Haderburg castle (Castel Salorno in Italian) dates back to Middle Ages and is located on a soaring rock spur above the homonymous village. The castle marks the lingual border of German (or bilingual) and only Italian speaking inhabitants (South Tyrol and Trentino). The building is one of the most important monuments of South Tyrol.
Castel Salorno has been constructed by the Earls of Salorno in the 13th century. Thereupon it repeatedly changed hands, first the castle was in possession of the Lords of Tyrol, in 1284 the castle was handed on to Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia. In the 14th century the House of Habsburg owned the castle complex. In 1514, under the rule of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, the complex was enlarged and renewed. Several decades after, Castel Salorno lost its strategic significance and started to decay. Since 1648 the castle is owned by the Venetian Earls Zenobio-Albrizzi and their descendants.
Still today Castel Salorno is a really impressive complex. The current owner, baron Ernesto Rubin de Cervin Albrizzi, renovated and consolidated the castle complex by means of public funds. Since 2003 Castel Salorno has been reopened for the public and is accessible via a 890 m long steep path. Today a castle tavern with Knights’ Hall offers medieval meals and autumn dishes.
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.