10 Interesting Facts About Visby

Facts About Visby

Facts About Visby

  1. Visby is the only city on the Swedish island of Gotland.
  2. The earliest history of Visby is uncertain, but it is known to have been a center of merchandise around 900 AD. It was inhabited as early as the Stone Age, probably because of the access to fresh water and a natural harbor.
  3. Visby has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, since 1995. It is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Scandinavia.
  4. Visby is known as ‘The city of roses and ruins’, with around 200 medieval houses on winding lanes.
  5. In the year 1909, Ulrich von Jungingen sold the island to Queen Margaret of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden to ensure peace with the Kalmar Union of Scandinavia.
  6. In 1645 Visby was once again taken and ruled by Sweden. For a few months in 1808 Gotland was taken over by Russians but it soon was returned back to Sweden peacefully.
  7. One of the asteroids in the asteroid belt, 6102 Visby, is named after Visby.
  8. The name “Visby” comes from the Old Norse place of sacrifices”, and by, meaning “village”. 
  9. The Population of Visby is 24,330, as of 2017.
  10. Visby is also the sole county seat in Sweden accessible from the mainland only by boat and air.
Visby Facts
Facts About Visby
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Explore Visby in 4 hours with Gotland.com (External Link)