The Horažďovice château is situated on the location of a Gothic fortress built in the 13th century by the Bavarians of Strakonice. In 1292, King Wenceslas II elevated Horažďovice to town status. In 1483, the local demesne became the property of the House of Švihovský of Rýzmberk, which rebuilt the Gothic castle into a Renaissance château. The only remnants of this reconstruction are a small inner courtyard with arcades and fresco paintings and a two-storey château tower.
Under the administration of Půta Švihovský, namely in 1503, water mains from Prácheň were established. They were in use until 1932. Following the Battle of White Mountain (1620), the demesne was seized from the House of Švihovský and acquired a new owner: In 1622 it was bought by Adam of Šternberk. In 1681-1692, the Šternberks rebuilt the château in Baroque style according to the designs of the Italian architect Solomini.
The result was the birth of the Large Hall with fresco paintings, the walling up of the arcades in the courtyard and the building of a château chapel and farm premises. In 1834, the demesne became the property of the Counts of Kinský of Vchynice and Tetov, who did not make any major adaptations. After the World War II, in 1945, the demesne was appropriated.
References: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.