Gotland

: For other uses, see Gotland (disambiguation).

Gotland ▶(?) is the largest Island in the Baltic Sea with a size of 2,994 km². It is also the largest island belonging to Sweden. Inhabitants of the island number 57,381 (2002 figure), with about 22,000 living in the city Visby. The primary income sources are tourism and agriculture.

The island constitutes its own province, or Landskap, in Sweden. The province also includes the northern islands Fårö, the Karlsö Islands and Gotska Sandön.

The Latin name of Gotland, which may occasionally be encountered today, is Gotlandia.

Gotland

Sweden's provinces with Gotland highlighted
Land Götaland
Corresponding County Gotland County
Area 3,140 km²
Flower English ivy
Animal Hedgehog

County

The island province of Gotlandia is represented by the current administrative entity, Gotland County. Counties are sub-divided into municipalities; but Gotland County only includes the sole municipality Gotland Municipality.

Geography

Gotland is located about 90 km east off the Swedish mainland. The province of Gotland also includes the islands Fårö, the Karlsö Islands and Gotska Sandön. Gotska Sandön has been designated a national park.

Visby, founded approximately around the year 1000, was the only chartered city of Gotland. Today, almost half of the island's population live in Visby (around 22,000), and Visby is the natural seat for the county council and municipality council.

History

Early on Gotland became a commercial center and the town of Visby was the most important Hanseatic city in the Baltic Sea. The island had in late medieval time twenty tings, each represented at the island-ting, called landsting, by its elected judge. New laws were decided at the landsting, which also took other decisions regarding the island as a whole. The city of Visby and rest of the island was governed separately and a civil war caused by conflicts between the German merchants in Visby and the trading peasants on the countryside had to be put down by King Magnus I of Sweden in 1288. In 1361, Waldemar Atterdag of Denmark invaded the island. Victual Brothers occupied the island in 1394 to set up a stronghold headquarters on their own in Visby. At least Gotland came as a Fiefdom to the Teutonic Knights to fight Victual Brothers at their fortified sanctuary. An invasion army of the Teutonic Knights conquered the island in 1398, destroyed Visby and drove the Victual Brothers out of Gotland. The authority of the landsting was successively eroded after the island was occupied by the Teutonic Order, then sold to Eric of Pomerania and after 1449 ruled by Danish governors. In late medieval time the ting consisted of twelve representatives for the farmers, free-holders or tenants. Since the Treaty of Brömsebro in 1645 the island remains under Swedish rule.

Heraldry

Gotland was granted its arms in 1560, even though the island was at the time occupied by Danish forces. The coat of arms is represented with a ducal coronet. Blazon: "Azure a ram statant Argent armed Or holding on a cross-staff of the same a banner Gules bordered and with five tails of the third."

Culture

Main article: Culture of Gotland

The medieval town of Visby has been entered as a site of the UNESCO World heritage program. An impressive feature of Visby is the fortress wall that surrounds the city, dating from the time of the Hanseatic League. Christopher Polhem (1661-1751), the father of Swedish mechanical physics was born in Visby. He was also called the Archimedes of the north. The inhabitants of Gotland traditionally speak a distinct dialect of Swedish, known as Gutnish.

Traditional games of skill like Kubb and Varpa are still played in Gotlandia.

Dukes of Gotlandia

Since 1772, Swedish Princes have been created Dukes of various provinces. This is solely a nominal title.

Prince Oscar (from his birth in 1859 until his loss of succession rights in 1888)