Handsome, functional buildings have been a feature of Gotland since time immemorial. Indeed, over 1,000 farms dating back to the Viking and medieval periods are still tenanted to this day. Today, the inhabitants are spread evenly throughout the island, and the local services are extensive and efficient - even outside the towns there are shops, schools and small businesses. Everybody lives within easy reach of a district health care centre, and the hospital in Visby, newly reconstructed and renovated, is now one of the most modern in Sweden.

Creative strength and inspiring peace just a half hour's plane journey from Stockholm

Gotland's 92 parishes are lively, to say the least, for all over the island local development projects are under way to encourage people to develop their environment. Many entrepreneurs have already discovered Gotland, as have architects, designers, musicians and software developers. Free professionals who can live and work where they want as often as not choose Gotland.

In Gotland, the parish school is very much alive. There are upper-level compulsory schools in all the larger communities, and the upper secondary school in Visby offers tuition in a full range of general subjects and in several artistic fields as well, including dancing, media studies and film. The Gotland School of Art gives two-year courses in a variety of artistic subjects, while the Gotland School of Composing trains the composers of tomorrow.

Cooperating as it does with universities and colleges both inside and outside Sweden, the University College of Gotland is an important academic meeting place. The College offers programmes in the three principal academic fields of economics, technology and culture and independent courses in a wide variety of other subjects as well.