Built by the knights of Leiben around 1113, the Leiben Castle had an eventful history and constantly changed hands. The 800-year-old castle towers high above the surrounding countryside on its mighty cliff. One of its highlight features is a unique 17th century wooden coffered ceiling, which depicts the Cycle of Planet Deities by Hendrik Goltzim from 1569.
In 1989 the municipality carefully restored the castle as a listed historical building and made it available to locals and visitors. The castle vaults contain an agricultural equipment museum with exhibit items from the first-ever generation of tractors and impressive moving trial models that were individually made. Open on Sundays and holidays from Easter Monday to the end of October. Group tours are available.
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.