Väskinde Church shows how varied historical traces can be: as a surviving building fragment, an inscription in the plaster, and a picture stone reused as a threshold. Brucebo offers different themes: a nature reserve with coastal scenery, as well as an artists’ home with paintings and sculptures. When giving different weight to culture and nature in your travel plans, you can consider these subjects as distinct perspectives.
Väskinde Church: Building history and finds
Remains of an older apse church were discovered in the walls of Väskinde Church. It was probably built at the beginning of the 12th century. An apse is a usually semicircular end to a church interior. The term helps identify the remains as evidence of an earlier form of church. The date is approximate: it points to the probable beginning of the 12th century, not to a precisely established year of construction.
Another find is located in the plaster surface of the inclusorium. A Futhark inscription, designated G 258, was discovered there in 1953. Futhark refers to a runic script, so the inscription is understood here as a written record. Its precise location in the plaster surface distinguishes it from the picture stone documented at Väskinde Church. Thus, two different kinds of evidence appear side by side: an inscription in the plaster and a picture stone put to a new use.
The documented picture stone remains in situ and is used as a threshold. The term in situ indicates that it remains in its original location. At the same time, the stone serves a practical purpose as a building component. It is therefore not only an archaeological record, but also an example of the reuse of a picture stone. The church finds can thus be considered in terms of writing, a surviving building fragment, and material put to use again.
Brucebo: Nature and art
Construction of Brucebo began in 1900, initiated by Carolina Benedicks Bruce (1856–1935) from Stockholm and her Canadian husband William Blair Bruce (1859–1906). The couple worked there and created a large number of paintings and sculptures. The works can still be viewed today. The building’s history and its artistic work form two sides of the house’s story: the start of construction can be dated, while the paintings and sculptures reveal the artistic couple’s work together.
Konstnärshemmet Brucebo is a museum. Guided tours of the museum can be booked year-round. Check the booking arrangements before you travel if you would like to include a tour in your plans. Year-round bookability does not guarantee availability on a particular date of your choosing.
Nature reserve and nature trail
Brucebo Nature Reserve includes bird-rich coastal meadows, wetlands with orchids, and a cliff edge dotted with caves. These landscape features offer different highlights: the coastal meadows and wetlands showcase plant and bird life, while the cliff edge is a striking coastal landform. From the cliff ridge, you can see across large parts of the reserve, the coast to the north, and the sea to the west.
A nature trail about 2 kilometres long runs through the nature reserve. This distance provides a specific guide to the nature-trail option; the view from the cliff ridge is another vantage point described in the reserve. The themes can be explored according to your interests: those interested in habitats and orchids will find different points of interest from those who want to focus mainly on the coastal landscape and the view across the sea.
Church history, art, and nature offer different themes for planning a trip. Väskinde Church brings together evidence of earlier building forms and archaeological finds; Brucebo combines landscape and artistic work as distinct subjects. When choosing a holiday rental, it may help to first decide which of these interests matter most for your trip.
Discover more destinations: När, Gothem, Havdhem, Fårö, Fårösund, Ronehamn, Hejde, Slite.
Go to the main travel overview: Gotland.
