Page 169 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Sweden

GO TLAND  167

4 Tingstäde aged 4 to 6 years.
Immediately to the
23 km (14 miles) N of Visby. * 280.
@ n Visby Tourist Information south of the caves is
Centre, 0498-20 17 00. _ Nature trail Krusmyntagården, a
with lady’s slipper in flower (early Jun). herb garden designed
in traditional monastic
Halfway between Visby and style with wonderful
Fårösund on road 148 lies views over the sea.
Tingstäde, a community best
known for its sea rescue radio O Krusmyntagården
station and its marsh. The Road 149, 10 km (6 miles)
church dating from the N of Visby. Tel 0498-29 69 00.
13th and 14th centuries has Open May–Sep: daily. Roma Kungsgård, built in 1733 using materials
one of the highest towers on & - 0 = from Roma Kloster
the island.
Tingstäde marsh is, in fact, a 7 Visby
shallow lake and popular, child- 6 Bro Kyrka See pp168–71.
friendly bathing spot. Sub- Road 148, 11 km (7 miles) NE of Visby.
merged in the centre of the @ Tel 08-584 808 80. Open mid-
lake is Bulverket, a 10th–11th- May–mid-Sep: 9am–5pm daily. 8 Roma
century fortress surrounded 18 km (11 miles) SE of Visby. @
by a palisade of 1,500 stakes. Tradition has it that Bro Kyrka n Roma Kungsgård: 070-543 33 34.
is built over a votive well and Open May–Aug: 10am–6pm daily.
in medieval times it was a
5 Lummelunda- famous votive church, Cistercian monks from Nydala
grottan particularly among sailors. monastery in Småland founded
The building dates from the Roma Kloster in 1164. The
Road 149, 13 km (8 miles) N of Visby. 13th and 14th centuries. Inside, monastery was built on the
@ n 1 May–Sep, plus some the prayer chamber contains pattern of the French mother
weekends: 0498-27 30 50, ring
ahead to book. 8 obligatory. Cave 5th-century picture stones. monastery and became a
adventure must be pre-booked. About 1 km (half a mile) religious centre for the entire
& - = 7 north of Bro Kyrka, on road Baltic region. The three-aisle
148, are two picture stones church in the Fontenay style
In 1948 two local school boys known as “Bro Stajnkällingar”. was completed in the 13th
discovered an opening in the According to legend, two century. The monastery was
ground in Martebo marsh and elderly women were turned abandoned during the
crawled in. They had chanced to stone for arguing on the Reformation in 1530 and
upon the entrance to a net work way to the Christmas Mass. ended up in the ownership
of caves and passage ways, From Bro, a turning leads of the Danish crown as a royal
now Gotland’s main tourist to Fole church on road 147, manor under Visborg Castle.
attraction. Today the entrance and a short detour takes When Gotland came under
is at Lummelundas Bruk. you to Vatlings Gård. The Swedish rule in 1645, the
Explora tion of the caves contin- estate has Gotland’s best- monastery was practically in
ues, but the part which is open preserved medieval stone ruins. The county governor
for view ing provides a fantastic house outside Visby and used materials from the site
show of stalactites and stalag- is well worth a visit. to build his residence, Roma
mites, magic mirrors of water Kungsgård, in 1733. Only the
and spine-tinglingly tight P Vatlings Gård church remained intact, and
openings. Hour-long tours are Road 147, 18 km 18 km (11 miles) E of that was used as a stable. In
organized for young children Visby. Open daily. Tel 0498-29 27 00. 1822, Roma Kungsgård was
rented to the crown and
served as an army store.
The ruins of Roma
monastery are a popular
tourist attraction. Even today
they bear witness to the
monks’ skill in construction
techniques. The beautiful
vaulted ceilings are reminiscent
of Roman aqueducts.
In the summer, Romateatern
performs Shakespearian plays
on an open-air stage set among
A painting on wood in Bro Kyrka showing Adam and Eve in paradise the ruins.

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