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Lojsta

Coordinates: 57°18′46″N 18°23′2″E / 57.31278°N 18.38389°E / 57.31278; 18.38389
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Lojsta
Låiste(Gutnish)
Lojsta Church
Lojsta Church
Lojsta is located in Gotland
Lojsta
Lojsta
Coordinates: 57°18′46″N 18°23′2″E / 57.31278°N 18.38389°E / 57.31278; 18.38389
CountrySweden
ProvinceGotland
CountyGotland County
MunicipalityGotland Municipality
Area
[1]
 • Total
22 km2 (8 sq mi)
Population
 (2014)[2]
 • Total
103
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)

Lojsta is a populated area, a socken (not to be confused with parish), on the Swedish island of Gotland.[3] It comprises the same area as the administrative Lojsta District, established on 1 January 2016.[4]

The rift valley landscape of Lojsta is unusual for Gotland and the area contains the highest point, as well as some of the deepest lakes, on the island. Sweden's only native wild ponies have their natural habitat in an animal reserve in Lojsta.

Geography

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Lojsta is the name of a larger area surrounding medieval Lojsta Church,[5] the Lojsta socken. Lojsta is north of Hemse in the middle of southern Gotland. The forested north part of the socken, the Lojsta Heath, contains the highest hills on Gotland. The highest point has an elevation of 83 m (272 ft). The southern part of Lojsta has farmed land in the valleys between the limestone cliffs.[1][6][7] In the east, the landscape is peculiar for Gotland, with high almost vertical cliffs by the Lojsta Lakes.[8]

The Tonnklint Nature Reserve and the Lojsta prästänge are situated in Lojsta.[9]

As of 2019, Lojsta Church belongs to Lojsta parish in Fardhems pastorat.[10][11]

Lojsta Moor

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The main part of this forested moor is in Lojsta, but it also reaches into the neighboring Etelhem, Klinte and Fröjel sockens. The area is mainly gravel and sand deposited there by the moving ice sheet during the latest Ice age.[12] 650 ha (1,600 acres) of the moor is classified as an animal reserve for the wild Gotland ponies (Gotlandsrussen) living there. These ponies are the only breed of ponies native to Sweden.[13]

Etymology

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The name comes from lojst or lojstar, which means "flat land", "flat barren plain". However, it is uncertain which place it refers to.[14][7]

History

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Lojsta dates back to Medieval times. It was originally part of the Fardhem thing, which in turn was in the southernmost of the three original districts (similar to ridings) that Gotland was divided into during the Middle Ages. In 1862, it became an independent municipality. In 1952, it was incorporated into the Hemse municipality and in 1971, all of Gotland became one municipality.[15] The boatswains from Lojsta under the allotment system, were part of the Second Gotlandic Boatswains Company.[16]

There are several small grave fields from the Iron Age in Lojsta as well as house foundations, collapsed stone walls and stones with grooves.[17] Two rune inscriptions have been found by the church and one Viking silver treasure as well as a gold bracteate have also been found within the socken.[15][6][18][19] Although named after Lojsta, the defence-structure Lojsta Castle and the Lojsta Hall, a reconstruction of an Iron Age longhouse, are situated in the neighboring Stånga socken.[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b Carlquist, Gunnar (ed.). Lojsta socken. Malmö: Svensk uppslagsbok–Baltiska förlaget.
  2. ^ "Gotland i siffror" [Gotland in numbers]. www.gotland.se. Gotland Municipality. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  3. ^ The exact extent of the socken, now district, can be obtained by clicking on Kartinställningar and check the Socken box in the menu of this map from the Swedish National Heritage Board database.
  4. ^ "Förordning om district" [Regulation of districts] (PDF). Ministry of Finance. 17 June 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  5. ^ Lagerlöf, Erland; Svahnström, Gunnar (1973). Gotlands kyrkor [Gotland's Churches] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Rabén & Sjögren. pp. 199–201. ISBN 91-29-41035-5. SELIBR 7232718.
  6. ^ a b Sjögren, Otto, ed. (1931). Sverige: geografisk beskrivning (in Swedish). Stockholm: Wahlström & Widstrand.
  7. ^ a b Bergman, Mats; Edlund, Lars-Erik; Selinge, Klas-Göran. "Lojsta". www.ne.se (in Swedish). Nationalencyklopedin.
  8. ^ Enderborg, Bernt. "Rammträsk". www.guteinfo.com. Guteinfo. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  9. ^ Kloth, Jen-Henrik; Lovén, Ulf (1987). Gotlands natur: en reseguide [Gotland's nature: a travel guide]. Stockholm: Bonnier. ISBN 91-34-50860-0.
  10. ^ "Församlingar på Gotland". www.svenskakyrkan.se. Church of Sweden. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  11. ^ "Visby stifts indelning 2018". www.svenskakyrkan.se. Church of Sweden. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  12. ^ Carlquist, Gunnar, ed. (1937). Svensk uppslagsbok (2 ed.). Malmö: Svensk Uppslagsbok AB. p. 560.
  13. ^ Andersson, Ingvar. "Russen på Lojsta hed" [The ponies at Lojsta Moor]. www.hushallningssallskapet.se. Gotland Agricultural Society. Archived from the original on 28 August 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  14. ^ Wahlberg, Mats, ed. (2003). Svenskt ortnamnslexikon [Swedish location names dictionary] (in Swedish). Uppsala: Språk- och folkminnesinstitutet (SOFI). ISBN 91-7229-020-X.
  15. ^ a b Harlén, Hans; Harlén, Eivy (2003). Sverige från A till Ö: geografisk-historisk uppslagsbok [Sweden from A to Z: geographical and historical encyclopedia] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Kommentus. ISBN 91-7345-139-8.
  16. ^ Högman, Hans. "Gotlands båtsmanskompanier". www.algonet.se. Hans Högman. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  17. ^ Gannholm, Sören. "Förteckning över de gotländska slipskårorna KL" [List of Gotland grinding grooves KL]. www.stavgard.com. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  18. ^ "Lojsta socken". www.historiska.se. Swedish History Museum. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  19. ^ a b "Lojsta". www.raa.se. Swedish National Heritage Board. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
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