Närsholmen is a peninsula and a

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, funga, or features of geologic ...

on the southeast coast of

Gotland Gotland (; ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a Provinces of Sweden, province/Counties of Sweden, county (Swedish län), Municipalities of Sweden, municipality, a ...

, Sweden, adjacent the village of

När När is a populated area, a socken (not to be confused with parish), on the Swedish island of Gotland, with 413 inhabitants in 2014. It comprises the same area as the administrative När District, established on 1January 2016. The När Lighthous ...

. The landscape is savanna-like and has a rich birdlife, about 45 species has been spotted, and a number of orchids. In the late part of summer, the peninsula is covered with ''

Echium vulgare ''Echium vulgare'', known as viper's bugloss and blueweed,Dickinson, T.; Metsger, D.; Bull, J.; & Dickinson, R. (2004) ROM Field Guide to Wildflowers of Ontario. Toronto:Royal Ontario Museum, p. 203. is a species of flowering plant in the borag ...

''. The reserve was established in 1986. It was also designated as a

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...

area. The När Lighthouse is situated on the southern tip of the peninsula. The lighthouse played a role during the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

when it was used as a beacon for refugees from the

Baltic states The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern co ...

crossing the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

to Gotland. Närsholmen was an island until the 18th century. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

and until the 16th century, the island was used as grazing grounds for the livestock of the Roma Abbey. The area was confiscated from the abbey by the Swedish government during the

Swedish Reformation The Reformation in Sweden is generally regarded as having begun in 1527 during the reign of King Gustav I of Sweden, but the process was slow and was not definitively decided until the Uppsala Synod of 1593, in the wake of an attempted Counter-Re ...

and is still used for grazing. Närsholmen is most noted for being the location where film-maker

Andrei Tarkovsky Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky (, ; 4 April 1932 – 29 December 1986) was a Soviet film director and screenwriter of Russian origin. He is widely considered one of the greatest directors in cinema history. Works by Andrei Tarkovsky, His films e ...

filmed the last scene of his last film, '' The Sacrifice''. In 2011, singer

Lykke Li Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson (born 18 March 1986), known as Lykke Li (), is a Swedish singer, songwriter, model and actress. Her music often blends elements of indie pop, dream pop and Electronic music, electronic. Her debut studio album, ''Youth ...

filmed the video for her song "

I Follow Rivers "I Follow Rivers" is a song by Swedish recording artist Lykke Li from her second studio album, '' Wounded Rhymes'' (2011). Produced by Björn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John, it was released on 21January 2011 as the album's second single. The tr ...

", on Närsholmen. The music video was directed by

Tarik Saleh Tarik Saleh (; born 28 January 1972) is a Swedish television producer, animator, publisher, journalist, and film director. He was born in Stockholm to a Swedish mother and an Egyptian father. He is most known for his Cairo-trilogy starring Fa ...

and features Li and actor

Fares Fares Fares Fares (; ; born 29 April 1973) is a Swedish actor, producer, and director. He is known for his collaborations with director Tarik Saleh, as well as his roles in notable shows such as Chernobyl (miniseries), ''Chernobyl'' ''and The Wheel of ...

Gallery

File:Närsholmen Strand.JPG, Beach on Närsholmen File:Gotland Lighthouse with Echium vulgare.JPG, The När Lighthouse with ''

'' File:Närsholmen, avmätning 1815 ur Lantmäterimyndigheternas arkiv.jpg, The Närsholmen peninsula in 1815

References

External links

* Gotland Nature reserves in Gotland County Peninsulas of Sweden {{Gotland-geo-stub