Hohenurach Castle Ruins, Bad Urach, Germany

The first documented record of Hohenurach Castle dates from 1235, but it was probably built in the 11th century by the Counts of Urach. Count Ludwig I of Württemberg updated the castle in 1427, building a new castle on the existing foundations. Following heavy damage in 1547 during the Schmalkaldic War, Duke Christoph of Württemberg had the castle rebuilt in 1551. From the 16th century onwards, the castle complex also served as a state jail, whose inmates included the Tübingen Professor Nicodemus Frischlin (1547-1590).

As a military facility Hohenurach Fortress also posed a constant threat to the citizens of the nearby town. It wasn't until 1765, however, that Duke Carl Eugen of Württemberg decided to move his soldiers to the town and had Hohenurach Fortress torn down. All that remains of the castle site is a towering ruin – one of the biggest, mightiest and most important ruins in southern Germany.

The castle ruins are free to explore, but can only be accessed on foot.

References:

stuttgart-tourist.de

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.

Hohenurach Castle Ruins

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