Albrechtsberg Castle, Albrechtsberg an der Großen Krems, Austria

Albrechtsberg Castle was probably built in the 12th century and was documented first time in 1230. It belonged to Protestant Neidegger family from 1377 until 1527 and was badly damaged in Hussite Wars. Knight Erasmus von Peuckham converted it into a Renaissance style residence in the 16th century. The castle was again damaged during the Thirty Years' War.

The towering, irregular structure largely dates from the second half of the 16th century. It is characterized by its high, crenellated ring wall, which features prominent watch and defense towers with numerous keyhole slits. The three-story, multi-winged complex includes three courtyards, a southern entrance through a round-arched portal marked '1675' in the gable field, and a main gate in the northeast with a machicolation. One courtyard contains a cross-vaulted arcade on squat columns. Additional features include a smoke kitchen with a pyramid chimney, cross-vaulted rooms, a wooden ceiling marked '1604,' and an 18th-century granary with a hipped roof. The castle chapel houses the burial site of the Neidegger family.

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.

Albrechtsberg Castle

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