Hilgartsberg Castle, Hofkirchen, Germany

Hilgartsberg Castle lies on a mountain on the left bank of the Donau River. It was first mentioned in 1112. It was a fief of the Bishop of Bamberg and cared for by the Counts of Sulzbach. When the counts died out in 1188 the castle fell to a couple of sons of Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor. They lent it out to Walchunus von Kamm.

In 1326 the castle came into the hands of the House of Eck. When Peter Ecker von Eck fell out of favor with Duke Albrecht I of Bavaria, the castle was besieged and conquered by the Duke in 1357. Albrecht then strengthened the castle and installed a castellan. Later it was lent out to several nobles. In 1617 it was used by the Fugger family, who considerably enlarged the castle after a big fire had damaged it in 1626.

In 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession, Hilgartsberg Castle was occupied by Austrian troops. In 1742, during the War of the Austrian Succession, the Austrian troops returned and with help of Hungarian troops conquered and burned down the castle. After that it was a ruin and was never rebuilt.

Later the ruins were owned by a local brewer and the Bavarian State. And in the 1970s part of it served as the village school. At present Hilgartsberg Castle can freely be visited. It is used as a venue for cultural events.

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.

Kari Pönkkö (12 months ago)
Nothing much to see

Maria Skrzyp- Marszalek (16 months ago)
lovely place . Beautiful views and beautiful landscape .If someone likes ruins, this is a good place for dating .A walk in an unusual atmosphere

pp4mnk puppy (3 years ago)
Amazing photos

Arun Jeevaraj (3 years ago)
It was ok. A beautiful place, a ruined Fort at the top of the hill. Could be relevant for archeology.

Rado O (4 years ago)
Ok

Hilgartsberg Castle

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