From the 8th to the 11th century a commercial route from India passed through Novgorod to the Baltic, and Arabian coins found in Sweden, and particularly in the island of Gotland, prove how closely the enterprise of the Northmen and of the Arabs intertwined.
It was the trade with the East that originally gave importance to the city of Visby in Gotland.
Modern buildings include the Gotland museum of antiquities, and the high school, with a museum and library.
It is the headquarters of the army division of Gotland troops, and there are some modern forts.
See Gotland and SEA Laws.