The moated Strünkede Castle with thick walls was the seat of the Barons of Strünkede for seven centuries. The castle was built before 1243. In the mid-17th century it was rebuilt in the early Baroque style. First it housed a restaurant, later the police, and a hospital during the war. In 1948 the city bought the castle, restored it and opened a branch of the Emschertal Museum (Emschertalmuseum) in it with an exhibition covering the city history, the Strünkede Castle and family.
The church, built at Strünkede Castle in the 13th century, is the oldest church in Herne. After reconstruction in 1950 it was opened to the public. The castle’s courtyard hosts open-air concerts, such as the Strünkeder Summer festival. During it tourists enjoy theatrical performances, performances of folk bands, comic artists, film screenings and parties. Here you can buy traditional crafts and taste local specialties. The park around the castle is a favorite vacation spot of the towns people.
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.