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This article is about the Swedish island province of Gotland. For the Swedish HMS Gotland attack submarine, see HMS Gotland (Gtd). Lease to the United States Navy In 2004 the Swedish government received a request from the United States of America to lease HMS Gotland &ndash
Gotland
Map
The provinces of Sweden with Gotland highlighted		 Coat of Arms
Land Sweden
Main corresponding county Gotland County
Indigenous dialect(s) Gutnish, Gotländska
Area 3,145. Historical lands Sweden was historically divided into the four lands Götaland, Svealand, Norrland and "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. The Counties of Sweden, or Län, are the first level administrative and political Subdivisions of Sweden. Gotland County ( Gotlands län) is a county or Län of Sweden. Swedish dialects can be categorized into Traditional Dialects (with no Standard Swedish influence and Modern Dialects (with various degrees of Standard Swedish influence Modern Gutnish is the old language of the island of Gotland (in present day Sweden) Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. 45 km²
Flower Common Ivy
Animal Hedgehog

Gotland (help·info) is a county, province and municipality of Sweden and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of Hedera helix (species name from Ancient Greek "twist turn" also called Ivy, Common Ivy, or English Ivy is a species A hedgehog is any of the small spiny Mammals of the Subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. The Counties of Sweden, or Län, are the first level administrative and political Subdivisions of Sweden. The provinces of Sweden, Landskap, are historical geographical and cultural regions The Municipalities of Sweden ( kommun) are the Local government entities of Sweden. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, it makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area. The region also includes the small islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the north, and the tiny Karlsö Islands to the west. Fårö ( Gutnish Faroy; literally "distant island" is a small Baltic Sea Island north of the province of Gotland, off Gotska Sandön is a Swedish island in the Baltic Sea, situated some 38 kilometres north of Fårö. The inhabitants number is 57,317 (2006 SCB figure), with about 22,600 living in the primary city Visby. Visby is the only city on the Swedish Island of Gotland; it is arguably the best-preserved Medieval city in Scandinavia The main sources of income to the island are tourism and agriculture and concrete production from locally mined limestone. Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3

Contents

Administration

The traditional provinces of Sweden serve no administrative or political purposes, but are historical and cultural entities. The provinces of Sweden, Landskap, are historical geographical and cultural regions In the case of Gotland, however, due to its insular position, the administrative county, län, Gotland County and the municipality, kommun, Gotland Municipality both covers the same territory as the province. The Counties of Sweden, or Län, are the first level administrative and political Subdivisions of Sweden. Gotland County ( Gotlands län) is a county or Län of Sweden. The Municipalities of Sweden ( kommun) are the Local government entities of Sweden. Gotland Municipality ( Gotlands kommun) is a municipality that covers the entire Island of Gotland in Sweden. Furthermore, the Diocese of Visby is also congruent with the province. The Diocese of Visby is a division of the Church of Sweden consisting of Gotland.

Heraldry

Gotland was granted its arms in about 1560, even though the island was at the time occupied by Danish forces. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe [1] 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. " The county was granted the same coat of arms in 1936. The municiplality, created in 1971, uses the same picture, but with other tinctures. In Heraldry, tinctures are the colours used to Emblazon a Coat of arms.

The Gotlandic flag displays the Gotlandic coat of arms, white on red ground, known from the 13th century in the shape of the seal of the Gotlandic Republic with the proud ram. It reads: "Gutenses signo xpistus signatur in agno". This can be translated as follows: "I (the ram) am the sign of the Gotlanders, but with the lamb symbolize Christ".

Geography

Gotland.
Gotland.

Visby, with about two fifths of the island's population (approximately 22,600), is the seat of the municipality as well as the capital of the county. Visby is the only city on the Swedish Island of Gotland; it is arguably the best-preserved Medieval city in Scandinavia

Gotland is located about 90 km east of the Swedish mainland and about 130 km from the Baltic States, Latvia, being the nearest. The Baltic states (Balti riigid Baltijas valstis Baltijos valstybės or Baltic countries are three countries in Northern Europe, all members of the Latvia ( Latvija officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republika is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region. The island Gotland is obviously just one island, but the historical province of Gotland also includes adjacent islands, which are often considered part of the Gotlandic culture:

Geology

A Silurian reef complex.
A Silurian reef complex. In nautical terminology a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water (six fathoms or less at low water

