Mariestad Cathedral rises above the old town with an 82-metre tower that is visible from much of the centre. It was built between the late 16th and early 17th centuries, when Duke Karl wanted a Protestant cathedral in the region.
The building is unusual in Sweden because it kept the name and scale of a cathedral without becoming the seat of its own bishop. Step inside if it is open, but also walk the streets around it; the church and the old quarter work as one sight.