Fårö
Encyclopedia
Fårö is a small Baltic Sea
island
north of the island of Gotland
, off Sweden
's southeastern coast. It is the second-largest island in the province. It has a population of fewer than 600 and has become a popular summer resort. The island has no banks, post offices, medical services or police. It has its own dialect (a dialect of Modern Gutnish
), claimed to be the "oldest" language in Sweden.
The island is separated from Gotland by the Fårö-strait, but connected by two car ferries, operated by the Swedish National Road Administration. It has a total area of 111.35 square kilometers, of which 9.7 square kilometers are water areas or islet
s.
On the islands of Fårö and Gotland, rock formations called "Rauk" can be found. These were a result of erosion during the Ice Age and are unique to Gotland and Fårö.
"Faroy") is derived from the words "ö", meaning island, and "får-", which is a word associated with travel like in the Swedish word "färled" (fairway). The word Fårö probably means the island you have to travel to or the traveler's island. Mainland Swedes might misinterpret the name Fårö to be derived from får, the Swedish word for sheep, due to the many sheep on the island. However, the Gutnish
word for sheep is "lamm" (similar to the Swedish word "lamm", meaning "lamb").
ended, the installation (Swedish coastal artillery
division KA3) was mostly shut down. A relic of the island's military past is a 203-meter tall radio mast at Holmudden at 57°57'33" N and 19°20'46" E.
lived and died on Fårö and several of his films were filmed there, among them Through a Glass Darkly
(1961), Persona
(1966), Hour of the Wolf
(1968), Shame (1968), The Passion of Anna
(1969), and Scenes From a Marriage
(1972). The Bergman Festival is a weeklong tribute to the filmmaker held on the island every June.
Andrei Tarkovsky
's The Sacrifice
was also filmed on Fårö.
lies on the island's northeastern point. It is 30-meters high and was built between 1846-47.
The Langhammar peninsula and the Langhammar nature reserve on north-western Fårö feature rocky beaches with the Ice Age stone monoliths known as rauks. Langhammar was the setting for Ingmar Bergman's film Through a Glass Darkly
.
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
north of the island of Gotland
Gotland
Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...
, off Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
's southeastern coast. It is the second-largest island in the province. It has a population of fewer than 600 and has become a popular summer resort. The island has no banks, post offices, medical services or police. It has its own dialect (a dialect of Modern Gutnish
Modern Gutnish
Modern Gutnish is the native language of the Gotlandic people on the island of Gotland in present-day Sweden. It was both a spoken and written language until late medieval times. Today it exists as a spoken language, but is to some degree mixed with Swedish, Danish and German. It is an open issue...
), claimed to be the "oldest" language in Sweden.
Geography
Islet
An islet is a very small island.- Types :As suggested by its origin as islette, an Old French diminutive of "isle", use of the term implies small size, but little attention is given to drawing an upper limit on its applicability....
s.
On the islands of Fårö and Gotland, rock formations called "Rauk" can be found. These were a result of erosion during the Ice Age and are unique to Gotland and Fårö.
Etymology
The name "Fårö" (in GutnishModern Gutnish
Modern Gutnish is the native language of the Gotlandic people on the island of Gotland in present-day Sweden. It was both a spoken and written language until late medieval times. Today it exists as a spoken language, but is to some degree mixed with Swedish, Danish and German. It is an open issue...
"Faroy") is derived from the words "ö", meaning island, and "får-", which is a word associated with travel like in the Swedish word "färled" (fairway). The word Fårö probably means the island you have to travel to or the traveler's island. Mainland Swedes might misinterpret the name Fårö to be derived from får, the Swedish word for sheep, due to the many sheep on the island. However, the Gutnish
Modern Gutnish
Modern Gutnish is the native language of the Gotlandic people on the island of Gotland in present-day Sweden. It was both a spoken and written language until late medieval times. Today it exists as a spoken language, but is to some degree mixed with Swedish, Danish and German. It is an open issue...
word for sheep is "lamm" (similar to the Swedish word "lamm", meaning "lamb").
