Mästerby

Story

Mästerby, is a settlement on the Swedish island of Gotland. Formerly a socken, on 1January 2016, it was reconstituted into the administrative area Mästerby District. When King Valdemar IV of Denmark and his troops invaded Gotland in 1361, they met the first line of resistance at the Battle of Mästerby.HistoryMästerby has been a settlement since prehistoric times. A great number of archeological finds have been made here along with grave fields, stone mounds and traces of houses dating from the Iron, Bronze and Viking Ages as well as from Medieval times. The finds also include a number of metal objects, jewelry and coins with the oldest coin a Roman dinar dated 160–180.The name Mästerby originates from the Old Gutnish word maister meaning "master" or "foremost". In 1270, the name was written as "Mestraby", "Meystbye" in the 14th century and "Mesteby" in 1523.The courthouse for southern Gotland was situated at Mästerby, along with a gallows and a place for corporal punishment from 1000 until the end of the 16th century. The last execution was the hanging of Anders Botelson from Gothem in 1698, for stealing from a church.GeographyMästerby is the name of the socken, now district. It is also the name of the small village surrounding the medieval Mästerby Church, sometimes referred to as Mästerby kyrkby. It is situated on central Gotland. The Mästerby parish (not to be confused with the socken/district) was formerly independent and in 2012, it was incorporated into the joint parish of Sanda, Västergarn and Mästerby.