Travel 600 Years Back in Time when You Visit Gotland this August

Enjoy the Medieval Week (Medeltidsveckan) in Gotland on August 8-15th!

The Time machine might not have been invented yet, but if you go and visit Visby, the best preserved medieval city in Northern Europe, between Aug 8-15, 2010 during their annual Midieval Festival ”Medeltidsveckan”, you will feel like you’ve been blasted back in time!

If you´re interested in history and especially the Middle Ages, this is an opportunity you cannot miss. You will get a unique insight of what life was like in Northern Europe during this period. Gotland is well known for its many historical remains. On the island of Gotland, the port town known as Visby was one of the most important cities in the Baltic Sea, a center of merchandise, and very wealth in the 12th and 13th centuries.

Regarding the festival, there are 376 different events during these 8 days, but the coolest event has to be the Knight tournaments with jousting on an arena built on a field outside Visby. The setup of these Knight games are as follows:

You are brought back to the year 1288 and the civil war in Gotland has ended. King Magnus has fined the citizens of Visby for building a city wall without his permission. The King has ordered a tournament in order to bring the two sides of the civil war, the city and the countryside, closer together. The Mayor and the Country Judge with their entourages, each representing one side, are present at the games cheering on their fighters. Whose side are you on? Wave your pennant and cheer on for your favorite team for an honorable victory! The 7 courageous knights bear fairy tale names like ”The knight of the Silver Cross” and “The Knight of Magical Powers”.

They all choose a maiden from the audience that they will fight for, for the entire tournament. The chosen women will watch the game from an elevated position just like in the old days. Tickets cost around 17 Euro for adults. There is a 1.5-hour show of knights, horses, archery and fighters on foot every night from Aug 9-Aug 14.

Live theater on the streets is also common these days, like a reenactment of 1361 at the south port of the ring wall when the King of Denmark enters Visby in victory and threatens the inhabitants of Visby to burn down their town unless they pay their taxes to him.

The festival also organizes interesting workshops like handwriting (Calligraphy) as they had in the Middle Ages, or how to make a flute out of bones, and informational lectures about the late Middle Ages in general. Most of them are held in Swedish but some are in English.

The Market is the heart of the event, where you eat and get entertained. Music played with contemporary instruments are heard everywhere. There are jesters, street performers and jugglers too to create the proper Middle Age Party Mood.

To dress up in a proper medieval outfit is recommended, but you´re not obliged to when you visit the festival. It´s just more fun if you do! But don´t worry you can rent a costume on location, for about 25 Euros.

The final highlight is the Farewell Feast on the Main Square on August 15th. It’s open to everyone and tickets are 10 Euros with an exclusive dinner, that will be served from 6pm. Performances and speeches start at 6:30 p.m.

It always rains during the summertime in Sweden, but during the 12 years they´ve held this party, not once have they experienced bad weather. So finger´s crossed it goes for this year too! There is still accommodation left in Gotland for the dates of Aug 8 through the 15th, so don´t miss this chance to experience not only this Medieval festival but also to see Gotland, Swede´s own favorite vacation spot with white beaches and upbeat summer parties.

Read more about the festival in the official guide, Medeltidsveckan.

And book your accommodation in Gotland now!