The original castle at Jablje was first mentioned in 1268, while the current structure was built by the noble house of Lamberg around 1530. The castle subsequently passed through the hands of the Rasp family, the barons Mosconi, and was from 1780 until the end of World War II owned by the barons Lichtenberg. Though it survived the war largely intact, the castle was nationalized and thoroughly looted during the following years, being first converted into apartments and then serving as an experimental facility of the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana.
After a thorough renovation carried out between 1999 and 2006, the castle was a major protocolary site during the 2008 Slovene presidency of the EU. Today it hosts the so-called Center for European Perspective and is listed as a cultural monument. Its greatest asset is a set of frescoes by the baroque painter Franc Jelovšek, including an unusual depiction of a camel-riding Chinese tambourine player.
The castle is open for visitors every other Saturday at 11:00, with appointments available for groups.
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.