Lendava castle is first mentioned in the records in 1192 as a property of the Hungarian noble family Bánffy and was theirs until the middle of the 17th century, when it fell to the Nádasdy family for a short period, and in the 18th century came under the management of the Eszterházy family.
Today it is a massive two-storey building with a mansard roof overlooking the town of Lendava-Lendva. The walls are supported by massive buttresses and the south-west façade is emphasised with a central tower.
The castle was in past centuries many times entirely restored and rebuilt. The present-day Baroque appearance of the castle dates from 1690–1707, following the withdrawal of the Turks from the area, when the Esterházys had it rebuilt to form an L-shaped building as a sign of their loyalty to the Emperor Leopold I. The castle became a show piece of Baroque architecture, and remained in the hands of the Esterházy family until World War I.
The museum collection boasts a permanent archaeological, historical and ethnological exhibition, as well as a memorial room for the most famous sculptor of Lendava, György Zala. The art heritage of Lendava artists is preserved in the institute’s gallery collection, which features a collection of artwork that has emerged from this traditional international artistic community.
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.