Anhalt Castle

Foundations of the keep

The Anhalt castle in the Harz is a medieval fortress ruins in the city of Harzgerode in Saxony-Anhalt Harz ( Germany ). It was built around 1123 AD The name of the country Anhalt goes back to this castle.

Geographical location

The ruins of a hilltop castle is located in the resin between Mägdesprung (northern district of Harzgerode ) and Meis village ( south-western district of Falkenstein / Harz) above the standing in the valley of the Selke Selkemühle on the Great Mountain ( 397.9 m above sea level. NN ). In forested landscape of the Harz Nature Park / Saxony- Anhalt it is within the nature reserve Upper Selketal.

History

As a builder of the castle applies Otto the Rich from the nearby Ballenstedt to 1123. In 1140 the first castle was destroyed in a feud between the Archbishop of Magdeburg and Margrave Conrad of Meissen.

After 1147 the Ascanians Albert the Bear built the castle new again. The new castle was one of the most powerful fortifications in the Harz region, which remained inhabited until about 1300. The extent of the castle was comparable to the Wartburg in Thuringia. The dry moat with overcast, which included the castle, had a length of 543 meters. Architecturally, it is interesting that this castle was atypical, built for the time and area of construction brick.

From 1901 to 1907 excavations were carried out on the site of the ruins under the direction of the Brunswick Commissioner of City Planning Brinckmann. From the castle, some ruins of the chapel and of residential buildings and outbuildings and about three feet high covered stump of the keep are still standing.

Hiking

The ruins Anhalt is included as No. 197 in the system of stamp locations of the Harz hiking pin; the stamp box ( about 370 m above sea level, . ⊙ 51.66805555555611.193138888889 ) is located about 100 m south-southeast of the castle near the gate 1 in the former moat.