Burggathagen, Naturreservat

The forest in Burggathagen has been shaped by man for a long time. As you walk through the reserve from west to east, the leafy meadows turn into moss-covered spruce forests. Here you set the course for your hike yourself, there are no marked trails in the reserve.

The area consists largely of swamp forest with high natural values. Together with the surrounding forests, Burggathagen forms one of Gotland's largest, continuous spruce swamp forests. The pines and spruces are old and the ground is full of mossy tufts. It is easy to believe that the forest has always grown wild. But animals grazed here two hundred years ago. And farmers cut the trees for firewood and timber. If you're here in the summer, you might find wild barley, a rare grass that only grows in really old forests. It is related to the barley grown in the fields.

In the north-western part of the reserve, a bright and lush old deciduous meadow opens up. Two hundred years ago, this was meadowland and the farmer cut the grass for winter feed for the animals. The leaves of the trees were also important animal feed. There are still many meadow plants here and the trees have plenty of lichens in different colors.

In the south-western part of the forest you can see traces of an Iron Age farm. Here you will find

remains of the farmhouse, stone walls and a burial site. People lived here at the time around the birth of Christ. They farmed their fields and had animals grazing in the forest.