The Well Gate (Brunnsporten in Swedish) was constructed to facilitate access to the well in the East Trenches outside the eastern part of the wall. The town of Visby inside the wall has always had a shortage of water, with only a few wells. People often had problems with poor access to water. Therefore, a well in Östergravar was blown up in 1868 a little outside the wall.
The residents used the gate to collect their water. It was necessary to build a 3 meter high wall around the well and up to the wall due to the fact that "persons who committed theft outside the ground prepared to enter the city through the gate located inside the city wall". The wall around the well was removed after 1870 when the gates in the wall stopped being locked in the evenings and the population could walk in and out as they pleased. Above the gate is a well-preserved saddle tower.
This well and this gate were made relatively late and the design was inspired by gates and churches on the island which gave it a shape different from all the other gates in the wall.
Bonus fact for movie-lovers: through this gate, Pippi Longstocking has ridden many times in the TV series that were filmed in Visby around the years 1968-1969. When she moves into Villa Villekulla (
https://reveal.world/story/pippis-villa-villekulla) and when Pippi is on the run as well as in the first episode of the TV series, Pippi rides in through the Well Gate.
Photo: W.carter
