Trani has lost its old city walls and bastions, but the 13th-century fort has been extensively restored as a museum and performance venue and is open to the public.
The castle was commissioned by Frederick II of Swabia in 1230. It was completed three years later, although consolidation of the structure continued for a further fifteen years. Like many other castles, it was modified in the 16th century when Charles V reinforced the defensive structure by adding two bastions equipped with fire arms.
The Castle, with its quadrangular base, is one of the finest existing examples of Swabian defensive architecture. Originally featuring square-base towers on each corner and a central courtyard, it was later fortified with the addition of an external wall. It stands by the sea and was, in the past, directly linked to the water. It used to have a wooden drawbridge.
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.