The Breno castle rises on a hill overlooking the town: the building was erected in the 12th century, then turned into a military stronghold at the time of the Venetian Republic (1400-1500) and finally, after being abandoned in 1598, it was reused as a stone quarry.
The castle however rises on a much more ancient site: probably the place where in the 10th-9th century BCE a prehistoric community settled.
You can reach the castle with a short walk (about 15 minutes) from the centre of Breno: the perimeter is closed by a battlemented boundary wall and by two towers. Inside you can admire the remains of the St. Michele church, of Longobard origin, then enlarged in the Romanesque period. The other buildings, the only remains of which are mostly the outside walls and the cellars with barrel vaults, were added during the Venetian reign.
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.