Gettlinge

• 1. Ordovician Stone And Ice

  ›

  The bedrock beneath Gettlinge dates to at least 600 million years ago. This layer consists primarily of Ordovician limestone that covers much of the island of Öland. Glacial grinding created nearly flat alvar formations from this stone during the last ice age. The end of the last ice age led to uplift, creating the landform now known as the island of Öland. Most topsoil was formed by glacial grinding of the limestone bedrock. This action created the unique geological landscape visible today.

  1

• 2. Granite Ship On Ridge

  ›

  A Viking stone ship burial stands on granite stones pushed here by ice age glaciers. These moraine materials were transported from the mainland to the site. The standing stones form a monument distinct from the local limestone building materials used since medieval times. The village is situated on the western fringe of the Stora Alvaret World Heritage Site. A low-lying ridge runs north and south parallel to the Baltic coast. This ridge provided the only place with soil extending more than two centimeters in depth. It offered sufficient ground for creation of burial mounds where most other areas had thin soil mantles.

  2

• 3. Soil Depth For Settlements

  ›

  Settlements developed on a narrow low-lying ridge running north/south parallel to the Baltic coast. Wave action during post-Ice Age uplift formed this thicker soil layer. This ridge was the only place along the southwestern coast that soil extends beyond the two centimeter maximum of the Stora Alvaret. Early Stone Age wooden huts were built there before the glacial cap fully melted. Inhabitants crossed the Kalmar Strait from the mainland toward the end of the last ice age. They utilized an ice bridge that existed before the glacier disappeared completely. This thicker soil layer provided the only hospitable place for building foundations, burial grounds and agriculture.

• 4. Bronze And Iron Artifacts

  ›

  Archaeological excavations conducted over years in the latter 1900s revealed evidence of bear, marten, seal and porpoise remains. Bone spears, elk antler harpoons and flint tools elucidate Mesolithic hunting technologies. The Gettlinge Gravfeld contains some Bronze Age barrows as well as prominent stone ship burials. These burials span the late Bronze Age, Iron Age and Viking Age. Some individual standing stones are thought to predate the Viking era. Numerous artifacts recovered from gravefields elsewhere on Öland include bronze chains and a bone needle case. The site is one of the largest gravefields on Öland situated near the coast highway.

• 5. Linnaeus And Wildflowers

  ›

  The first scientific study of the biota of the Stora Alvaret occurred in the year 1741 with Linnaeus visit to Öland. He described how some plants thrive on the driest and most barren places of the alvar. A wide variety of wildflowers bloom from May to July including stonecrop and dropwort. Artemisia Oelandica is endemic to Öland while Common spotted orchid grows there too. Kidney vetch appears alongside these species on the limestone pavement ecosystem. Many fungi grow on the Stora Alvaret such as Hygrocybe persistens and Lepiota alba. Grasses like Meadow Oat-grass and Sheep's Fescue cover the severely dry ground conditions.

  12

• 6. UNESCO Protection Criteria

  ›

  Gettlinge lies within the southwest portion of the island of Öland designated by UNESCO. The site contains rare and endangered species of both plants and animals. Most of these species are seasonally blooming wildflowers that flower in late spring and summer. The settlements of the Stone Age are key resources leading to World Heritage Site designation. The standing stones of the Viking ship itself are granite which moraine materials were pushed here from mainland by ice age glaciers. This geological formation supports drystone construction since medieval times beneath the soil layer where burials are placed.