Gotland County (Gotlands län) is a county or län of Sweden. Gotland is located in the Baltic Sea to the east of Öland, and is the largest of Sweden's islands. Counties are usually sub-divided into municipalities, but Gotland County only consists of one municipality: Gotland Municipality. Gotland County at present is unique in Sweden as there is no county council. The municipality handles the tasks that otherwise is handled by the county council, mainly health care and public transport. However, for Gotland County, there is a County Administrative Board which is a national authority. Both the County Administrative Board and the municipality have their seat in the largest city Visby, with 22,000 inhabitants.
Visby [ˈviːsbʏ] is a locality and the seat of Gotland Municipality in Gotland County, Sweden with 22,236 inhabitants, as of 2005. It is the only locality with historical city status on the island of Gotland; it is arguably the best-preserved medieval city in Scandinavia and has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among the most notable historical remains are the 3.4 km (2.1 mi) long stone wall called Ringmuren ("the Ring Wall"), that encircles the city and the old church ruins.
The name "Visby" comes from the Old Norse Vis, (genitive singular of Vi) meaning sacrificial place, and by, meaning "city".
Visby is a popular vacation destination for Scandinavians during the summer and receives thousands of tourists every year.