Irevik (also known as Ireviken or Ihreviken ) in Hangvar ''

socken Socken ( or ) is the name used for a part of a counties of Sweden, county in Sweden. In Denmark, similar areas are known as , in Norway or and in Finland or . A is a rural area formed around a church, typically in the Middle Ages. A socken ...

'' north of

Visby Visby () is an urban areas in Sweden, urban area in Sweden and the seat of Gotland Municipality in Gotland County on the island of Gotland with 24,330 inhabitants . Visby is also the episcopal see for the Diocese of Visby. The Hanseatic League, ...

, is a more than section of the Swedish island

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 ...

's coastline.

History

There are several settlements from

Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

and

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

s. There are also remains of ancient castles on the cliffs.

The Ihre family

Ihre farm is located at the exit road down to the bay from the country road. The first known owner of the farm was named Hans Eire. His grandson Thomas Ihre moved to

Lund Lund (, ;"Lund"
(US) and ) is a city in the provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, southern Swed ...

from Visby to finally become a judge in

Linköping Linköping ( , ) is a city in southern Sweden, with around 167,000 inhabitants as of 2024. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Chu ...

Geology

The Ireviken event was the first of three relatively minor

extinction event An extinction event (also known as a mass extinction or biotic crisis) is a widespread and rapid decrease in the biodiversity on Earth. Such an event is identified by a sharp fall in the diversity and abundance of multicellular organisms. It occ ...

s (the Ireviken,

Mulde The Mulde () is a river in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Elbe and is long. The river is formed by the confluence, near Colditz, of the Zwickauer Mulde (running through Zwickau) and the Freiberger Mulde (wit ...

, and Lau events) during the

Silurian The Silurian ( ) is a geologic period and system spanning 23.5 million years from the end of the Ordovician Period, at million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Devonian Period, Mya. The Silurian is the third and shortest period of t ...

period. The event is best recorded at Ireviken, Gotland, where over 50% of

trilobite Trilobites (; meaning "three-lobed entities") are extinction, extinct marine arthropods that form the class (biology), class Trilobita. One of the earliest groups of arthropods to appear in the fossil record, trilobites were among the most succ ...

species became extinct.

Beach and nature

The bay is framed by high cliffs and the beach is also considered one of Gotland's best beaches. In the middle is a long sandy beach which is one of Gotland's most visited. The river Ireån opens into the bay. Formerly a

fishing village A fishing village is a village, usually located near a fishing ground, with an economy based on catching fish and harvesting seafood. The continents and islands around the world have coastlines totalling around 356,000 kilometres (221,000 ...

, Irevik is mainly a summer cottage area, and nearly 200 cottages are on mature forest sites. The houses have been built for a long time, and the area therefore has a mixed character without a hint of mass-produced cottage area. Although the area is not very large, there are three different entertainment establishments – the Ihrebaden, Ihre farm and Ihre mill. In the northern part of Irevik lies Sigsarve beach. It is also the starting point of the 28-square-kilometer Hall-Hangvar Nature Reserve, which is Gotland's largest. From Sigsarve beach, the reserve stretches along a stretch of coastline. In the eastern part of the reserve, on the other side of the road, is Träskmyr moor, the largest preserved moor on Gotland. It is a so-called ''agmyr'' (Swedish for a calcareous bog. There are many unusual flowers in the reserve, such as the

Fumana ''Fumana'' (needle sunrose) is a small genus of flowering plants in the family Cistaceae. They are small perennial shrubs with five-lobed yellow flowers, native to rocky and sandy soils of Europe and wider Mediterranean region. ''Fumana'' shrubs ...

or needle sunrose (''Fumana procumbens''),

Euphrasia ''Euphrasia'', or eyebright, is a genus of about 215 species of Herbaceous plant, herbaceous flowering plants in the family (biology), family Orobanchaceae (formerly included in the Scrophulariaceae), with a cosmopolitan distribution. They are P ...

and alpine key.

Climate

According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, Irevik has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

. This renders cooler summers and milder winters than most of mainland Sweden. However, in spite of its marine position the climate is very much influenced by continental airflows. The precipitation amount is quite moderated, especially for an oceanic climate, but is relatively consistent throughout the year.

References

Gotland {{Gotland County