Langhammars, Naturreservat

The stately rauks on the beach at Klajvika are without doubt the most photographed rauks on Gotland. They are even depicted on the back of the Swedish 200 kronor banknote. But Langhammar Nature Reserve has so much more to offer than rauks. The 480-hectare nature reserve includes Langhammars itself, which stands out as a peninsula just over 2.5 kilometers long between Aursviken in the west and Tällevika in the east, but also the alvar fields immediately south of Langhammars.

In the west, the reserve borders the lakes Bondansträsk and Norrsund, which are remnants of the ancient strait that once divided Fårö into a western and an eastern part.

The bedrock in the area consists of alternating layers of limestone and reef limestone. In the southern part of the reserve, the soil cover is thin, and in many places the slope is exposed. However, especially in the northern part of Langhammars, the rock is largely covered by beach gravel and shingle, and along the shore from Bondansträsk to Grunnsänden there is a strip of shingle embankments up to 300 meters wide. On the beach slope above Klajvika there are more than 50 rauks, some of which are more than 8 meters high and shaped like picture spires. The rauko area at Langhammar is undoubtedly one of Gotland's most beautiful!

The vegetation on Langhammar and the land to the south is strongly characterized by the fact that the area has been grazed by sheep for a long time. Mainly in the southern part of the reserve, the landscape has the character of a small broken savannah landscape, where pine groves alternate with barren, heathy alvar surfaces and smaller areas with slightly more lush wet meadows. In the central part of Langhammar, the rocky ground is largely covered by low, creeping juniper bushes, which have been tamed by the sheep and the wind.

Naturally, the barren land within the reserve is not particularly rich in birdlife. However, breeding birds include herring gulls, sandwich terns, golden plovers and curlews. In connection with wetlands of various kinds, you will often see snakes meandering away. Insects you may encounter in the area include the Apollo butterfly, the blue-winged grasshopper and the giant woodpecker.