Wisby, a once famous seaport on the west coast of the Swedish island of Gothland (q.v.), 130 miles S. of Stockholm. One of the most important commercial cities in Europe during the 10th and 11th centuries, during the 14th and 15th it was a principal factory of the Hanseatic League (q.v.).
The eastern trade, which during the 11th and 12th centuries passed through Russia, and thence down the Baltic to Gothland, centred in Wisby, and greatly enriched that port. In 1361 Valdemar III. of Denmark took the town by storm, and, plundering it, obtained an immense booty. This was a fatal blow to the prosperity of the place. The architecture of Wisby is exceedingly interesting. Its ancient walls and towers exist in almost as entire a state as they were in the 13th century, and render its appearance, as seen from the sea, exceedingly striking. The early grandeur of the town is attested by the fact that it contains, well preserved, the remains of ten churches, all of which date from the 11th and 12th centuries, are varied in form and ornament, and are a mine of interest to the student of Early Gothic. The oldest is the church of the Holy Ghost (1046). St Mary's (1190-1225) is the only church now kept up for the use of the inhabitants. Pop. 6666.