Here you will find pine forest, alvar land, bare cobblestone fields, moors, beach meadow and a peat bog. But also cloudberries, spider flowers, figs and an English cemetery! Ryssnäs has a lot to offer.

Ryssnäs is a 200-hectare nature reserve located on the southern tip of Fårö. You can already hear from the name that there is something special about this nature reserve. This was probably a place where Russian merchant ships sailed a long time ago. The cape furthest south has been named Ryssudden.

Plants

The vegetation at Ryssnäs is dominated by pine forest alternating with alvar fields and bare cobblestone fields. Common plants on the drier parts of the reserve are tulkört, hill thyme, bridal bread, yellow, white and angular fat bud, earth, nick and thistle, tuberous buttercup, small-fingered herb, stamen, sun-turned, yellow and white-throated dipper, small bluebell, axveronica, king's foot and cat's foot. The shrub layer is completely dominated by junipers. Within the area there are some bogs, of which Hyluvät is the largest. Within Häjdeviken there is a small beach meadow area. An extremely odd plant element on Ryssnäs is the fig tree (!) That stands in a cairn at Ryssudden.

Read more about the Fig Tree

Graunkullamyr

Graunkullamyr is one of Gotland's few peat bogs, and the bog is Gotland's only growing place for cloudberries. In this relatively lime-free environment, you can also find species such as linnéa, eye pyrola, spider flowers and knee root.

Birds

The southernmost part of Ryssnäs has a rich bird life. Large numbers breed here gulls, silver terns and small terns as well as waders such as great bustard, red-legged, tufted lapwing, greater shore pipit and roskarl. Other bird species that nest in the reserve are eider, greylag goose, crane and tree lark.

Insects

Especially in the northern part of the reserve there are plenty of old pines, something that has created conditions for a rich fauna of wood-living insects. Among other things, you can meet one of our country's largest beetles, the blacksmith. Grazing lambs have characterized the landscape for centuries and individual single-family houses with roofs to protect the lambs, so-called lamb poison, have therefore been built.

English Cemetery

In addition to Russia, another country has left its mark on the nose. During the Crimean War 1853-1856, between the Russian Empire and an alliance consisting of Great Britain and France, among others, English and French naval units used Fårösund as a base in the Baltic Sea. During the war, this port was called by several hundred ships, both warships and others. At the end of August 1854, a cholera epidemic broke out in Fårösund, an epidemic that mainly affected the crews of the ships in the harbor. In connection with this, two sick barracks were built on the outside of Ryssnäs, and near the barracks the English bought a piece of land to use as a burial ground. About 20 English sailors got their last rest here.

Regulations

For everyone's well-being and in order to maintain the reserve's natural and cultural values, it is important that all visitors show consideration. In addition to the right of public access, it is not permitted to:

• drive a motor vehicle other than on the roads and parking spaces designated
• set up caravan
• break twigs or otherwise damage living or dead trees or shrubs
• intentionally injuring, killing or collecting animals
• during the period 15 March-15 July stays within the parts of the nature reserve that constitute an animal protection area. See marking on the map

Source: Gotland County Administrative Board - 2022-01-20