Medieval magic in Gotland

Their jauntiness is eye-catching. He’s wearing black pantaloons and a royal blue doublet; she teams a drawstring Nordic dress with a pure white linen shirt. They hold hands as they walk through Visby’s Österport, or East Gate, leaving the 21st century behind.

They’re a striking couple, even more so because the young man has more than just a feather in his cap. He sports a bloody big blue plume that matches the colour of his doublet, just so.

Am I jealous? Maybe. But it’s also a delight to witness youthful nonchalance dressed in medieval garb. Our lord and lady act as if there’s nothing at all unusual about their outfits. And the weird thing is, the people around them think it’s all perfectly normal too.

We wander further into this former Viking stronghold on the Swedish island of Gotland. The city became the centre of the Hanseatic League in the Baltic from the 12th to the 14th century, and is now World Heritage listed. As UNESCO notes, Visby’s 13th-century stone ramparts and more than 200 warehouses and wealthy merchants’ dwellings from that period make it the best-preserved fortified city in Northern Europe.

Within minutes of passing through Österport we see more evidence that something’s afoot. Fair maidens, cheeky troubadours and curly-headed pageboys cross our path; a portly gentleman in white leggings and an emerald-coloured smock poses for a photo; and we spy a troupe of medieval dancers on the village green, practising under an old oak tree.

Everyone seems to be drifting in the same direction, so naturally we follow suit. There’s music and wood-smoke in the air. Before we know it, we’re in the Forum Vulgaris, caught up in the good-humoured hurdy gurdy of thousands of Swedes, young and old, dressed as 13th century townsfolk doing 13th-century market things: performing rowdy songs on a makeshift stage, roasting meats on a spit, selling silks and linen, and honing their leather and iron-working skills.

Welcome to Medeltidsveckan: a week-long medieval festival that unfolds in Visby every August, as summer peaks.

The first Medeltidsveckan came about in response to a public education initiative encouraging Swedes to ‘dig where they stand’. The idea was to get people interested in local history, to make a costume, adopt a role and think about how their character lived, ate, slept and worked in the Middle Ages.

Gotlanders took to the idea like Vikings to water. People donated velvet drapes and old silks, volunteers got sewing, and the local newspaper published a page with easy-to-make costume patterns and other ideas under the headline, ‘How to become Medieval, simply’.

Actors and musicians got on board, entertainments were arranged, and instructors who knew their allemandes from their pavanes offered free classes for those who wanted to learn some new dance moves (no previous knowledge required, they promised, just bring your two left feet, we will sort them out).

The festival organisers knew they were on a roll when bigwigs from Stockholm’s Department of Culture flew into town, dressed in costume, causing a sensation at Visby airport when they landed in 1984.

Now, more than 30 years later, Medeltidsveckan attracts over 40,000 visitors for the summer festival. Most are from mainland Sweden, but enthusiasts and enchanted civilians come from all corners of the globe. Hundreds of events are scheduled throughout the week; some ticketed, some free. There are concerts and plays, dances and banquets, storytelling workshops, blacksmithing courses and fencing. There’s also a re-enactment of the 1361 Battle of Visby – not to glorify war, we’re told, but to give voice to those who fell in battle and to highlight the trauma experienced by Gotlanders at that time.

With just one day at our fingertips, we’re hard pressed to come up with a shortlist. Ye Banished Privateers and their promise of a festive fight against oppression sounds fun, and the on-stage queer adventures of notorious pirate Mary Read are certainly intriguing. In the end, we opt for the festival’s most spectacular and popular event, the jousting tournament.

Hundreds of us fill a pop-up stadium on the edge of town as the sun sets behind us, over the Baltic Sea. We laugh at the jesters’ jokes (in Swedish, so impossible to vouch for the quality), jeer our opponents on the other side of the stadium, and yell unqualified support for brave knights on horseback. Neither beast nor human was hurt during the performance but all had loads of fun.

As we make our way home, back though the cobbled streets, a gentle gloam descends. We pass a ruined church, abandoned usually but not this summer’s night because a medieval choir from Gothenburg is in the house. There’s not a spare seat to be seen. So we listen from outside, glad to be part of this otherworld even if we aren’t wearing the kit.

The author travelled to Visby at his own expense.

Where to stay

The four-star Clarion Hotel Wisby gets good reviews and has a premier location in the heart of the old town. www.nordicchoicehotels.se

The family-run Hotel St Clemens, wrapped around the ruins of a medieval church, also looks and sounds like a good choice. http://www.clemenshotell.se

Hotel Stelor is a boutique B&B in a converted farmhouse, about 30 minutes drive from town. It’s charming, quirky and very Scandinavian. www.stelor.se

Where to eat

The best seafood in town is at Bakfickan, a casual bistro facing the ruined church of St Karin. No bookings. http://bakfickanvisby.se

Lilla Bjers Gardskrog is an out-of-town restaurant that grows and serves its own: vegetables and salads mostly, eggs and fresh-baked sourdough, served in the greenhouse with a view across to the chook yard or under the trees when the weather is fine. http://lillabjers.se

How to get there Direct flights connect Visby to Stockholm, Malmo and Gothenburg. Fast ferries also operate between Visby and the mainland.

More information Medieval Week: http://www.medeltidsveckan.se

Visit Gotland: http://gotland.com