Almedalen

Almedalen is an urban park that stretches along the old harbor area of Visby, with grass, walking paths, and mature elm trees planted in the 1870s. The park connects different parts of the city and borders directly on the Visby Strand conference center and Gotland County Library.

This location served as the main harbor for medieval Visby until land uplift made the water too shallow for ships to use. Natural changes over several centuries gradually transformed the area from a busy port into the green space we see today.

During Almedalen Week, the park becomes Sweden's most important democratic forum where political parties share their ideas and speak with the public. This yearly event makes it the country's center for political discussion and citizen engagement.

The park has many benches and seating areas where you can rest and read informational signs about the city's history. It is easy to walk through and connects directly to nearby museums and historic sites in Visby.

The park exists today because of a slow geological process called land uplift, where the ground naturally rose after ice ages ended. This is a rare example of how natural forces can completely reshape a place over many generations.