Ljugarn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ljugarn Ljaugän (Gutnish)
Ljugarn lighthouse
Ljugarn Location in Gotland
Country	Sweden
Province	Gotland
County	Gotland County
Municipality	Gotland Municipality
Area
• Total	1.56 km2 (0.60 sq mi)
Population  (31 December 2010)
• Total	200
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)

The Ljugarn village in 1990.

Ljugarn is a small town, or locality, on the Swedish island of Gotland. In 2014, about 200 people lived there. It's on the east coast of the island, south of a place called Slite.

Ljugarn is known as a calm and popular spot for tourists and people on vacation. It's the oldest seaside resort in Gotland. In the past, it was a busy port, a place where fishermen lived, and even a station for ship pilots. It was also the main town for Ljugarn County.

The town has a long, flat sandy beach, about 1.5 kilometers long. It's one of the longest beaches in Gotland and people visit it all year round. Since the early 1900s, Ljugarn has had guesthouses, restaurants, hotels, coffee shops, and a grocery store.

What's in a Name?

The name "Ljugarn" has been used since 1646. Back then, it was called Lougards hamn, meaning "Lougard's harbor." Later, in 1695, it was known as Långgarns hamn, or "Långgarn's harbor."

The part of the name, garn, is found in many places on Gotland. It means "intestine" but is used to describe capes or narrow strips of land. The first part of the name is a bit of a mystery. Some think lju might come from an old Norse word meaning "light." However, this idea isn't supported by Swedish dictionaries that study place names.

A Look Back in Time

Ljugarn is an old harbor located between two historical parts of Gotland, called Sudertredingen and Medeltredingen. These parts were how Gotland was divided before and during the Middle Ages. They are even mentioned in an old Viking story called the Gutasaga.

The building known as Strandridaregården is very old, probably built in the 1720s. It's a listed building, which means it's protected because of its history. The last Strandridare, who was like a customs officer, left Ljugarn in 1822.

Trading History

For many years, Ljugarn's harbor was busy with trade. People exported things like lime, limestone, tar, and wood from here. In 1880, a large lime kiln called Storugnen was shut down. This marked the end of the lime burning industry in the area. You can still see the remains of these old lime kilns near the harbor today.

In 1828, a trading company called Donner was allowed to do business in Ljugarn. But when the Donner company went bankrupt in 1845, another family, the Claudelins, took over the trade. They ran the business for two generations. The "Claudline House" is still in the center of the village. There's also a larger limestone house from the 1600s or 1700s that was rebuilt in the 1870s.

Birth of a Seaside Resort

The first people to come to Ljugarn for swimming and relaxation arrived in 1887. They were Adolf Hauffman, a teacher from Stockholm, and his friend Sigurd Bolin. They told others about Ljugarn, and soon it became the very first seaside resort on Gotland.

Around that time, Gotland was becoming popular with wealthy people. This was partly because Princess Eugenie of Sweden lived on the western side of the island from the 1860s. Ljugarn became a fancy resort. Big summer houses were built along Strandvägen, which means "The beach road." By the 1930s, Ljugarn had five guesthouses, including Ljugarns pensionat and Pensionat Lövängen.

Some famous people who spent their summers in Ljugarn included Municipal commissioner Yngve Larsson, who built his estate "Barnarve" in 1919. The artist Louis Sparre built "Sandarve" nearby in 1914. Also, Jacob Hägg, an admiral and artist who painted ships, was a regular visitor.

In 1955, the Ljugarn holiday resort was started. It was first called the Vitvärs holiday resort and was the first of its kind on Gotland. Vitvär is a small fishing village within Ljugarn. In 1953, the Ljugarn Society was formed. This group still owns a sauna house near the beach and an old post mill.

As of 2014, Ljugarn is still one of Gotland's main seaside resorts. It has restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, and guesthouses. There are also two small museums in Ljugarn. These are managed by the Ljugarn Cape Cultural Society and the Ljugarn Golf Club.

Images for kids

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  Vitvär fishing village.

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  Ljugarn beach

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  Folhammar rauks just north of the beach in Ljugarn.

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  Strandridaregården and the old Customs house.

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  Smakrike reataurant & lodging.