Ekolsund Castle, Ekolsund, Sweden

The manor of Ekolsund was established in the 1300s. The first known owner was the council Magnus Knutsson, mentioned in 1351. In the 1500s the castle came into royal hands when King Gustav Vasa took over the ownership. It was in 1578-1611 the residence of Princess Sophia of Sweden.

The crown anyway donated Ekolsund to Åke Tott in 1618. Ekolsund was moved again to the Crown during Karl XI’s reduction, and in 1716 it was appointed to Landgraf Fredrik of Hessen-Kassel (later Fredik I). In 1747 it was sold to Prince Adolf Fredrik on the account of the new heir Gustav (later Gustav III). In 1785, Ekolsund was sold from the hands of the Crown to George Seton, a man of Scotish heritage. In 1917 it was bought by Carl Kempe. In 2002, Ekolsund was bought by a private firm.

Both southern and northern castle was built in the middle of the 1600s, excedran came centuries later. Architects were Simon de la Vallée, Nicodemus Tessin the Elder, Carl Harleman, Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz and Jean Eric Rehn.

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Visby Cathedral

Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.

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