The church hill of Ruokolahti is situated in a beautiful site just near the Lake Saimaa. The wooden church was completed in 1854. The bell tower is perhaps the most well known building in Ruokolahti and it is also one of the oldest ones. This shingle-roofed bell tower was built by a local carpenter, Tuomas Suikkanen, who completed it in 1752.
Opposite to the bell tower is the Ruokolahti Parish Museum. It was founded in 1955 in a public granary built in 1861. There are about 2000 objects in the three-story building.
A guided tour in the church hill takes about an hour. A guide can be engaged through the Ruokolahti Tourist Office.
Reference: Ruokolahti Municipality
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.