Stora Hästnäs

The medieval house at Stora Hästnäs is one of Gotland's best-preserved medieval, secular buildings in the Gotland countryside. The house was built in the late 13th century or possibly the early 14th century, but there are remains that indicate settlement before then, and the site is still inhabited and used today.

From the ancient remains in the area, it can be assumed that the site has been inhabited since the Iron Age. The farmstead's fields extended all the way down to the coast and there are links between the farmstead and the Viking trading and fishing port at Snäck.

However, the other buildings on the medieval farm have not survived. The tall limestone building is well preserved, both inside and out. The stepped gables, the mezzanine gallery with three pointed arch openings and the top floor's tundra arch-shaped goods gate are reminiscent of the packhouses in Visby city center.

In 1925, the building was restored and partially reconstructed, as it had fallen into disrepair. The raking was reconstructed and the staircase gables were restored and partially rebuilt. The windows in the gallery were then bricked up but were restored.

The medieval peasant not only earned his living by cultivating his land and keeping livestock, but was also a trader, a so-called farmannabonde. Trade was conducted with the countries around the Baltic Sea and resulted in fortunes. The skilled craftsmen who built the churches were also hired to build stone houses for the wealthy farms.

Stone houses were not only built for living in, but also for storing valuable goods. The house here at Hästnäs was probably used both for living and for storage. Archaeological excavations show that the house had a lower extension to the north. There were traces of a hearth and oven, which may indicate that it was used as a kitchen.

The house that remains today is about 12 meters high with a basement, two floors and a loft. Each floor has one room. The ground floor has a cross-vaulted ceiling, the second floor has a beam floor and the loft has a barrel vault.