Why You MUST Visit Gotland, Sweden

You MUST visit Gotland, Sweden! Eight days ago, we returned from leading a tour group of 12 people to Gotland island. For the past week, my mind has been occupied with thoughts and fond memories of the wonderful people, places, and “sheeps” of Gotland. I have been hibernating since our return; trying to adjust to the time change, trying to catch up with farm chores, trying to regain momentum for new projects in the works, and trying to figure out how I can possibly summarize all of my thoughts about this amazing trip in a few blog posts. So this blog post will focus on the people of Gotland and why you MUST visit Gotland, Sweden.

The People of Gotland

I can honestly say, I have never traveled to another country where the native people were as kind, generous, and engaging as the sheep people of Gotland. For an entire week, we lived among shepherds, visited their farms, stepped into their shops and studios, and shared meals with some of the top sheep breeders on the island. They were eager to share their knowledge and enthusiasm for this lovely breed of sheep and the farming practices of Gotland. We peppered them with questions and they patiently answered each one. In future posts, I will highlight each farm we visited.

The Farmers

Many of the farm people we met were born and raised on Gotland island. Some have ventured off the island for a short time as young adults, but the lure and love of Gotland is strong. They come back to work alongside of family and friends. Many of the farms have been passed down from one generation to the next. It is not uncommon to see an entire family, young and old, living and working on the farm. At one farm we visited, we were told that the grandfather, age 90, was in charge of maintaining the grounds. “And he takes so much pride in his job!” we were told. As we arrived, he was busy mowing on a small lawn tractor. The Swedish families we met respected and valued the elderly, recognizing that they can still contribute in some way to the farm and that they still have wisdom to impart. What a blessing to have a sense of value and worth as you age.

The Sheep People

The sheep people of Gotland support one another in achieving high standards of breeding and production. They are humble, never boasting or bragging of their own accomplishments. Kjell Nilsson, the owner of Graute Gård, the farm we stayed at, started an association call Skinnriket Gotland in 2008. The members consist of people and farms raising Gotland sheep and/or producing products with pelts and wool. This association embodies their desire to work together to increase the quality of their sheep across all farms through sharing knowledge and supporting one another to reach high standards in breeding and animal husbandry. Kjell said that he wanted to start the association in order to help the smaller farms who could not afford to market their products on their own. By working together, he said they can promote their farms both individually and as an association in large publications. He said that they can also encourage one another and share their knowledge to improve the quality of breeding stock and pelts across all of Gotland. Though Kjell and his wife Jenny have much that they could boast about, not once did elevate themselves above the other farms on the island.

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We were fortunate to have been able to share a meal with many of the members of Skinnriket Gotland during our stay. Graute Gård hosted one of their meetings the week we were there and they graciously invited us to join them in an amazing lamb dinner. We sat among some of the top Gotland sheep breeders on the island, conversing with them and sharing the rewards and struggles of shepherding.

Someone asked me what my biggest take-away was from this tour. I will have to say that partnership, collaboration, and respect among the Gotland breeders left a huge impression on me. American Gotland breeders have much to learn from the Swedish shepherds, not just in terms of breeding standards, but also in terms of the value in working as one to achieve consistency, uniformity, and genetic diversity among our flocks of American Gotlands.

Visit Gotland, step onto the farms, and you will be blessed by the people living there who so readily share their passion and love of the work of their hands.