Paviken

Paviken
Location	Västergarns socken, Gotland
Type	freshwater lake
Primary outflows	Idå
Catchment area	20.48 km2 (7.91 sq mi)
Basin countries	Sweden
Surface area	0.272 km2 (0.105 sq mi)
Shore length1	2.63 km (1.63 mi)
Surface elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Frozen	winter
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Paviken

Position of Lake Paviken

Paviken is a lake in Vastergarn parish on the western side of the island of Gotland. The lake is a popular birding and fishing site.

The lake is drained by the river Idå. The lake and its surroundings form a nature reserve which is more populated by birds than any other reserve on the island. During spring and autumn it is a stop-over site for migratory birds, a total of 240 species has been observed in the area. The lake offers fishing principally for perch and pike.

During the Viking Era, Paviken was a sheltered bay and cove connected to the Baltic Sea by a narrow strait. It formed a natural harbour which was improved by jetties. These were built during the 8th century and were used for about 300 years until the harbour became too shallow. Subsequently the harbour and commercial activity were moved to nearby Västergarn. Dating from the early 1960s, archaeological investigations have found remains of port facilities, buildings and burial grounds.