The building at S:t Hansgatan 21 was constructed in 1847 - 1848 as Visby's first elementary school, designed by Carl Bergman. It later served as the town's small school before being used by the Visby läroverk from the late 1950s. After the construction of Säveskolan in 1971, the building continued to be used for various educational purposes.
In 1988, following a total renovation, the building opened as the Gotland art museum. The museum's collection consists mainly of paintings and crafts with links to Gotland from the early 1800s to the present day. The building's historical significance was formally recognized in 1997 when it was designated as a protected historical monument.
Protecting the art collection within the structure proved difficult due to the indoor climate. After older artworks were damaged while being stored in the upper floor, the museum began moving pieces out of that space. This led to the permanent closure of the museum's operations in the property in 2019.
Since the closure, the art museum's exhibition activities have continued in the premises of Gotlands Fornsal. As of May 2020, the future use of the original property and the layout for displaying contemporary art remain unclear.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nik Frost
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