Roma, Gotland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Roma Romakloster Råmme (Gutnish)
The old sugar refinery in Roma
Roma, Gotland Location in Gotland
Country	Sweden
Province	Gotland
County	Gotland County
Municipality	Gotland Municipality
Area
• Total	1.26 km2 (0.49 sq mi)
Population  (31 December 2014)
• Total	936
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)

Roma is a small town on the Swedish island of Gotland. It is sometimes called Romakloster. In 2014, about 936 people lived there.

Roma is also the name for a larger area, known as a socken. This is like a traditional district. The administrative Roma District, created in 2016, covers the same area.

A very old place called Roma Abbey is located in Roma. It was once a monastery and is now a ruin.

Where is Roma?

Roma is located in the middle of Gotland. It is the main town in its socken. The medieval Roma Church is in a smaller area nearby. This area is called Lövsta, or sometimes Roma kyrkby.

As of 2019, Roma Church is part of the Roma parish. This parish belongs to the Romakloster pastorat, which is a group of parishes.

A Look Back in Time

In 1995, the town of Roma was split into two parts. One part was named "Roma kyrkby" or "Lövsta". The other part kept the name "Roma". This part uses "Romakloster" for its postal address.

This has caused some confusion. Since 2000, "Lövsta/Roma kyrkby" has sometimes been called "Roma" in official numbers.

Roma's Railway History

Roma first got a railway connection to Visby in 1878. By 1902, it became the main railway hub on Gotland. This was because it was a junction for the island's two main railway lines.

Both of these lines used a special narrow gauge. This means the tracks were closer together than usual. The railways were closed in 1953 and 1960.

However, in 2015, a special heritage railway was extended to Roma. This railway is called Gotlands Hesselby Jernväg. It means Roma has train access again! The Gotland Train Association takes care of this railway.