Sometimes slipping from power and into oblivion can be a good thing – at least for one’s descendents. By the 13th century, Sweden’s Visby city on Gotland Island dominated rising trade among the kingdoms and principalities along the shores of the Baltic Sea. As the town prospered, it girded itself with a long limestone rampart whose surface often shone far at sea on sunny days. Within that protective wall the peaked roofs of merchant’s houses, soaring church steeples and substantial municipal buildings gave Visby the ebullient, soaring profile of a classic High Middle Ages city. Dozens of guilds thrived and the town’s coffers were full enough to support charities that assisted both locals and visiting mariners.But as Stockholm, 115 miles (186 kms.) to the north, began asserting itself, becoming one of the major players in the budding Hanseatic League, Visby slipped into a long, slow decline. It fell off the major trade routes and entered a 700-year-long period of neglect and virtual obscurity.
The once rich city saw its landmark walls and buildings slowly crumble and decay. Since Visby lacked the money to repair itself, it also lacked the money to undertake demolitions or radical alterations. By the 19th century, the town was a pleasant near-ruin. It was soon discovered by the growing class of affluent urbanites around the Baltic littoral who increasingly could afford travel and were taken with the romance of their own region’s history.Because Visby had retained its medieval character virtually intact, it began drawing visitors and attention. The income from its restored notoriety allowed its citizens to begin restoring their great wall and the buildings it sheltered. By the early 20th century, Visby had become a beloved stop or destination in many Swedes’ summer travel plans.Visby’s citizens were no fools. They restored their town to a condition approximating that of seven centuries before, but resisted the temptation to add too many anachronistic modern touches. Visitors might well enjoy the town’s now modern plumbing and services, but those were made available within the walls and on the streets of a lovingly restored medieval city. By 1995, Visby’s dedication to authenticity won it designation as a World Heritage Site.
Visby is a pleasant ferry ride from Nynashamn near Stockholm or Oskarshamn on Sweden’s southeast coast, and makes a wonderful headquarters town for exploring Gotland. The 1,159-square-mile island, mostly flat and rolling, is primarily a place of small farms, narrow lanes, medieval churches and unhurried towns -- perfect for bicycling or leisurely car touring.
In August, just before visitors leave the island to hustle back to their mainland cares, Visby puts on “Medieval Week,” an annual event in which the town takes on the look of a Hanseatic League city in the year 1361. The event is marked by plays, music, tournaments, open-air markets and parades, all under the golden glow of Sweden’s benign late-summer sun. This year, Medieval Week will be held August 5-12.
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