Fårö () or Fåre in Gutnish is a

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and fr ...

island just north of the island of Gotland, itself off mainland Sweden's southeastern coast. It is the second-largest island in the province and it is a popular summer resort. It has its own language, Faroymal, a dialect of Gutnish. Fårö is also the name of the populated area () consisting of both Fårö and Gotska Sandön islands. It comprises the same area as the administrative Fårö District, established on 1January 2016.

Geography

The island is separated from Gotland by the narrow Fårö-strait, and connected by two car ferries, operated by the Swedish Transport Administration. It has a total area of , of which are water areas or islets. On the islands of Fårö and Gotland are rock formations called rauk. They are a result of erosion during the Ice age and are unique to Gotland and Fårö. The medieval Fårö Church is on Fårö. , Fårö Church along with Gotska Sandön Chapel on Gotska Sandön belongs to Fårö

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

in Norra Gotlands pastorat. One of the

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet of the Solar System#Inner solar system, inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic o ...

s in the Asteroid belt, 9358 Fårö, is named after the island.

Etymology

The name "Fårö" (in Gutnish ) is derived from the words , meaning island, and probably , which is a word stem associated with travel like in the Swedish verb (to travel). 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 , the (standard) Swedish word for sheep, due to the many sheep on the island. That word is absent from Modern Gutnish, which uses the word (which in Swedish means "lamb").

Demographics

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 War ended, the installation ( Swedish Coastal Artillery regiment KA 3) was mostly shut down. A relic of the island's military past is a tall radio mast at Holmudden at .

Cinematic heritage

Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman 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'' (1973), as well as

Liv Ullmann Liv Johanne Ullmann (born 16 December 1938) is a Norwegian actress and film director. Recognised as one of the greatest European actresses of all time, Ullmann is known as the muse and frequent partner of filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. She acted in ...

’s '' Faithless'' (2000), based on a Bergman screenplay. The

Bergman Week Bergman Week ( sv, Bergmanveckan) is an annual event organized by the Bergmancenter on the small island Fårö in Sweden. Ingmar Bergman moved to the island in the 1960s and the Bergman Week is a celebration of his artistry, with films, lectures an ...

is a tribute to the filmmaker held on the island every June. Fårö itself is the subject of Bergman's documentary films ''

Fårö Document ''Fårö Document'' is a 1970 Swedish documentary film directed by Ingmar Bergman. It was shot on the island of Fårö and is about its inhabitants. Subject Speaking in 1969, Bergman identifies Fårö as a small island near Gotland, with a populat ...

'' (1970) and ''Fårö Document 1979''. Andrei Tarkovsky wanted to film '' The Sacrifice'' on Fårö but was denied access by the military, instead it was filmed further south on Gotland at När. Mia Hansen-Løve filmed and set her film '' Bergman Island'' (2021) on Fårö.

Tourism

An annual event on Fårö is "Fårönatta" (Fårö Night), held in September, during which restaurants and bars stay open all night, craft stands are set up and the church holds a midnight Mass.

Places of interest

Digerhuvud

The Digerhuvud coast with Bjärge

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

is the largest

stack Stack may refer to: Places * Stack Island, an island game reserve in Bass Strait, south-eastern Australia, in Tasmania’s Hunter Island Group * Blue Stack Mountains, in Co. Donegal, Ireland People * Stack (surname) (including a list of people ...

area in Sweden, with hundreds of stacks along a part of the coast. Close by is the Helgumannen fishing village. The coast is not suited for swimming due to its depth (up to close to the shore), and its strong currents. An

in the Asteroid belt,

10102 Digerhuvud 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, is named after the area.

Fårö Lighthouse

The ''

Fårö Lighthouse Fårö Lighthouse ( sv, Fårö fyr) is a Swedish lighthouse located on the easternmost tip of Fårö. History In the 19th century there had been many complaints from sea authorities that the coastlines on Gotland had very few lighthouses. So the ...

'' lies on the island's northeastern point. It is high and was built between 1846 and 1847.

Langhammars

The Langhammars peninsula and the Langhammars nature reserve on north-western Fårö are rocky beaches with Ice age stone monoliths known as rauks. Langhammars was the setting for Ingmar Bergman's film '' Shame''.

Sudersand

The long, sandy Sudersand beach on north-eastern Fårö lies next to Sudersands Semesterby which rents cabins to tourists.

References

External links

Objects from Fårö at the Digital Museum
by Nordic Museum
Gotland Tourist Association — Fårö
{{DEFAULTSORT:Faro Gotland Swedish islands in the Baltic Islands of Gotland County Military history of Sweden Cultural heritage of Sweden Cinema of Sweden Ingmar Bergman