Gotlands Lan is an island situated in Baltic Sea not far from Stockholm.
The county comprises the large island of Gotland and several smaller islands,
including Faron, Gotska Sandon and Karlso. Visby is the capital. The island of
Gotland is made up of a limestone plateau with a steep coastline and a few
hills. Its climate is temperate with fertile soil. Cereals, sugar beets,
vegetables are grown and sheep are raised. Fishing, cement making and tourism
are the main industries.
Here the Middle Ages unite with the present to create an atmosphere that's
truly unique. Gotland enjoys more hours of sunshine than anywhere else in
Sweden. Archaeological remains indicate that Gotland has been inhabited since
the Stone Age, had wide commercial contacts from early times, especially under
the Vikings of the 9th–11th century. In the 12th century German merchants
settled at Visby, which became one of the chief towns of the Hanseatic League.
From the 11th to the 14th century Gotland prospered as a major trade centre of
Northern Europe, but internal strife between the Hanse merchants and local
tradesmen weakened the county. Gotland was conquered by the Swedish King, Magnus
I (Magnus Ladulas) in 1280, later taken by Waldemar IV of Denmark in 1361 and by
the Hanseatic League in 1370. Soon after, Gotland became the base of
wide-ranging pirates and gradually declined in importance. Gotland passed under
Danish rule with the Treaty of Stettin in 1570 and was returned to Sweden by the
Peace of Bromsebro in 1645.
Gotland has a lot of historical and cultural places around the island and its
capital, Visby, is known for its medieval centre, which is on the UNESCO world
heritage list. The county has many fine churches and ruined castles.
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