The Hanseatic City of Visby

City of Roses and Ruins
500 years ago the town was the centre of the Hanseatic League - a mighty trade network of 30 independent cities. Many traders sailed to Visby port and the mighty St Mary’s Cathedral was originally built by German traders.

Today, Visby is a living world heritage with people living and working in beautiful, old medieval buildings. Visby is an extremely well-preserved medieval city with a network of narrow, cobbled streets. The many ruins of churches and abbeys give Visby, "the City of Roses and Ruins," its unique charm.


Part of the World Heritage
In 1995 Visby was put on UNESCO's World Heritage list, entailing a responsibility for keeping the unique cultural values intact. The World Heritage Committee wrote: "Visby is an outstanding example of a Northern European walled Hanseatic town which has in a unique way preserved its townscape and its extremely valuable buildings, which in form and function clearly reflect this significant human settlement."


Home of Pippi Longstocking
Visby is characterized by magnificent stone house architecture. Many architectural historians consider Visby to be the finest example of early gothic architecture in the northern Europe. 200 medieval stone buildings have been preserved. Fiskargränd is one of Visby’s most popular narrow streets with its roses and tiny houses. Did you know that the movies with Pippi Longstocking was filmed in Visby? Several movies were filmed in the idyllic streets of Visby. Pippi Longstockings colorful house Villa Villekulla is today an exciting museum for kids to explore.


Visby Ring Wall
Membership of Hansa made the town rich and during the 12th and 13th centuries it became one of the most prominent towns in the Baltic Sea region. A defense wall with more than 50 towers surrounds the old stone houses and churches. The ring wall is about 3.5 kilometers long and 11 meters of height and within the wall are the ruins of 23 churches and abbeys.




 

Golf on Gotland

The Botanical Garden
Visby houses a beautiful botanical garden. It’s a place to relax after a day exploring the old town. Don't miss to watch the setting sun at the kissing gate! Almedalen is also a nice city park near the University and harbor area.


Shopping in Visby
Within the wall, there are large numbers of small shops, restaurants, pubs and clubs, many of which keep open all year round. Many shops and restaurants are concentrated around Adelsgatan and Östercentrum. Most restaurants are located inside the city wall with a concentration towards the Central Square. Most shops are opened week days 9 AM to 6 PM. Some stores are opened until 8 or 10 PM.