Gotland is made up of a sequence of sedimentary rocks of a Silurian age, dipping to the south-east. Sedimentary rock is one of the three main rock types (the others being igneous and Metamorphic rock) The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician period about 443 The main Silurian succession of limestones and shales comprises thirteen units spanning 200-500 m of stratigraphic thickness, being thickest in the south, and overlies a 75-125 m thick Ordovician sequence. Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 Shale (also called mudstone) is a fine-grained Sedimentary rock whose original constituents were Clay minerals or Muds It is characterized by The Ordovician is a geologic period and system, the second of six of the Paleozoic era, and covers the time between 488 [2] It was deposited in a shallow, hot and salty sea, on the edge of an equatorial continent. [3] The water depth never exceeded 175–200 m,[4] and shallowed over time as bioherm detritus, and terrestrial sediments, filled the basin. Reef growth started in the Llandovery, when the sea was 50–100 m deep, and reefs continued to dominate the sedimentary record. Llandovery ( Llanymddyfri) is a Market town in Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the River Tywi and the A40 road. [2] Some sandstones are present in the youngest rocks towards the south of the island, which represent sand bars deposited very close to the shore line. [5]

The lime rocks have been weathered into characteristic karstic rock formations known as rauks. Karst topography is a landscape shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble Bedrock, usually Carbonate rock such as Limestone This is a List of rock formations meaning isolated scenic or spectacular surface rock outcrops Rauk (Swedish plural raukar) is a Swedish term for a stone column created by natural erosion Fossils, mainly of rugose corals and brachiopods, are abundant throughout the island; palæo-sea-stacks are preserved in places. The Rugosa Rose is also sometimes just called "Rugosa" The Rugosa, also called the Tetracoralla, are an extinct order Corals are Marine organisms from the class Anthozoa and exist as small Sea anemone –like Polyps typically in colonies of many Brachiopods (from Latin brachium, arm + New Latin -poda, foot are a small phylum of Benthic Invertebrates Also A stack is a geological Landform consisting of a steep and often vertical column or columns of rock in the sea near a coast [6]

History

This is the Torsätra runestone (U 614) which was raised in memory of one of the Swedish king's tribute collectors who fell ill and died during a trip to Gotland. It is in the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities in Stockholm.
This is the Torsätra runestone (U 614) which was raised in memory of one of the Swedish king's tribute collectors who fell ill and died during a trip to Gotland. It is in the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities in Stockholm. Swedish Museum of National Antiquities (known in Swedish as Historiska museet or more formally Statens historiska museum) is a Museum located ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the

The island is the home of the Gutar (the Gotlanders) and sites such as Ajvide show that it has been occupied since prehistory. The Gotlanders are the population of the island of Gotland. In Swedish they are also called Gutar an ethnonym identical to Goths ( The site of Ajvide is located on the western coast of Gotland, Sweden, in the Parish of Eksta. Stone Age Paleolithic See also Paleolithic, Recent African Origin, Early Homo sapiens, Early human migrations "Paleolithic" Early on Gotland became a commercial center and the town of Visby was the most important Hanseatic city in the Baltic Sea. Visby is the only city on the Swedish Island of Gotland; it is arguably the best-preserved Medieval city in Scandinavia The Hanseatic League (also known as the Hansa) was an alliance of trading cities and their Guilds that established and maintained trade In late medieval time, the island had twenty district courts (tings), each represented at the island-ting, called landsting, by its elected judge. See also Medieval Scandinavian laws A thing or ting ( Old Norse, Old English and Icelandic: þing; other modern New laws were decided at the landsting, which also took other decisions regarding the island as a whole.

The Gutasaga contains legends of how the island was settled by Þieluar and populated by his descendants. The Gutasaga is a saga treating the history of Gotland before its Christianization. Þjálfi ( Old Norse) or Þjelvar (Old Gutnish) is a farmer's son in Norse mythology who appears twice in Snorri 's Edda It also tells that a third of the population had to emigrate and settle in southern Europe, a tradition associated with the migration of the Goths, whose name has the same origin as Gutar, the native name of the people of the island. The Goths ( Gothic: Gothic usvg|14px|u]]Gothic asvg|14px|a]]Gothic s The Gotlanders are the population of the island of Gotland. In Swedish they are also called Gutar an ethnonym identical to Goths ( It later tells that the Gotlanders voluntarily submitted to the king of Sweden and asserts that it is based on mutual agreements, and notes the duties and obligations of the Swedish King and Bishop in relationship to Gotland. It is therefore not only an effort to write down the history of Gotland, but also an effort to assert Gotland's independence from Sweden.

