Coordinates | 33°51′35.9″N151°12′40″N |
---|---|
Official name | Visby |
Image shield | Visby vapen.svg |
Pushpin map | Sweden Gotland modified |
Coordinates region | SE |
Subdivision type | Country |
Subdivision name | Sweden |
Subdivision type3 | Municipality |
Subdivision name3 | Gotland Municipality |
Subdivision type2 | County |
Subdivision name2 | Gotland County |
Subdivision type1 | Province |
Subdivision name1 | Gotland |
Established title3 | Charter |
Established date3 | 1645 |
Area footnotes | |
Area total km2 | 12.08 |
Population as of | 2005-12-31 |
Population total | 22,236 |
Population density km2 | 1841 |
Timezone | CET |
Utc offset | +1 |
Timezone dst | CEST |
Utc offset dst | +2 |
Coordinates display | displayinline,title |
Website | }} |
whs | Hanseatic Town of Visby |
---|---|
imagecaption | City wall of Visby |
state party | |
type | Cultural |
criteria | iv, v |
id | 731 |
region | Europe and North America |
year | 1995 |
session | 19th |
link | http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/731 }} |
The name "Visby" comes from the Old Norse Vis, (genitive singular of Vi) meaning sacrificial place, and by, meaning "city".
Visby is a popular vacation destination for Scandinavians during the summer and receives thousands of tourists every year.
In the 12th century, Visby Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Mary, was constructed. It was reshaped in the 13th century to its current appearance, and was officially opened in 1225 by the bishop of the Swedish city of Linköping. Several other churches were also constructed in the ensuing centuries. The city flourished, thanks to the German Hanseatic League.
The work on the ring wall was likely begun in the 12th century. Around 1300, it was rebuilt to reach its current height, acquiring the characteristic towers, although some towers were not constructed until the 15th century. The ringwall is still largely intact.
In 1361, Gotland was conquered by Valdemar IV of Denmark and Visby became a Danish city. Important as it was, some setbacks occurred. In 1391, 1394 and 1398, it was taken and plundered by the Victual Brothers, pirates who sailed the Baltic Sea. In 1411, King Eric of Pomerania had the castle of Visborg constructed, and settled himself there for twelve years, during which the city virtually became a pirates nest, and the commerce halted. As of 1470, the Hanseatic League rescinded Visby's status as a Hanseatic town.
In 1525, the final blow came. The merchants of Visby were in a feud with Lübeck in what is now Germany. The Lübeckers burned down all Visby's churches except the cathedral. The ruins have been preserved until this day, adding their gravity to the modern city.
Gotland was again conquered by Sweden in 1645 at the Treaty of Brömsebro, after 300 years of Danish rule. The city developed slowly as things were left as they were. In the mid 18th century, some attempts were made by Swedish government officials to improve living standards, but little was accomplished. Not until the early 19th century did Visby once again attract commerce and a harbour industry. At the same time - 1808 - Gotland was conquered by Russia, but was peacefully taken back by the Swedes after only a couple of months.
In the first week of July, Visby is the scene of the Almedalen Week (Almedalsveckan), an important meeting place for everyone involved in Swedish politics. During the week, representatives from the major political parties in Sweden take turns giving speeches in the Almedalen park.
In August, the tourist season is at its peak. In week 32 from Sunday to Sunday, the annual Medieval Week (Medeltidsveckan) is held. During this time regularly dressed tourists are outnumbered by people dressed in Medieval costumes. The festival started in 1984. There are a variety of events: music, jesters, theater, a medieval market, jousting tournaments and much more.
Visby Airport is located about north of the city. With 276,000 passengers in 2005, it is the 12th largest airport in Sweden.
Visby gave its name to the 1968 Visby Amendments, which were an amendment of the Hague Rules of shipping law, leading to the Hague-Visby Rules.
Hayao Miyazaki noted that Visby is the main visual inspiration for the town in Kiki's Delivery Service, though elements of many other locations were blended in.
Category:Hanseatic League Category:Municipal seats of Gotland County Category:Populated places in Gotland County Category:Port cities and towns of the Baltic Sea Category:Romanesque architecture in Scandinavia Category:Swedish municipal seats Category:World Heritage Sites in Sweden Category:Viking Age populated places
ar:فيسبي be:Горад Вісбю be-x-old:Вісьбю bg:Висбю ca:Visby cs:Visby cy:Visby da:Visby de:Visby et:Visby el:Βίσμπι es:Visby eo:Visby fr:Visby ko:비스뷔 hr:Visby id:Visby os:Висбю it:Visby he:ויסבי ka:ვისბიუ kw:Visby ku:Visby la:Visbia lt:Visbis jbo:visbis ms:Visby nl:Visby (Zweden) ja:ヴィスビュー no:Visby nn:Visby nds:Visby pl:Visby pt:Visby ro:Visby ru:Висбю se:Visby sq:Visby simple:Visby sk:Visby sr:Висби fi:Visby sv:Visby tr:Visby uk:Вісбю vi:Visby vo:Visby zh:維斯比This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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