Murska Sobota Castle was first indirectly mentioned in 1255. Its existence was confirmed in 1478, when a castellum in Belmwra was mentioned, and in 1498, when it was named as castellum Mwrayzombath. The Bel Mura castle was the administrative centre of the whole Belmur territory. It was situated at the crossing of traffic and merchant trails.
During its long history the castle has been owned by many families, including the Széchys and Szápárys. The Széchys had rebuilt the castle in the 16th century. In 1687 it was bought by Peter Szápáry and got the Baroque outlook by his sons in the first half of the 18th century. Its last private owner Geza Szápáry sold it to the Municipality of Murska Sobota in 1934.
During the Second World War it was the seat of Hungarian occupation forces, which is commemorated at the plaque in the entrance corridor.
The castle stands on a flat piece of land in the middle of the town of Murska Sobota, in the axis of an extensive park, arranged in landscape style that stretches from the monument of the National Liberation War to the castle itself. The first floor of the castle has been occupied by the Murska Sobota Regional Museum since 1956.
The ground floor has a four-sided gravel inner courtyard and four edge wings of the same height. On the outer corners four towers with a square floor plan stand out, not surpassing the basic height of the building. On the west side a Baroque Chapel has been added.
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.