Visby is one of Sweden’s best-preserved medieval towns, and its story is rich and multifaceted, stretching from the Viking Age to the present day.

Viking Age and early history
The history of Visby dates back to the Viking Age (8th–11th century), when the island of Gotland was an important crossroads of trade routes. At that time, Visby was an important trading place where trade was conducted with, for example, the Baltic Sea region, Russia, the Middle East and Western Europe. The city’s location by the sea made it an ideal port city, and it attracted merchants and sailors from all over Europe.