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Founded: 1310-1313Category: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Habsburg Dynasty (Germany)
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Steuerwald Castle is a Romanesque castle in Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, built between 1310 and 1313 as a residence for the Bishop of Hildesheim, who had left the increasingly independent city. The bishops lived there until 1763.
The castle includes a 26-meter-high keep, a Romanesque palace with Gothic windows, a chapel, and several medieval barns. Key features like the palace and chapel were added or remodeled over time. After secularization in 1803, the castle became state property and was partially converted into a brewery and later a tenant farm.
In the 20th century, the area was used for residential purposes and later for a riding club. Though not currently open to the public, there are plans to convert it into a cultural venue. Parts of the complex were renovated in 2010. The chapel is used for concerts and weddings.
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.