In a deep, thickly wooded valley, the River Bosna turns abruptly almost 180 degrees creating a sharp ridge on which this little 15th-century Vranduk castle sits in the midst of a tiny, charmingly coherent village. Vranduk represents one of many medieval Bosnian towns with intensive political, economic and cultural life. The castle is composed of a citadel with the main tower and a protective wall, surrounding the interior of the medieval town.
After taking the city in the 15th century, the Turks built a mosque alongside to the citadel. During Eugene of Savoy’s devastating campaign in 1697, he bypassed the fortress completely as it posed too great an undertaking, leaving it the only fortification left unconquered. Today, Vranduk offers visitors an authentic taste of Bosnian history, in both the museum set up in the great tower, and the traditional Bosnian meals.
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.