Lau between Cultural Landscape, Sea and History

Lau is a destination for travellers who want to combine their stay with history, landscape and outdoor activities. The open agricultural landscape offers opportunities for swimming and relaxation, while churches, mills, ruins and historic cultural landscapes provide very different insights into the area. Nature can also be experienced in a focused way: the shallow sea bay of Lausviken is an important area for migratory birds in spring and autumn.

Cultural History along Paths and at Notable Buildings

A good starting point for discovering the local history is the Laus backars kulturstig. It begins in the northeastern part of Laus backar and combines beautiful views with a narrative about the history of the settlement community. In the area around Bandeläins Täppu, there are also Bronze Age ship settings, about 1.5 kilometres north of the church.

Lau kyrka features several notable historical details. The nave is Romanesque and dates from around 1200, while the Gothic choir dates from around 1300. The church is also known for a reverberation time of eight seconds. The building has five entrances, each with its own significance. Those interested in medieval architecture and the development of religious buildings will find a particularly distinctive point of interest here.

Lau kastal also tells of the area's past. The structure is a 12th-century ruin; the ruins of a vicarage adjoin it on the east side. Botvidebackar is home to a hillfort with a moat and bridge, probably dating from the Iron Age. Near Botvide väderkvarn stands a post mill built in 1899. It was formerly used to grind grain into flour for the needs of the farm.

Hiking, Swimming and Birdwatching

Those who want to take longer walks can include the section of the Östkustleden in Lau in their plans. Part of the route follows a dead-straight, approximately 1.5-kilometre-long allotment track. The path leads through old forest, young forest and a forest protected as a biotope, and reaches the bathing area in Lau slightly south of Tutens fiskeläge. This makes it possible to structure the day's plans around forest, walking and water without reducing the different landscape elements to a single attraction.

Lausviken is a very shallow sea bay. Its birdlife is of national interest, and in spring and autumn large flocks migrate across the bay. A birdwatching tower has been built in the beach meadow near the sea, slightly north of the mouth of the Närkån. This provides a separate excursion focus for travellers interested in natural history. Kluckartäppu is a summer visitor site with an information board, seating for breaks and a small wildlife pond.

Mills, Fishing History and Special Places

The six surviving windmills of Lau have been restored and are maintained by the local heritage association. Smiss kvarn has an unusual octagonal mill building clad in shingles and an onion-shaped cap. At Masarbods fiskeläge, there is a restored old beach hut built using the Bult technique. It houses collections of simple objects from Lau's fishing era.

Another place with a practical and historical character is Lau Käldu. There is a spring house, a basin, an information board and seating for breaks. People collect water from this spring for cooking and drinking. In the northern part of Lausbackar, an old cultural landscape with Gotland's largest system of enclosures has also been preserved.

Which Accommodation Location Suits Your Trip?

When choosing a holiday apartment in Lau, it helps to decide on your preferred focus first. If cultural history is central, the church, kastal, hillfort and mills can form the main destinations of the trip. For nature-oriented days, Lausviken, the birdwatching tower and the paths of the Östkustleden offer different experiences. Those who want to include swimming and relaxation should also take these interests into account when planning their days.

More Places for Planning Your Trip

For your further search for suitable destination pages, you can also find Sanda, Katthammarsvik, Fårö, Slite, Eksta, Kappelshamn, Tingstäde and Lärbro.

Back to the overarching travel overview: Gotland.