Stora Hästnäs

The medieval mansion.

Stora Hästnäs is a mansion on the Swedish island Gotland, not far from Visby. It is well-known mainly for its medieval mansion, the most well-preserved medieval residential building on Gotland outside Visby.[1] It is a listed building and is privately owned. However, for visitors it is accessible.

Description

The more recent main building.

The house is four storeys tall and decorated with crow-stepped gables. A three-window gallery adorns the southern façade, and above it a door designed to bring merchandise and supplies to the top, storage floor. Originally the presently visible building was only the middle section of a considerably larger building. The building dates from circa 1300.[1]

The medieval mansion has a basement and a ground floor which contained living quarters and a fireplace.[1] The entrance gate shows traces of having been decoratively sculpted.[2] Above it, a room that looks out the three windows on the south façade was probably used as living quarters during the summer months, and for festivities. Above it lies the top storey, reserved for storage.[1]

The building is similar in style to contemporary city houses in Visby, and may have been commissioned by a Visby burgher living on the countryside,[1] and apart from the medieval building, there is also a more recent main building belonging to the estate.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Andrén, Anders (2011). Det Medeltida Gotland. En arkeologisk guidebok (in Swedish). Lund: Historiska Media. pp. 48–50. ISBN 978-91-85873-83-8.
  2. ↑ "GOTLAND VISBY STORA HÄSTNÄS 1:1 - husnr 5, STORA HÄSTNÄS" (in Swedish). National Heritage Board of Sweden. Retrieved 19 June 2014.

External links

Coordinates: 57°59′36″N 18°21′49″E / 57.99333°N 18.36361°E