I have a thing for old stone walls. Not the “leaning against them for Instagram” kindthough, let’s be honest, I’ll do that too- but the kind that whisper when you get too close. And Visby’s ringmur, the medieval wall that wraps around the old town like a stone embrace, has plenty to say. Especially if you know where to look.
I’m talking about the hidden passageways- narrow, half-forgotten corridors tucked between towers, secret archways swallowed by ivy, and crumbling side gates that weren’t meant to be decorative… they were meant to be strategic. Or secretive. Or, if I’m lucky, dramatic enough to reenact a moody escape from invading Danes.
A few of these tucked-away routes are marked on maps. Others? Not so much. I’ve read travelers’ blogs that mention doorways they stumbled on by accident, staircases that led to nowhere (or somewhere very quiet), and tunnels that may or may not still echo with footsteps that aren’t yours.
I haven’t been to Visby yet, but you can bet when I go, I’ll be ducking into every shadowed niche like I’ve got medieval contraband to smuggle.
🕯 Why I’m So Into This
Because who doesn’t want to feel like a medieval spy once in a while?
And also- hidden things always feel more magical. I grew up in the kind of place where most secrets were whispered at church potlucks or behind the shed, not carved into walls centuries ago. The idea that there are literal stone doors in Visby that once opened only for insiders? That’s the kind of history I want to walk right into.
And maybe, just maybe, find a keyhole that still fits.
🇸🇪 Swedish Word of the Day
Gång (gahng) – passage or corridor
Used in a sentence:
“Om jag försvinner i en medeltida gång i Visby, säg bara att jag hittade ett bättre tidsperiod.”
“If I disappear into a medieval passageway in Visby, just say I found a better century.”
Swedish Wanderlust 