Fårö

[edit] The name Fårö (in Gutnish Faroy) is derived from the words ö, meaning island, and probably far-, which is a word stem associated with travel like in the Swedish verb fara ('to travel'). The word Fårö likely means 'the island one has to travel to' or 'the traveler's island'. Mainland Swedes might misinterpret the name Fårö to be derived from får, the (standard) Swedish word for sheep, due to the many sheep on the island. That word is absent from Modern Gutnish, which uses the word lamm (which in Swedish means 'lamb').

[edit] Total Population of Fårö Year Population 1985 614 1986 630 1987 - 1988 641 1989 629 1990 641 1991 644 1992 653 1993 659 1994 646 1995 643 1996 646 1997 630 1998 618 1999 614 2000 612 2001 594 2002 599 2003 584 2004 573 2005 578 2006 573 2007 578 2008 573 2009 569 2010 548 2011 533 2012 551 2013 527 2014 524 2015 504 2016 498 2017 498 2018 501 2019 497 2020 492 2021 505

[edit] Main article: Military on Gotland Carl Linnaeus spent two days in 1741 in Fårö during the expedition in which he surveyed the strategic and military resources of Gotland. Until the 1990s, Fårö and the North of Gotland were off-limits to foreigners because of a government military installation there. There were large, multilingual signs at the side of the roads informing visitors of this and the prohibition was strictly enforced. After the Cold War ended, the installation (Swedish Coastal Artillery regiment KA 3) was mostly shut down. A relic of the island's military past is a 203 metres (666 ft) tall radio mast at Holmudden at 57°57′33″N 19°20′46″E / 57.95917°N 19.34611°E / 57.95917; 19.34611.

[edit] Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman lived and died on Fårö and several of his films were filmed there, among them Through a Glass Darkly (1961), Persona (1966), Hour of the Wolf (1968), Shame (1968), The Passion of Anna (1969), and Scenes from a Marriage (1973), as well as Liv Ullmann’s Faithless (2000), based on a Bergman screenplay. The Bergman Week is a tribute to the filmmaker held on the island every June. Fårö itself is the subject of Bergman's documentary films Fårö Document (1970) and Fårö Document 1979. Andrei Tarkovsky wanted to film The Sacrifice on Fårö but was denied access by the military, so it was filmed further south on Gotland at När instead. Mia Hansen-Løve filmed and set her film Bergman Island (2021) on Fårö.

[edit] An annual event on Fårö is "Fårönatta" (Fårö Night), held in September, during which restaurants and bars stay open all night, craft stands are set up and the church holds a midnight Mass.

[edit] Several families on Fårö, often originating from larger cities such as Gothenburg and Stockholm, are locally referred to as the Fårö frälse. These families own significant amounts of property on the island, typically in the form of small hamlets used as private retreats. The land was originally owned by the local government and was sold to Swedish citizens—often those with military service or a clean legal record—after it was deemed surplus to military requirements. Notable families include: The Wållberg family The Elfving family

[edit] Fårö Fyr Sudersand Digerhuvud[edit] The Digerhuvud coast with Bjärge nature reserve is the largest stack area in Sweden, with hundreds of stacks along a 3.5 km (2.2 mi) part of the coast. Close by is the Helgumannen fishing village. The coast is not suited for swimming due to its depth (up to 80 metres (260 feet) close to the shore), and its strong currents. An asteroid in the Asteroid belt, 10102 Digerhuvud, is named after the area. Fårö Lighthouse[edit] The Fårö Lighthouse lies on the island's northeastern point. It is 30 metres (98 feet) high and was built in 1846 and 1847. Langhammars[edit] The Langhammars peninsula and the Langhammars nature reserve on north-western Fårö are rocky beaches with Ice age stone monoliths known as rauks. Langhammars was the setting for Ingmar Bergman's film Shame. Sudersand[edit] The long, sandy Sudersand beach on north-eastern Fårö lies next to Sudersands Semesterby which rents cabins to tourists.