Central Baltic

The central Baltic lies between Gotland and the eastern shores of the sea, crossed by routes that joined Scandinavian, German and eastern markets. Gotland's position made Visby a natural stopping place for merchants, and from the twelfth to the fourteenth century it was a leading centre of Baltic commerce. Vessels carried salt, cloth and metal eastwards, returning with goods such as wax and furs from the trading networks reaching Novgorod.