Galgberget (Gotland)

Gallows on Galgberget

Gallows on Galgberget, 1980.

Galgberget ( German  Galgenberg ) is a nature reserve directly north of Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland . The area is bounded in the west by the steep coast, in the east by the N149 ( Swedish länsväg 149 ) and in the south by the city of Visby. To the north is Norra Visby , which is its own crime scene , to the northwest, on the other side of the road, is the airport.

Place of execution

Galgberget takes its name from the gallows that still exist today and where criminals were executed in earlier times. The gallows consists of a low, circular stone wall from which three stone pillars rise. Wooden beams rested on the pillars, from which the execution victims were hung with ropes and hooks. It is believed that the place of execution was in use until 1845. In the past, the view of the execution site from Visby and from the sea was clear and everyone could see the execution victims. In July 2008 , archaeologists from the Gotland Fornsal found bones from almost 30 executed people in the immediate vicinity of the gallows . It is believed that all of them were executed in this place.

Nature reserve

The area has sparse vegetation with bare limestone cliffs and sloe bushes . The area is 55.17 hectares. It is the only municipal nature reserve on Gotland and a popular recreational area just north of Visby.

On the Galgberget there is also a lime kiln and a speedway , as well as some residential buildings. During the Medeltidsveckan ( German  Medieval Weeks ), the local Society for Creative Anachronism Styringheim organizes a medieval tent camp on the Galgberg.

Web links

Commons : Galgberg  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Galgberget. Länsstyrelsen Gotland, accessed on February 1, 2013 (Swedish, picture from Galgenberg, as well as links to further information about Visby). 
• Galgberget. In: Guteinfo.com. Retrieved February 1, 2013 (Swedish, history). 
• Galgberget. In: Guteinfo.com. Retrieved February 1, 2013 (Swedish, nature reserve). 
• Sommarens arkeologiska undersökning av Galgberget. Retrieved February 1, 2013 (Swedish, interview with archaeologist Per Widerström). 
• Galgberget. In: EUNIS. European Environment Agency, accessed February 1, 2013 . 
• Galgberget i Visby. In: gotland.net. Retrieved February 1, 2013 (Swedish). 
• http://weites.land/gotland-enthaben-der-galgenberg-galgberget/ in weites.land - discover Gotland (German)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Charlotte Skyllborg: Hittade benrester från 30 avratsade. In: Gotlands Allehanda. July 26, 2008, Retrieved February 1, 2013 (Swedish). 

Coordinates: 57 ° 39 ′ 16 ″  N , 18 ° 18 ′ 49 ″  E