. It seems that the different merchant families and guilds from around the Baltic that were represented in this trading centre had their own saints and so build churches in the honour of their saint but it was probably also a way to demonstrate your wealth and power.

Sankt Nicolai church. The building was commenced by German Catholics in the 13th century but fire partly destroyed it before it was completed. The Dominicans took it over and made it into a convent. It was again destroyed by fire in the 16th century during Lubeckers attack and never restored.

The reformation in the 16th century changed all that. It became unfashionable, even dangerous, not be aligned with the reforms being ushered in by King Gustav I to break the power of Catholics of Rome. So all but one of the churches were abandoned. Today their architectural skeletons of arches and towers are grand sculptures across the cities skyline, while at ground level they are a forest of towering columns open to the sky.

Sankt Lar church ruins. Was also built during the early 13th century and abandoned again in the 16th century due to the Reformation

The ruins aren't a separate feature of the the city. While the interiors of many are closed for safety reasons the other homes and buildings of this close-knit city huddle around them, sometimes sharing part of the same walls or becoming parts of their garden - so they are an integral part of the cities landscape and life

Saint Karin church ruins. Built by the Franciscan monks in the 13th and plagued by troubles during its extension in the 15th century and abandoned during the Reformation

The one grand church that remains intact is the most visible land of the city. The three ornate wooden steeples of Visby Cathedral or Visby Sankta Maria Domkyrka can be seen over the walls, houses and other buildings from almost everywhere. It is almost impossible to believe looking at it that it was built in the 13th century by German traders. It is an elegant towering building kept perfectly maintained so that it looks like it has only been built in the last few years not 800 years ago.

13th century Visby Cathedral and detail of its steeples

Summary

A good medieval city is a wonderful thing and a walled one is even better. There are very few though that I have found to be so well preserved as the UNESCO listed Visby. The city and island have played a unique and major role in history of the nations surrounding the Baltic. The culture and architecture of Visby exhibits this history in every way and it is stunningly beautiful. It also has all the other places a traveller looks for - great hotels and restaurants, cosy bars, galleries with amazing local arts and magnificent museums. If you have a chance to go there... do it!

Visitor & Photography Tips:

There is plenty of visitor information about Visby available online but a few added points...

I found the north and northeast section of the wall the most interesting and there are some lovely paths through parkland along the outside of these walls
There are great views over the city and Visby Cathedral from Trappgatan, the northern half of Nygatan and the small park above the cathedral on Nygatan
The ruins can be accessed with a guide from Gotlands Museum located at Strandgatan 14, Visby. The museum is excellent too so make sure you look through it while you are there
Stay at the wonderful Hotel Helgeand - see below

Now I am going to take the unusual step of promoting a hotel. Why...? Well, partly because they deserve it but also for self-interest. The lovely couple who run the hotel, Ulrika and Tobias, kindly offered to set up a little gallery of my photos in their fabulous and historic hotel. So here is a little information about the hotel and the gallery.

Hotel Helgeand is the oldest residential building in Visby having been built in the 13th century and extended in the 17th century. It was wonderfully converted into a hotel in 2006 with every room unique and renovated to show the medieval character of the building. The wonderful couple who run the hotel so well have continued to tastefully decorate the place. I am honoured that they offered to display my photos in their amazing hotel.

Visit this fabulous place and the little gallery of my photos... https://hotelhelgeand.se/