It gives Awair Strabain as the man who arranged the mutually beneficial agreement with the king of Sweden, and the event would have taken place before the end of the 9th century, when Wulfstan of Hedeby reported that the island was subject to the Swedes:

Then, after the land of the Burgundians, we had on our left the lands that have been called from the earliest times Blekingey, and Meore, and Eowland, and Gotland, all which territory is subject to the Sweons; and Weonodland was all the way on our right, as far as Weissel-mouth. The 9th century is the period from 801 to 900 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Wulfstan of Hedeby (Latin Haithabu) was a late 9th century traveller and trader Bornholm (b̥ʌnˈhʌlˀm or [bɔʀnˈhɔlˀm]) ( Old Norse: Burgundarholm ' is a Danish Island in the Baltic Sea located is a one of the Provinces of Sweden ( landskap) situated in the south of the country Möre is one of the original small lands of Småland, a historical province ( landskap) in southern Sweden. is the second largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional Provinces of Sweden. The Swedes (svear Old Norse: svíar; Old English: Sweonas; Suiones Suehans or Sueones) were an ancient North Wendland may refer to either of the following regions or people Wendland may refer to a region once inhabited by Wends, an old Germanic term for Slavic [1]

The region is considered by some historians to be the original homeland of the Goths. The Goths ( Gothic: Gothic usvg|14px|u]]Gothic asvg|14px|a]]Gothic s [7]

The Visby city wall, near the North gate.
The Visby city wall, near the North gate.

The city of Visby and rest of the island were 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 III of Sweden in 1288. Magnus III Birgersson (1240–1290 usually called Magnus Ladulås (Magnus Barnlock) was king of Sweden from 1275 until his death in 1290 In 1361, Waldemar Atterdag of Denmark invaded the island. Valdemar Atterdag (c 1320 &ndash October 24, 1375) was a King of Denmark (1340 - 1375 The Victual Brothers occupied the island in 1394 to set up a stronghold headquarters on their own in Visby. The Victual Brothers resp Vitalians or Vitalian Brotherhood were a companionship of Privateers who later turned to piracy At last Gotland came as a fiefdom of the Teutonic Knights, awarded to them on the condition that they expel the piratical Victual Brothers from their fortified sanctuary. Under the system of Feudalism, a fiefdom, fief, feud, feoff, or fee, often consisted of inheritable lands or revenue-producing The Teutonic Order is a German Roman Catholic religious order. An invasion army of Teutonic Knights conquered the island in 1398, destroying Visby and driving the Victual Brothers from Gotland. The Teutonic Order is a German Roman Catholic religious order.

The number of Arab dirhams discovered on the island of Gotland alone is astoundingly high. The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding In the various hoards located around the island, there are more of these silver coins than any other site in Western Eurasia. In Archaeology, a Hoard is a collection of artifacts purposely buried in the ground For the superstate in George Orwell 's novel see Nations of Nineteen Eighty-Four. The total sum is almost as great as the number that has been unearthed in the entire Muslim world. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion These coins moved North through trade between Rus merchants and the Abbasid Caliphate, along the Silver-Fur Road, and the money made by Scandinavian merchants would help Northern Europe, especially Viking Scandinavia and the Carolingian Empire, as major commercial centers for the next several centuries. Rus’ (Русь rusʲ Русичи Русы are an ancient people whose name survives in the cognates Russians, Rusyns, and Ruthenians Carolingian Empire is a historiographical term sometimes used to refer to the realm of the Franks under the Carolingian dynasty.

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. Eric of Pomerania or Erik of Pomerania (1381 or 1382 &ndash 3 May 1459) was King of Norway (1389–1442 elected King of The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe In late medieval times, the ting consisted of twelve representatives for the farmers, free-holders or tenants. Since the Treaty of Brömsebro in 1645, the island has remained under Swedish rule. The Treaty of Brömsebro (or the Peace of Brömsebro) was signed on August 13, 1645, which ended the Torstenson War (a local conflict that

Culture

Iron age axe from Gotland.
Iron age axe from Gotland.

The medieval town of Visby has been entered as a site of the UNESCO World heritage program. Visby is the only city on the Swedish Island of Gotland; it is arguably the best-preserved Medieval city in Scandinavia United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16 A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex An impressive feature of Visby is the fortress wall that surrounds the old city, dating from the time of the Hanseatic League.

The inhabitants of Gotland traditionally spoke their own language, known as Gutnish. Modern Gutnish is the old language of the island of Gotland (in present day Sweden) Today however, they have adapted a dialect of Swedish that is known as "Gotländska". In the 13th century, a work containing the laws of the island, called "The Gotlandic law" (Guta lagen), was published in the ancient Gutnish language.

Gotland is famous for its 94 medieval[8] churches, most of which are restored and in active use. These churches exhibit two major styles of architecture: Romanesque and Gothic. Regional characteristics of Romanesque architecture|Romanesque art Romanesque architecture is the term that is used to describe the architecture of Middle Ages Europe which See also Gothic art Gothic architecture is a style of Architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. The older churches were constructed in the Romanesque style from 1150–1250 A. D. The newer churches were constructed in the Gothic architectural style that prevailed from about 1250 to 1400 A. D. The oldest painting inside one of the churches on Gotland stretches as far back in time as the 12th Century.