Military past
Until the 1990s, Fårö and the North of Gotland were off limits to foreigners because of a government military installation there. There were large, multilingual signs at the side of the roads informing visitors of this and the prohibition was strictly enforced. After the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
ended, the installation (Swedish coastal artillery
Swedish coastal artillery
The Swedish coastal artillery has its origin in the Archipelago Artillery that was raised in 1866. The Coastal Artillery was formed from the Archipelago Artillery, the Marine Regiment and parts of the Artillery in 1902...
division KA3) was mostly shut down. A relic of the island's military past is a 203-meter tall radio mast at Holmudden at 57°57'33" N and 19°20'46" E.
Cinematic heritage
Swedish filmmaker Ingmar BergmanIngmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish director, writer and producer for film, stage and television. Described by Woody Allen as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera", he is recognized as one of the most accomplished and...
lived and died on Fårö and several of his films were filmed there, among them Through a Glass Darkly
Through a Glass Darkly (film)
Through a Glass Darkly is a 1961 Swedish film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, and produced by Allan Ekelund. The film is a three-act "chamber film", in which four family members act as mirrors for each other. It is the first of many Bergman films to be shot on the island of Fårö...
(1961), Persona
Persona (film)
Persona is a film by Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, released in 1966, and starring Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann. Bergman held this film to be one of his most important; in his book Images, he writes: "Today I feel that in Persona—and later in Cries and Whispers—I had gone as far as I could go...
(1966), Hour of the Wolf
Hour of the Wolf
Hour of the Wolf is a 1968 Swedish film directed by Ingmar Bergman and starring Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann. It combines elements of the film drama, surrealist film and horror film.-Plot:...
(1968), Shame (1968), The Passion of Anna
The Passion of Anna
The Passion of Anna is a 1969 Swedish drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Bergman was awarded Best Director at the 1971 National Society of Film Critics Awards for the film.-Plot:...
(1969), and Scenes From a Marriage
Scenes from a Marriage
Scenes from a Marriage is a 1973 Swedish TV series written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. The story explores the disintegration of a marriage between Marianne, a lawyer, and Johan, a professor over a long period, using a restricted cast, a naturalist, hyper-realistic cinematic...
(1972). The Bergman Festival is a weeklong tribute to the filmmaker held on the island every June.
Andrei Tarkovsky
Andrei Tarkovsky
Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky was a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, writer, film editor, film theorist, theatre and opera director, widely regarded as one of the finest filmmakers of the 20th century....
's The Sacrifice
The Sacrifice
The Sacrifice is a 1986 film, and the final film by Russian film director Andrei Tarkovsky, who died shortly after completing it.-Synopsis:...
was also filmed on Fårö.
Tourism
An annual event on Fårö is "Fårönatta" (Fårö Nights), held in September, during which restaurants and bars stay open all night, craft stands are set up and the church holds a midnight Mass.Fårö Fyr (Fårö Lighthouse)
The Fårö LighthouseFårö Lighthouse
Fårö Lighthouse is a Swedish lighthouse located on the easternmost tip of Fårö. In the 19th century there had been many complaints from sea authorities that the coastlines on Gotland had very few lighthouses. So the decision was made to build one on the north side of Gotland...
lies on the island's northeastern point. It is 30-meters high and was built between 1846-47.
Langhammar
Through a Glass Darkly (film)
Through a Glass Darkly is a 1961 Swedish film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, and produced by Allan Ekelund. The film is a three-act "chamber film", in which four family members act as mirrors for each other. It is the first of many Bergman films to be shot on the island of Fårö...
.
Digerhuvud
The Digerhuvud nature reserve features the Helgumannen fishing village. It is not suited for swimming due to its depth (up to 80 meters close to the shore) and strong currents. However, it is a popular diving and sport-fishing area.Sudersand
The long, sandy Sudersand beach on north-eastern Fårö lies next to Sudersands Semesterby which rents cabins to tourists.External links
- Gotland Tourist Accosiation — Fårö Fårö article from Nordisk FamiljebokNordisk familjebokNordisk familjebok is a Swedish encyclopedia, published between 1876 and 1957.- History :The first edition was published in 20 volumes between 1876 and 1899. The first edition is known as the "Iðunn edition" because of the picture of Iðunn on the cover...