Vivesholm, Naturreservat

At Vivesholm you will find typical coastal meadow plants, nesting birds and ancient monuments - and the proximity to the Baltic Sea.

On the Vivesholm peninsula just northwest of Klintehamn is one of Gotland's finest beach meadow areas. Bird life is rich and here you will also find many unusual plants.

The area's flora is rich in species and reflects the fact that the area has been grazed for a long time. Among the plants growing in the coastal meadow are wild clover, saltwort, marsh gentian, knotweed, coastal arum, dwarf arum, snake's tongue, hay flower and cat's foot. Red-listed vascular plants include knotweed, seaside needle, seaside woodruff, saltmarsh and honeyflower. In spring, you can enjoy the rich populations of cuckoo and St. Peter's keys.

Among the area's many breeding bird species are wigeon, gadwall, shoveler, shoveler, red-legged kittiwake, oystercatcher, greater sandpiper and little tern.

Vivesholm also contains the remains of a castle that Duke Erik had built in 1396. It became a base of support for the Vitalian pirates but was only used for two years. In 1398 it was demolished by the High Master of the Teutonic Order, Konrad von Jungingen. At the beginning of the 1710s, the then governor Sparrfelt had a redoubt with a cannon battery built on Vivesholm. Today, a 110 x 75 meter moat surrounded by moats and a flattened area that was a staging area for the cannons can be seen of the castle and the entrenchment.