Tankar is a small lighthouse island which has been inhabited since the 16th century. The oldest buildings are a chapel built in 1754 and fisherman’s hut built in 1768. The lighthouse was completed in 1889.
Today Tankar is a popular tourist attraction offering visitors an experience of nature and an insight into what life used to be like in the archipelago. You will find further information about Tankar island and boat trips to the island on the website of Kokkola Tourism Ltd.
References:Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.