Meet the Middle Ages
BackKalmar Town
The inhabitants of Stranda often came to Kalmar Town. The closer to town they lived, the more frequent the contact. The peasants came sailing along the coast or loaded their wares on a horse or a cart. They sold their wares in town. From a distance they could see the spires of "Bykyrkan". If one came by boat, one moored at the harbour and entered town by the town gate called "Stadsbroporten". If one came from the north one entered the town through "Norreport". One brought dried fish or farm produce such as grain, flour, meat, butter, cheese. Iron-producing peasants could sell their iron in town. Once a week a market was held in the town´s square.
At the end of August - at St. Bartholomew´s – the biggest fair of the year was held. Then lots of people from the region would come to Kalmar to buy and sell their wares at the free-market.
It is not hard to imagine how impressed the peasants and the fishers must have been by the town. There was such a lot of people in such a small space! There were great buildings – a huge church, a convent, a school and lots of exciting inns. Everywhere one could hear foreign languages, particularly German. There would be a lot to tell, when one came home from the big town. Interesting things could be bought. The peasants could return to their homes with the all-important salt as well as exotic and expensive spices such as pepper, cloves, ginger, cinnamon and saffron. They could buy Flemish cloth at "Panneryng", the cloth-house near the harbour. They could get wine from the Rhine at the wine-merchant´s, or German beer. Perhaps there would be a feast when they came home.
Read more about the inhabitants of Kalmar in "Möre"