The Lundby Old Church is one of the seven preserved medieval churches in Gothenburg, and the only one of them representing Gothic architecture. The church was probably build in the late 14th century. Its Romanesque baptismal font, however, comes from an older wooden church that had existed in the same place and whose remains were not discovered until the early 20th century.
Since the mid-17th century, when the bell tower next to the building was erected, the church has been renovated many times. For example, until the 19th century it had no windows. Following the erection of a new church in the neighborhood in 1886, the Lundby Old Church was supposed to be torn down. It was saved thanks to protests by dean Peter Rydholm. The church was equipped with electricity in 1934 and with a modern ventilation system in 1998, which has been the latest major renovation up to this time.
The coats of arms of the noble families Cronacker, Eketrä, Stålhandske and Ihre can be found in the church. The Stålhandske and Ihre families built their own grave chapels at the southern wall; the Ihre chapel is still preserved today, while the Stålhandske chapel was torn down and the coffins were moved to the family grave in the surrounding churchyard.
The church is surrounded by a small churchyard. It has an area of 1.7 hectares and houses around 1700 graves. The first records of it come from 1788, and the oldest existing map from 1856. The oldest tombstones, however, bear dates from late 17th century. The area has probably been used as a burial ground since the 13th century, as long as the church has existed.
References:The Gravensteen is a castle in Ghent originating from the Middle Ages. The name means 'castle of the counts' in Dutch. Arnulf I (918–965), Count of Flanders, was the first to fortify this place, building a medieval bastion on this high sand dune, naturally protected by the river Leie and its marshy banks. This bastion consisted of a central wooden building and several surrounding buildings, also in wood.
In the early 11th century, the wooden building was replaced by a stone residence, consisting of three large halls that made up three storeys, connected by a stone stairwell. The monumental stone staircase, the light openings, the fireplaces built into the walls and the latrines were signs of considerable luxury and comfort in those days. There was probably also a tower.