Visby

Hanseatic Town of Visby*
UNESCO World Heritage Site

State Party	Sweden
Type	Cultural
Criteria	iv, v
Reference	735
Region†	Europe and North America
Inscription History
Inscription	1995 (19th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO.

Visby is the largest city on the Swedish island of Gotland; it is arguably the best-preserved medieval city in Scandinavia and has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among the most notable historical remains are the 3.4 km long stone wall called Ringmuren that encircles the city and the old church ruins.

The name "Visby" comes from the Old Norse Vis, (genitive singular of Vi) meaning sacrificial place, and bær, meaning "farm" or "settlement". An alternate derivation would be from the Polish "wyspa" (pronounced "vis-pah") which means simply "island".

Its population is 22,236 (2005), and it is the seat of the Governor of Gotland County. Like other towns and cities in Sweden, Visby is not a political or administrative entity of its own. It forms an integral part of Gotland Municipality, where it is the seat.

1 History
2 Sights and events
3 Transport
4 Gallery
5 Miscellaneous
6 Notable natives
7 See also
8 References
9 External links

The earliest history of Visby is uncertain, but it is known to have been a centre of merchandise around 900 AD.

In the 12th century, Visby Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Mary, was constructed. It was reshaped in the 13th century to its current appearance. Several other churches were also constructed in the ensuing centuries. The city flourished thanks to the German Hanseatic League.

The ringwall was likely begun in the 13th century. Around 1280 it was rebuilt to reach its current height, acquiring the characteristic towers, although some towers were not constructed until the 15th century. The ringwall is still largely intact.

In 1361, Gotland was conquered by Valdemar IV of Denmark and Visby became a Danish city. Important as it was, some setbacks occurred. In 1391, 1394 and 1398 it was taken and plundered by the Victual Brothers, pirates who sailed the Baltic Sea. In 1411, King Eric of Pomerania had the castle of Visborg constructed, and settled himself there for twelve years, during which the city virtually became a pirates nest, and the commerce halted. As of 1470, the Hanseatic League rescinded Visby's status as a Hanseatic town.

In 1525, the final blow came. The merchants of Visby were in a feud with Lübeck in what is now Germany. The Germans burned down all Visby's churches except the cathedral. The ruins have been preserved until this day, adding their gravity to the modern city.

Gotland was again conquered by Sweden in 1645 at the Treaty of Brömsebro, after 300 years of Danish occupation. The city developed slowly as things were left as they were. In the mid 18th century some attempts were made by Swedish government officials to improve living standards, but little was accomplished. Not until the early 19th century did Visby once again attract commerce and a harbour industry.

Some affectionately call Visby the "city of roses and ruins" and natives to the island often just say "town". Whether it lives up to that distinction among other old Swedish cities is debatable.

In the first week of July, Visby is the scene of the Almedalen Week (Almedalsveckan), an important meeting place for everyone involved in Swedish politics. During the week, representatives from the major political parties in Sweden take turns giving speeches in the Almedalen park.

In August the tourist season is at its peak. In week 32 from Sunday to Sunday the annual Medieval Week (Medeltidsveckan) is held. During this time regularly dressed tourists are outnumbered by people dressed in Medieval costumes. The festival started in 1984. There are a variety of events: music, jesters, theater, a medieval market, jousting tournaments and much more.

Visby is linked to the mainland of Sweden by ferry. The three-hour ferry arrives from Oskarshamn near Kalmar and Nynashamn near Stockholm.

Visby Cathedral	Saint Nicolaus Church Ruin, built in 1230, burnt in 1525	Visby circa 1700, in Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna	The harbor
Gunpowder Tower	Strandpromenaden	Almedalen	Fishermans Alley
Packhusplan square	The North Wall	The North Wall

Near Visby there is the static inverter plant for the first HVDC interconnection of a windpark (HVDC Visby-Nas).

Christopher Polhem, 18th-century inventor
Matthias Sunneborn, long jumper, national record holder

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Visby

Gotland Tourist Association - Visby
World Heritage Visby - Map with associated picture links
Mitt Visby - Local news, weather forecast, events, cinema and TV-guide
The official Medieval Week Visby site
Large collection of photos from the Medieval Week (Medeltidsveckan) in Visby
Information about Visby, the Medieval Week and a collection of photos

v • d • e Members of the Hanseatic League
Wendish and Pomeranian circle	Lübeck*† · Hamburg† · Kiel · Lüneburg · Rostock · Stade · Stettin (Szczecin) · Stralsund · Wismar
Saxony, Thuringia, Brandenburg circle	Brunswick* · Berlin · Brandenburg · Bremen† · Erfurt · Frankfurt · Goslar · Halle · Magdeburg
Poland, Prussia, Livonia, Sweden circle	Danzig (Gdańsk)* · Breslau (Wrocław) · Dorpat (Tartu) · Fellin (Viljandi) · Elbing (Elbląg) · Königsberg (Kaliningrad) · Kraków (Cracow) · Reval (Tallinn) · Riga · Stockholm · Thorn (Toruń) · Visby
Rhine, Westphalia, Netherlands circle	Dortmund*† · Bochum · Breckerfeld · Cologne† · Deventer · Duisburg · Groningen · Haltern · Hamm · Hattem · Hasselt · Kampen · Münster · Oldenzaal · Osnabrück · Recklinghausen · Roermond · Soest† · Unna · Werl · Zutphen · Zwolle
Principal Kontore (counting houses)	Bryggen (in Bergen) · Hanzekantoor (in Brugge (Bruges)) · Steelyard (in London) · Peterhof (in Novgorod)
Subsidiary Kontore	Antwerp · Berwick · Boston · Damme · Edinburgh · Hull · Ipswich · King's Lynn · Kaunas · Newcastle · Polotsk · Pskov · Yarmouth · York
* Chief city of its circle † Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire