Fårö
Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Infobox islands Fårö (Template:IPA) or Template:Lang in Gutnish<ref>Gunilla Brogren: Um Fåre u Fåreboar pa fåröiskå, Fårö hembygdsförening 2013 ISBN 9789198054712</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is a Baltic Sea island just north of the island of Gotland, itself off mainland Sweden's southeastern coast. It is the second-largest island in the county and a popular summer resort. It has its own language, Faroymal, a dialect of Gutnish.
Fårö is also the name of the populated area (Template:Lang) consisting of both Fårö and Gotska Sandön islands.<ref>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 Template:Webarchive from the Swedish National Heritage Board database.</ref> It comprises the same area as the administrative Fårö District, established on 1Template:NbspJanuary 2016.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Geography
The island is separated from Gotland by the narrow Fårö-strait, and connected by two car ferries, operated by the Swedish Transport Administration. It has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert are water areas or islets.
On the islands of Fårö and Gotland are rock formations called rauk. They are a result of erosion during the Ice age and are unique to Gotland and Fårö.
The medieval Fårö Church is on Fårö.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Template:As of, Fårö Church along with Gotska Sandön Chapel on Gotska Sandön belongs to Fårö parish in Norra Gotlands pastorat.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
One of the asteroids in the Asteroid belt, 9358 Fårö, is named after the island.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Etymology
The name Fårö (in Gutnish Template:Wikt-lang) is derived from the words Template:Wikt-lang, meaning island, and probably Template:Lang, which is a word stem associated with travel like in the Swedish verb Template:Wikt-lang ('to travel'). The word Fårö likely means 'the island one has to travel to' or 'the traveler's island'. Mainland Swedes might misinterpret the name Fårö to be derived from Template:Wikt-lang, the (standard) Swedish word for sheep, due to the many sheep on the island. That word is absent from Modern Gutnish, which uses the word Template:Wikt-lang (which in Swedish means 'lamb').<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Demographics
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1985 | 614 |
| 1986 | 630 |
| 1987 | - |
| 1988 | 641 |
| 1989 | 629 |
| 1990 | 641 |
| 1991 | 644 |
| 1992 | 653 |
| 1993 | 659 |
| 1994 | 646 |
| 1995 | 643 |
| 1996 | 646 |
| 1997 | 630 |
| 1998 | 618 |
| 1999 | 614 |
| 2000 | 612 |
| 2001 | 594 |
| 2002 | 599 |
| 2003 | 584 |
| 2004 | 573 |
| 2005 | 578 |
| 2006 | 573 |
| 2007 | 578 |
| 2008 | 573 |
| 2009 | 569 |
| 2010 | 548 |
| 2011 | 533 |
| 2012 | 551 |
| 2013 | 527 |
| 2014 | 524 |
| 2015 | 504 |
| 2016 | 498 |
| 2017 | 498 |
| 2018 | 501 |
| 2019 | 497 |
| 2020 | 492 |
| 2021 | 505 |
Military past
Template:Main Carl Linnaeus spent two days in 1741 in Fårö during the expedition in which he surveyed the strategic and military resources of Gotland.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Until the 1990s, Fårö and the North of Gotland were off-limits to foreigners because of a government military installation there.<ref name="travel.nytimes.com">Template:Cite news</ref> There were large, multilingual signs at the side of the roads informing visitors of this and the prohibition was strictly enforced. After the Cold War ended, the installation (Swedish Coastal Artillery regiment KA 3) was mostly shut down. A relic of the island's military past is a Template:Convert tall radio mast at Holmudden at Template:Coord.
Cinematic heritage
Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman lived and died on Fårö and several of his films were filmed there, among them Through a Glass Darkly (1961), Persona (1966), Hour of the Wolf (1968), Shame (1968), The Passion of Anna (1969), and Scenes from a Marriage (1973),<ref name="travel.nytimes.com"/> as well as Liv Ullmann’s Faithless (2000), based on a Bergman screenplay. The Bergman Week is a tribute to the filmmaker held on the island every June.<ref name=Boston>Template:Cite news</ref> Fårö itself is the subject of Bergman's documentary films Fårö Document (1970) and Fårö Document 1979.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Andrei Tarkovsky wanted to film The Sacrifice on Fårö but was denied access by the military, so it was filmed further south on Gotland at När instead.
Mia Hansen-Løve filmed and set her film Bergman Island (2021) on Fårö.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>
Tourism
An annual event on Fårö is "Fårönatta" (Fårö Night), held in September, during which restaurants and bars stay open all night, craft stands are set up and the church holds a midnight Mass.<ref name="travel.nytimes.com"/>
Landowners
Several families on Fårö, often originating from larger cities such as Gothenburg and Stockholm, are locally referred to as the Fårö frälse. These families own significant amounts of property on the island, typically in the form of small hamlets used as private retreats. The land was originally owned by the local government and was sold to Swedish citizens—often those with military service or a clean legal record—after it was deemed surplus to military requirements.
Notable families include:
The Wållberg family
The Elfving family
Places of interest
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Digerhuvud
The Digerhuvud coast with Bjärge nature reserve is the largest stack area in Sweden, with hundreds of stacks along a Template:Convert part of the coast. Close by is the Helgumannen fishing village.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The coast is not suited for swimming due to its depth (up to Template:Convert close to the shore), and its strong currents.
An asteroid in the Asteroid belt, 10102 Digerhuvud, is named after the area.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Fårö Lighthouse
The Fårö Lighthouse lies on the island's northeastern point. It is Template:Convert high and was built in 1846 and 1847.
Langhammars
The Langhammars peninsula and the Langhammars nature reserve on north-western Fårö are rocky beaches with Ice age stone monoliths known as rauks. Langhammars was the setting for Ingmar Bergman's film Shame.<ref name="travel.nytimes.com"/>
Sudersand
The long, sandy Sudersand beach on north-eastern Fårö lies next to Sudersands Semesterby which rents cabins to tourists.