Anhalt Castle

Burg Anhalt is a ruined medieval castle near Harzgerode in the Harz mountains. It stands on the Großer Hausberg hill between the villages of Meisdorf and Mägdesprung, overlooking the Selke valley. The area belongs to the Harz/Saxony-Anhalt Nature Park, and Falkenstein Castle lies a short distance up the Selke river. The ruins sit on a hilltop with steep slopes on three sides. Brick was an unusual building material for the region and period. The fortress was probably built by Count Otto of Ballenstedt around 1123 as the ancestral seat of the Ascanian dynasty. Otto’s son Albert the Bear rebuilt it after it was destroyed in 1140 during conflicts over the Saxon ducal title. At its height the castle had a 543-metre dry moat and outer rampart, making it one of the strongest fortresses in the Harz. Its scale rivalled that of the Wartburg in Thuringia. Excavations in the 19th and early 20th centuries uncovered remains of the chapel, living quarters and the base of the bergfried. Visitors today find a few standing wall sections and the low base of the bergfried. The site was restored and opened to the public in 2012 for the 800th anniversary of the principality. It serves as checkpoint 197 in the Harzer Wandernadel hiking system. The surrounding nature park offers walking trails through the Selke valley and towards Falkenstein Castle. The ruins stand on a hilltop with wide views over the Harz landscape.