Although the first written mention of the Zniev or Turiec Castle (castrum Turuc) is from 1243, archaeological excavations prove the existence of a fortified settlement as early as the 11th – 12th century. According to a document issued in 1253 by King Bela IV the castle was refortified by Ondrej Forgáč, who apart from other loyal deeds managed to save king´s life after the defeat of the royal army by the Tartars near the river Slaná, when he gave a very fast horse to the king to escape.
That is why the legend says the Zniev castle gave refuge to Bela IV from the Tartars. Forgáč had the castle reconstructed and had a new habitable tower called 'Forgač´s tower' built in 1241-1242 in the distance of 250 metres from the castle. In January 1243 the King and the royal family paid visit to the castle. The castle was a seat of the Turiec region form the middle of the 13th century till approx. 1339 when the Turiec County became separated from the Zvolen County and the task of its administrative centre was passed to the Sklabiňa Castle because of its better strategic position. In 1312-1321 the Zniev castle was owned by the powerful noble Matúš Čák of Trenčín.
The castle, however, gradually lost its importance, changed its name from Turiec to Zniev and became the property of the Premonstratesians. In the following period it constantly passed through various owners until it was in 1532 forcefully seized by the royal army after it had fallen, thanks to a betrayal, into the possession of the Kostka family fighting on the side of Ján Zápoľský. At the beginning of the 18th century an archive was kept there.
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.