Visby, Sweden

Visby

Visby skyline

Coat of arms

Nickname(s): City of roses

Visby

Coordinates: 57°38′05″N 18°17′57″E / 57.63472°N 18.29917°ECoordinates: 57°38′05″N 18°17′57″E / 57.63472°N 18.29917°E

1645

Area

• City

12.44 km² (4.80 sq mi)

Population (31 December 2012)

• City

23,576

• Density

1,816/km² (4,700/sq mi)

• Metro

57,241

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

Postal code

621 xx

Area code(s)

(+46) 498

Website

www.visby.se

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Official name

Hanseatic Town of Visby

Criteria

Cultural: (iv), (v)

Reference

731

Inscription

1995 (19th Session)

[]

Visby [ˈviːsbʏ] is a locality and the seat of Gotland Municipality in Gotland County, on the island of Gotland, Sweden with 23,880 inhabitants, as of 2014^[update]. Visby is also the episcopal see for the Diocese of Visby. The Hanseatic city of Visby is arguably the best-preserved medieval city in Scandinavia and since 1995, it is on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. Among the most notable historical remains are the 3.4 km (2.1 mi) long town wall that encircles the town center, and a number of church ruins.

Visby is a popular vacation destination for Scandinavians during the summer and receives thousands of tourists every year. It is by far the most populated locality outside the Swedish mainland. The University of Gotland is in Visby, and since 1 July 2013, it is a department of Uppsala University under the name Uppsala university–Campus Gotland. Visby is also the sole county seat in Sweden only accessible by boat and air.

The name "Visby" comes from the Old Norse Vis, (genitive singular of Vi) meaning "(pagan) place of sacrifices", and by, meaning "village". In the Gutasagan (mid 14th century) the place is referred to as just Wi meaning "holy place, place of worship".

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Wikipedia