Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1893-09-14
DEAD CITY OF THE BALTIC.



Nsby, In Gotiand, u Once Famous Con-
tor OF Trade.
Its silent grass-grown streets and
tho b,ackoned ruins OF its once state
~ churches suggest mournful re.
Prospect Yet the Nisby of to-day
merits more attention than IL obtains
from visitors To Sweden and tho Bal
tic Its once fabulous wealth has do.
parted from it The housewives no
longer, rs in the old tradition, use
golden spindles, nor do tho hogs cat
from silver troughs; while of the
eighteen churches OF which tho town
once boosted, seventeen lie in ire
trievab.o ruin, wrecked, IL would
seem rather by the ruthlessnes of
man than by the ravages Of time.
Still Nisby, even In ruins--wo may
say indeed, because OF its ruins and
the associations that cling to them
is full Of interest, Its early prosper
ity was largely due to the convenient
position OF Gotiand in the Baltic
IN dway between the Swedish and
Russian coasts Until tho new routes
by Genoa and Venice and by the Cape
Of Good Hope were established, most
of the commerce with tho East passed
through Russia, and Nisby rs u place
Of call became so prominent as to
gain tho name "Quoen Of the Baltic"
or the "Eyo Of tho Baltic, Old chron-
iclors assert that even Solomon IN
all his glory was poorer in gold an
silver aud precious stones than was
this small city.
Nisby was ono OF tho first to bc on.
rolled among tho llanso towns, and
took II loading part in the famous
league Its maritime codo has served
as model for most of tho European
navigation laws, From tho first the
Eye Of the Baltic was mainly di-
reCted TO business Its prosperity
received royal recognition whom
Henry III allowed the merchants of
Gotland The privilege OF free trade as
regarded purchase and traffic In Eng
land The enterprise OF the traders
enabled them to secure IL double
profit.
They botooh themselves, with
| other representatives OF the league,
to London, and established, close TO
| Thames street. II house called the
Steelyard, which llourished for up,
ward Of th,oo centuries, Meanwhile
tho population Increased rapidly In
NIsby, and the variety Of religions
| called for tho erection Of numerous
churches and religious buildings
| Charitable guilds and hospitals
were also established, Tho monks
after thoir wont, helped to boautify
the town by planting walnut, chest
! nut, limo and mulberry tees, some
I OF which still thrive, But tho chief
charm Of Visby lies In its gray walls,
| which, rs specimen of ancient forth
iication, are almost unique
Gotland, In the old days, was II
prosperous and impo tant center; but
little remains Of It's former greatness
The solo existing trace OF former in
dependence Is standing army, which
belongs exclusively TO the island,
and can only be employed in It's dc
Tense, Every Gotlander from tho
ago of ~ TO tlat Of % or Il }, may be-
! called upon 10 serve. Tho active
services of tho army arc unlikely to
be G, He'd upon Yet Of 80 much i'm
portancc Is the island from It's geo
graphical position and natural de-
iensos, B TAT II strategic point Of view
from it might readily be made II pad
lock upon the Cults Of Finland and
Bothna 1t has even been declared
that by noSns Of Gotlund the Rus
sian navy could be locked up and the
navigation Of the Baltic commanded