.jpg) Rauks at Langhammars, Fårö | |
  Fårö Gotland (Sweden) | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 57°57′N19°09′E / 57.950°N 19.150°E /57.950; 19.150 |
| Adjacent to | Baltic Sea |
| Area | 113.30 km2 (43.75 sq mi)[1][2][3] |
| Administration | |
Sweden | |
| County | Gotland County |
| Municipality | Gotland Municipality |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 505 (2021)[4] |
Fårö (Swedish pronunciation:[ˈfôːrøː]) orFåre inGutnish[5][6] is aBaltic Sea island just north of the island ofGotland, itself off mainlandSweden's southeastern coast. It is the second-largest island in the county and a popular summer resort. It has its own language,Faroymal, a dialect ofGutnish.
Fårö is also the name of the populated area (socken) consisting of both Fårö andGotska Sandön islands.[7] It comprises the same area as theadministrative Fårö District, established on 1 January 2016.[8]
The island is separated from Gotland by the narrow Fårö-strait, and connected by twocar ferries, operated by theSwedish Transport Administration. It has a total area of 111.35 square kilometres (42.99 square miles), of which 9.7 square kilometres (3.7 square miles) are water areas orislets.
On the islands of Fårö and Gotland are rock formations calledrauk. They are a result of erosion during theIce age and are unique to Gotland and Fårö.
The medievalFårö Church is on Fårö.[9] As of 2019[update], Fårö Church along withGotska Sandön Chapel onGotska Sandön belongs to Fåröparish in Norra Gotlandspastorat.[10][11]
One of theasteroids in theAsteroid belt,9358 Fårö, isnamed after the island.[12]
The nameFårö (inGutnishFaroy) is derived from the wordsö, meaning island, and probablyfar-, which is aword stem associated with travel like in the Swedish verbfara ('to travel'). The wordFårö likely means 'the island one has to travel to' or 'the traveler's island'. Mainland Swedes might misinterpret the name Fårö to be derived fromfår, the (standard) Swedish word forsheep, due to the many sheep on the island. That word is absent fromModern Gutnish, which uses the wordlamm (which in Swedish means 'lamb').[13]
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1985 | 614 |
| 1986 | 630 |
| 1987 | - |
| 1988 | 641 |
| 1989 | 629 |
| 1990 | 641 |
| 1991 | 644 |
| 1992 | 653 |
| 1993 | 659 |
| 1994 | 646 |
| 1995 | 643 |
| 1996 | 646 |
| 1997 | 630 |
| 1998 | 618 |
| 1999 | 614 |
| 2000 | 612 |
| 2001 | 594 |
| 2002 | 599 |
| 2003 | 584 |
| 2004 | 573 |
| 2005 | 578 |
| 2006 | 573 |
| 2007 | 578 |
| 2008 | 573 |
| 2009 | 569 |
| 2010 | 548 |
| 2011 | 533 |
| 2012 | 551 |
| 2013 | 527 |
| 2014 | 524 |
| 2015 | 504 |
| 2016 | 498 |
| 2017 | 498 |
| 2018 | 501 |
| 2019 | 497 |
| 2020 | 492 |
| 2021 | 505 |
Carl Linnaeus spent two days in 1741 in Fårö during the expedition in which he surveyed the strategic and military resources of Gotland.[14]
Until the 1990s, Fårö and the North of Gotland were off-limits to foreigners because of a government military installation there.[15] There were large, multilingual signs at the side of the roads informing visitors of this and the prohibition was strictly enforced. After theCold War ended, the installation (Swedish Coastal Artillery regiment KA 3) was mostly shut down. A relic of the island's military past is a 203 metres (666 ft) tall radio mast at Holmudden at57°57′33″N19°20′46″E / 57.95917°N 19.34611°E /57.95917; 19.34611.
Swedish filmmakerIngmar Bergman lived and died on Fårö and several of his films were filmed there, among themThrough a Glass Darkly (1961),Persona (1966),Hour of the Wolf (1968),Shame (1968),The Passion of Anna (1969), andScenes from a Marriage (1973),[15] as well asLiv Ullmann’sFaithless (2000), based on a Bergman screenplay. TheBergman Week is a tribute to the filmmaker held on the island every June.[16] Fårö itself is the subject of Bergman's documentary filmsFårö Document (1970) andFårö Document 1979.[17]
Andrei Tarkovsky wanted to filmThe Sacrifice on Fårö but was denied access by the military, so it was filmed further south onGotland atNär instead.
Mia Hansen-Løve filmed and set her filmBergman Island (2021) on Fårö.[18][19]
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.[15]
Several families on Fårö, often originating from larger cities such as Gothenburg and Stockholm, are locally referred to as the Fårö frälse. These families own significant amounts of property on the island, typically in the form of small hamlets used as private retreats. The land was originally owned by the local government and was sold to Swedish citizens—often those with military service or a clean legal record—after it was deemed surplus to military requirements.
Notable families include:
The Wållberg family
The Elfving family
%2c_September_2013.jpg)
The Digerhuvud coast with Bjärgenature reserve is the largeststack area in Sweden, with hundreds of stacks along a 3.5 km (2.2 mi) part of the coast. Close by is the Helgumannen fishing village.[20][21] The coast is not suited for swimming due to its depth (up to 80 metres (260 feet) close to the shore), and its strong currents.
Anasteroid in theAsteroid belt,10102 Digerhuvud, isnamed after the area.[22]
TheFårö Lighthouse lies on the island's northeastern point. It is 30 metres (98 feet) high and was built in 1846 and 1847.
The Langhammars peninsula and the Langhammars nature reserve on north-western Fårö are rocky beaches withIce age stone monoliths known asrauks. Langhammars was the setting forIngmar Bergman's filmShame.[15]
The long, sandy Sudersand beach on north-eastern Fårö lies next to Sudersands Semesterby which rents cabins to tourists.
