Västergarn is a populated area, a

socken Socken ( or ) is the name used for a part of a counties of Sweden, county in Sweden. In Denmark, similar areas are known as , in Norway or and in Finland or . A is a rural area formed around a church, typically in the Middle Ages. A socken ...

(not to be confused with

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

), on the Swedish island of

Gotland Gotland (; ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a Provinces of Sweden, province/Counties of Sweden, county (Swedish län), Municipalities of Sweden, municipality, a ...

. It comprises the same area as the administrative Västergarn District, established on 1January 2016.

Geography

Västergarn is the name of the socken as well as the district, sometimes referred to as Västergarn and Stora Mafrids in official documentation after an administrative merger of the two settlements. Västergarn is also the name of the small village surrounding the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

Västergarn Church, sometimes referred to as ''Västergarn kyrkby''. Västergarn is situated on the central west coast of Gotland. , Västergarn Church belongs to Sanda-Västergarn-Mästerby

in Klinte

pastorat The Church of Sweden () is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.5 million members at year end 2023, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sweden, the largest Lu ...

, along with the churches in Sanda and Mästerby. Close by the coast in Västergarn is the former bay, now lake

Paviken Paviken is a lake in Västergarn on the western side of the island of Gotland. The lake is a popular birding and fishing site. The lake is drained by the river Idå. The lake and its surroundings form a nature reserve which is more populated b ...

with its

bird reserve A bird reserve (also called ornithological reserve) is a wildlife refuge designed to protect bird species. Like other wildlife refuges, the main goal of a reserve is to prevent species from becoming endangered or extinct. Typically, bird species in ...

. About off the coast is the Västergarns utholme island.

Smaklösa Museum

Right by the coast road in Västergarn is one of Gotland's smallest museums (). Lodged in an old gas station, it is dedicated to the

ic, slightly eccentric music group Smaklösa. The name literally means "Flavourless", but also "Tasteless" or "Tacky". The latter meaning is intended here as indicated by the name of their own record label "Tasteless Records". Since their start in 1973, the band has achieved cult status with dedicated followers both on and off the island. The band is known for its cleverly phrased lyrics, distaste for rehearsals and odd places to perform. They often make fun of other music events or shows and interpret things their own way. In 2006, they received

Gotland Municipality Region Gotland, legally Gotlands kommun ('), is a municipality with regional responsibilities that covers the entire island of Gotland in Sweden. The city of Visby is the municipality's seat. Gotland Municipality is the 39th most populous municip ...

's Culture Award. On 28July 1978, Swedish

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...

Claes-Ingvar Lagerkvist discovered an

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...

in the

asteroid belt The asteroid belt is a torus-shaped region in the Solar System, centered on the Sun and roughly spanning the space between the orbits of the planets Jupiter and Mars. It contains a great many solid, irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids ...

, which he named 7545 Smaklösa, after the band. A summer resident on Gotland, Lagerkvist has stated that he is an avid Smaklösa fan.

References

External links

Objects from Västergarn at the Digital Museum
by

Nordic Museum The Nordic Museum () is a museum located on Djurgården, an island in central Stockholm, Sweden, dedicated to the cultural history and ethnography of Sweden from the early modern period (in Swedish history, it is said to begin in 1520) to the ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vastergarn Populated places in Gotland County