The record-union., 1891-07-03
AN ANCIENT City.
The Fishing Town of Wisby in the
Baltic Sea.
A Booming Metropolis In the Twelfth
Century-window Frames of Gold
Its Capture by an Envious King
and Succeeding Decline.


about equidistant from Sweden, Ger
many and Russia, is low, flat island of
limestone called Gottland. It has an area
of l 200 square miles and a population of
1900, ,Ior thereabouts. In the Middle Ages
the island was the best place in all
Northern Europe for sea traders, and
those who settled there prospered. In
the beginning of the eleventh century a
little town was settled at spot giving
good harbor. Back of it was cliff, where
victims were sacrificed by the priests,
and the place grew to be known as
Wisby, or the "City of the Place of Sacri-
fice." 1t is on Gottland's west coast, and
during the eleventh, twelfth and thir-
teenth centuries grew rapidly in size and
importance. The trade of Russia and
other countries to the east of the Baltic
flowed down the Gulf of Finland or the
River Dwina to Wisby. To meet this
trade there sailed to Wisby merchants
and shippers from Germany, Flanders,
Sweden, Denmark and England. It's
merchants were constantly shipping to
or receiving goods from nearly every
part of the known world.
During the thirteenth century Wisby
was situated upon one of the most i'm
portant lines of the worlds traffic, and
was unquestionably the most important
market on that line. Hundreds of rich
merchants moved their business from
other ports to Wisby. Nearly every faith
built its house Of worship at this prosper
GUS port. Seventeen great churches,
some Of them nearly POO feet in length,
and three monaSterieS, were erected. a
wall OF stone thirty feet high and nearly
two and half miles long were built
around the city. Forty-eight stone
towers were built above this, and from
tower to tower along the walls passed
armed sentries by day and night.
Wisby was the London and Gottland
the England of the North. The records
tell that 1000 merchants carried on bust
ness within the walls. Many of them
became so well-to-do that they had their
houses covered with copper and the win
dow frames with gold. But the pace was
too fast To last. In 1861, Atterdag, King
OF Denmark, became SO enviouS of the
city's riches that he sent over an army and
not only took possession, but killed
nearly 1000 of WiSby's men. From that
day the city began a decline. The in
Vasion of Russia by Mongolian hordes
cut OFF the Orient trade, diverted the
commerce and the discovery of a new
route to India from that direction.
So it went until the present finds Wisby
but fishing village. OF its seventeen
churches, only one, the Cathedral of st.
Maria, is i'll use to-day. Ten others are
standing, but in ruins. One of the most
beautiful is St. Catharina, the cloister
church of the Franciscan monks. 1t is a
baSilica, l40 feet long, and was built in
the middle of the thirteenth century. Be-
tween the nave and the aisles stand twelve
pillars, six on either side. The roof Of
the church has fallen in, but the pointed
arches which supported it remain.
Two other interesting churches are st.
Lars and st. Drotten. They were built
in the twelfth century by two, sisters, the
traditions say. They were wealthy, but
could not agree, so each had her own
church. The walls of st. Mars are feet
thick, and have passages in them running
around the entire church. Each church
has massive square tower, which doubt
less at one time was used as a fortress.
The tower OF st. Drotten is 81 by 45 feet
on the ground it rises to hight of 100
feet, and its walls are 81 feet in thickness.
Another church is the Church of the
Holy Ghost, built about the year 1850. 1t
Is composed of an octagonal tower Joined
on TO an Oblong rectangular choir. The
tower is divided into two stories. Each
story looks out upon the choir through
spacious arched opening, so that service
going on in the choir could be heard
equally well in both stories of the tower.
The yaulted ceiling of the lower story is
supported by four square pillars, and be-
tween them in the center is an eight-Sided
aperature, feet i'll diamater, piercing the
ceiling and communicating with the
second story. In the upper story are
four round pillars supporting a vault
and arches slightly pointed. The arches
below are round. IL is claimed there is
no such church architecture elsewhere in
the world.
Not far away is st. Nicholas, the mon
astery church OF the Dominicans. 1t was
built about the year 1910. 1t is basilica,
G5 feet broad and 1879 feet long. High up
on the west gable end are two window
like depressions. The tale is still told
that in the time of Wisby'S magnificence
two huge carbuncles adorned the western
facade of st. Nicholas, one being placed
IN the center of each window. AT night
these carbuncles shone with the bright
ness of the sun at MONDAY, and served as
guiding lights to storm-tossed mariners.
About the town the streets are narrow
and crooked, and paved with rough
stones. Some of the houses OF the old
merchants are still standing. They are
narrow and lofty, stand for the most part
with gable ends toward the street, and the
front of the peaked roof is built up like
double flight of steps that meet on top,
Sometimes a vaulted passageway is
thrown across the narrow street from
house TO house, like the Bridge of
Sighs." These old houses by their size
and spacious apartments indicate the
opulence of the builders. They have
yaulted ceilings, supported by massive
stone pillars, marble seats in the recesses
Of the windows, and across the cellar
floor flows to this day a stream of living
water. which by little dams was trans
formed into succession of fish ponds.
The roofs are still covered with the an
cient monk and nun tiles.
Near the center of the city stands an In
teresting wooden house of later period,
the Burmeister House, built by mer-
chant of that name in 1862. A spacious
saloon in the second story is painted all
oVer-walls, ceiling and beams-with
scenes, many of them from the Bible, but
some from the artists own fancy.
The land wall, which incloses the city
on three sides, from the ruins of Wisborg
round TO the tower Games is 2,40O
yards long, and sea wall 1870 yards. In
1883 the land wall was strengthened, il
being raised 30 feet and doubled in thick
ness. At intervals are built high towers.
These project outside of the wall. Most
of them are square on the ground. but
above present five sides of an octagon to
the foe, the square corners being sliced
off into independent faces. The whole
side toward the tower is open. These
towers are so to 20 feet high, and are di-
vided into four or five stories. Each
story is pierced with narrow embrasures
for arrows. The tops of the towers are
battlemented, and on their upper floors
or roofs catapults Were placed in posi-
ton. The towers are of unequal size;
that next the north gate toward the sea is
l3 feet broad by Is feet deep in the inside.
and its side walls are feet thick. The
G @ - ~ 3