Hülshoff Castle near Havixbeck is one of the most popular destinations in Münsterland. The first documented mention of the castle dates back to 1349. It developed from the former upper court, to which a manor house was added by the then owners, the Lords of Schonebeck. In 1417 the ancestors of the poet acquired the knight's seat. The manor house, which was built as a closed Renaissance complex in the years 1540-1545, has essentially been preserved to this day.
As it presents itself at present, it is a beautiful Renaissance building from the years 1540-1545 after a reconstruction by Heinrich I von Droste-Hülshoff. Today, the moated castle houses, among other things, the Droste Museum, which provides an insight into the life of the poetess and the nobility of the time. The surrounding park offers an attractive excursion destination in summer.
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.