Lisberg castle - one of the oldest castles in Franconia – was first mentioned in an historical document in 820. Being in possession of the Babenberger family – earls of the region – it has been used as a sanctuary for the people of the Region. Lisberg castle belonged to the Catholic prince bishops of Bamberg and the protestant Markgraves of Ansbach at the same time. Whenever necessary, the people of Lisberg simply changed sides and then evaded destruction, which was the fate of all other 31 castles in the Steigerwald area.
The oldest building of the castle is the romantic donjon and the dark awesome prison. The internal castle gate is also of Romanic style. The womens’ house is in Gothic style and the palace is in Renaissance style, built around 1600. The most beautiful rooms are the large kitchen and the great hall which was redesigned by Otto Philipp von Muenster in the year 1776. During the last centuries many noble families occupied the castle. The most important lords of the castle were the Freiherrn of Muenster. Mr. Hans Fischer is the current owner of the castle and has revived it.
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.