Othello Castle was originally built as a moated citadel by the House of Lusignan in the 14th century to protect Famagusta's harbour, and was originally the main entrance to the town. The tower was restored 3 years after Cyprus was sold to the Republic of Venice, under the command of captain Nicolo Foscari. After the restoration the Lion of St. Marcus was engraved on the entrance, along with captain Nicolo Foscari's name and the date (1492). The castle gets its name from Shakespeare's famous play Othello, which is set in a harbour town in Cyprus. In 1566 the castle was moved to the prison.
Othello castle also has a refectory and a dormitory constructed during the Lusignan period. In the courtyard, there are old cannons lying on the ground. One of them is made of bronze and is over 400 years old. There are some iron cannon balls lying about, as well as some stone balls that would have been used in a trebuchet. It is rumoured that the Venetian merchants, during the Ottoman siege, hid their fortunes down here and sealed the tunnels up. As they were not allowed to take anything with them when they were allowed to leave the city, these treasures are still supposed to be there.
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.