The Castle of Higuera de Vargas, also known as the Castle of El Coso, is a 14th-century fortress. The castle was initially owned by the Knights Templar through a donation by King Alfonso IX, but they held it for only a few years. In 1374, King Alfonso II donated it to Alfonso Fernández de Vargas. Alongside the fortification, a village grew that took the name of the family who owned the castle. Ultimately, it became the possession of the Duke of Feria when the previous owners did not have a direct male heir.
The castle It has a square-shaped plan, and only one of the octagonal section towers remains, out of the four that, it seems, were once located at the corners of the courtyard. Most of the construction is made of rubble, stonework, and ashlar. Like many castles in the region, it has rows of bricks that serve a decorative purpose, situated beneath the battlements and merlons. The northeast and northwest sides, as well as the southwest side, are mostly concealed by houses that have been built adjacent to the castle. Only on the southeast side, facing the town square, does it have the appearance of a palatial residence.
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.