Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Wisby

WISBY, a picturesque old town on the west coast of the Swedish island of Gotland. It has a considerable trade, but does not occupy half the space enclosed within its old walls, which, with their towers, still survive. These walls, which were built partly on the site of older structures, date from the thirteenth century. The vacant spaces of the town are used as gardens, in some of which are fine ruined churches. The church of St Mary (built 1190-1225) is used as the cathedral. Of the ten ruined churches the most interesting is that of St Nicholas, partly in the Romanesque partly in the Gothic style. In 1880 the population of the town was 6924.

In the Middle Ages Wisby was a port of the Hanseatic League, and a great centre of trade. Its wealth was so celebrated that in an old ballad the people were said to play with the choicest jewels, and the women to spin with golden distaffs. All the principal nations of Europe had representatives at Wisby, and some of its beautiful churches were built by foreign residents. In 1361 it was attacked and plundered by King Waldemar III. (Atterdag) of Denmark. It never recovered from this blow, and when, in 1645, Gotland was finally united to Sweden by the treaty of Brömsebro Wisby had altogether lost its importance.