Kulturstig - Lojsta Slott

In the area around Lojsta, several Iron Age farmsteads have been found. Here you can visit the reconstructed Iron Age farmhouse, Lojstahallen, and walk the almost kilometer-long culture trail on the ancient castle.

The three lakes that are here today at Lojsta were one and the same lake during the Iron Age. Archaeological investigations show that people lived here from around 200 to 550 AD. There was a farm on the shore, which was reconstructed in the 1930s following archaeological investigations. Today the reconstruction is called Lojsta Hall.

We cannot know what an Iron Age farm looked like. The remains show strong stone foundations and the roof may have been covered with ag or peat. Internal posts, stuck into the ground, supported the building. The fireplace was probably in the middle. Later evidence suggests that the openings that let out the smoke from the fireplace were probably on the gables and not in the roof. The entrance is thought to have been mostly located on the gable.

It is thought that the houses inside may have been divided into several rooms that housed both people and animals.

Lojsta castle

If you follow the trail, you will pass through Lojsta Castle, a medieval castle. The castle is one of three castles mentioned in historical sources. The other two can be linked to Vivesholm in Sanda and Slottsbacken in Slite. On Gotland, ancient fortifications are often called castles, hence the name. From previous measurements and interpretations, it is mentioned that the water level was about 2.5 meters higher than today. This means that in the Middle Ages the castle was located on an island. It is often the case that the landscape looked completely different at the time. The steep cliffs were an obstacle in themselves; in the more accessible places, the ancient castle was reinforced with ramparts of stone and earth and a deep moat.