Falnuée Castle, Gembloux, Belgium

Falnuée Castle, locally known as Château-ferme de Falnuée, lies south of the village of Mazy, in the province of Namur. Falnuée Castle started out as just a square keep, serving as a watchtower, in the valley of the Orneau river. It was probably built around 1285 but only first mentioned in 1343. Then it was held in fief by Henri de Falnuée from the Count of Namur; William I. It protected Namur's border with the Duchy of Brabant, together with nearby Mielmont Castle and Villeret Tower.

In 1456 Jean, the bastard of William I, took over the fief by force. His descendants then held possession of it until the mid-17th century. From then on several families followed who owned or were ceded the castle, until the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century. The last Lord of Falnuée was a General-Major Albert-Eugene de Meldeman who died in 1814. From then on the castle became purely a farm.

In 1987 the castle farm was bought and turned into an 18-hole golf club. At present the buildings of the castle farm are all used by the golf club.

References:

castles.nl

Visby Cathedral

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.

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