The valknut symbol has its most discovered examples on Gotland.
The valknut symbol has its most discovered examples on Gotland. The Valknut ( Old Norse valr, "slain warriors" + knut, "knot" is a Symbol consisting of three interlocked

Traditional games of skill like Kubb, Pärk, and Varpa are played on Gotland. Kubb (pronounced /kʉb/ in Swedish or /kub/ in Gutnish) is a Lawn game where the object is to knock over wooden blocks by throwing wooden sticks at Pärk or Paerk is a Game, somewhat similar to Tennis, that has been played for centuries on the island of Gotland in Baltic Sea. Varpa is an old outdoor Game. The game dates back to the Viking Age and survived in Gotland together with several other Medieval or Viking They are part of what has become called "Gutniska Lekar", and are performed preferably on the Midsummer’s Eve celebration on the island, but also throughout the summer months. The games have widespread renown; some of them are played by people as far away as in the United States.

The knotwork design subsequently named the "Valknut" has the most attested historic instances on runestones in Gotland, which include being on both the Stora Hammar stone and the Tängelgårda stone. The Valknut ( Old Norse valr, "slain warriors" + knut, "knot" is a Symbol consisting of three interlocked A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic inscription but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock Viking Age Image stone in Stora Hammars, Lärbro parish Gotland, Sweden ( The Image stone at Tängelgårda, Lärbro parish Gotland, Sweden ( is decorated with a scene of warriors holding rings one (possibly

Gotland also has a rich heritage of folklore, including myths about the bysen, Di sma undar jordi, Hoburgsgubben and the Martebo lights. Bysen (bysɛn is a legendary Gnome -like creature that haunts the woods of the island of Gotland, Sweden. Di sma undar jordi, or simply di sma, is legendary Vættir -like creatures from the island of Gotland, Sweden. The Martebo lights (in Swedish " Marteboljusen " or " Marteboljuset " are " ghost lights " which have been seen since the early


Gotland competes in the bi-annual Island Games, which it hosted in 1999. International Island Games Association (IGA is an organisation the sole purpose of which is to organise the Island Games a friendly biennial Athletic competition between teams

Notable Gotlanders

Dukes of Gotland

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

References in popular culture

The Long Ships, or Red Orm (original title: Röde Orm), a best-selling Swedish novel written by Frans Gunnar Bengtsson, contains a vivid description of Gotland in the Viking period. Oscar Carl August Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg ( 15 November 1859 &ndash 4 October 1953) was the second son of King The Long Ships or Red Orm (original Swedish Röde Orm) is a best-selling Swedish novel written by Frans Gunnar Bengtsson Swedish ( is a North Germanic language spoken by more than nine million people predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the Frans Gunnar Bengtsson ( October 4, 1894 - December 19, 1954) was a Swedish novelist essayist poet and biographer A section of the book is devoted to a Viking ship setting out to Russia, stopping on its way at Gotland and engaging a pilot from the island who plays an important part in their voyage. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Gotlanders of the Viking Era are depicted as city people, more sophisticated and cosmopolitan than other Scandinavians of their time, and proud of their knowledge and skills.

The crime novels of Mari Jungstedt, featuring Detective Superintendant Anders Knutas, are set on Gotland. Crime fiction is the Genre of Fiction that deals with Crimes their detection criminals and their motives It is usually distinguished from Mari Jungstedt (born Stockholm, October 31, 1962) is a Swedish journalist and popular Crime fiction author

References

  1. ^ Clara Nevéus, Bror jacques de Wærn: Ny svensk vapenbok, 1992
  2. ^ a b Laufeld, S. (1974). Silurian Chitinozoa from Gotland, Fossils and Strata 5. Universitetsforlaget.  
  3. ^ Creer 1973
  4. ^ Gray, Laufield & Boucot, 1974
  5. ^ Long, D. G. F. (1993). "The Burgsvik beds, an Upper Silurian storm generated sand ridge complex in southern Gotland". Geologiska Föreningens i Stockholms Förhandlingar (GFF) 115: 299–309. ISSN 0016-786X. An International Standard Serial Number ( ISSN) is a unique eight-digit number used to identify a print or electronic Periodical publication.  
  6. ^ Laufeld, Sven; Martinsson, Anders (22–28 August, 1981). "Reefs and ultrashallow environments. Guidebook to the field excursions in the Silurian of Gotland". Project Ecostratigraphy Plenary Meeting.  
  7. ^ See Goths and Scandza for more information on this matter. The Goths ( Gothic: Gothic usvg|14px|u]]Gothic asvg|14px|a]]Gothic s Scandza was the name given to Scandinavia by Jordanes, in his work Getica.
  8. ^ Gotland is famous for its 94 medieval churches

External links

Dictionary

Gotland

-proper noun

  1. The largest island of Sweden, situated in the Baltic Sea
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