Bulverket

Bulverket
Native name
Bulverket (Swedish)
Bålverket, Tingstäde Bulverk
Geologist Lennart von Post recovering part of the Bulverket in 1927.
TypeLake fortification
LocationLake Tingstäde, Gotland, Sweden
Nearest cityTingstäde
Coordinates57°43′40″N 18°37′43″E / 57.72778°N 18.62861°E / 57.72778; 18.62861
Area40,000 square metres (430,000 sq ft)
Elevation40 m (130 ft)
Original useUnknown
Architectural style(s)Viking wooden construction

The Bulverket is the remnants of a large wooden fortification or bulwark at Lake Tingstäde on the island of Gotland, Sweden. When built, it consisted of a platform with houses surrounded by a double palisade with the entire construction around 250 m (820 ft) in diameter.

According to a 1989 archeological survey, the structure was built in the 1130s and may have been used for less than a century. Although its original purpose is unknown, theories suggest it was either used as a shelter during the turbulent times on Gotland at the end of the Viking Age or that it was the site of a last stand.

Among the archeological finds at the Bulverket are the remains of three boats. One of these served as a model for the reconstruction of a Viking boat, the Krampmacken, in 1980. Krampmacken has subsequently made several journeys following old Viking waterways through Eastern Europe.