Gommern () is a town in the

Jerichower Land Jerichower Land () is a district (''Kreis'') in the north-east of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Its neighbouring administrative units are (clockwise from the south): the districts of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, Salzlandkreis, the city of Magdeburg, the districts ...

district, in

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a States of Germany, state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the List of German states ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It is situated approximately southeast of

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...

. On January 1, 2005, the municipalities Dannigkow, Dornburg, Karith, Ladeburg, Leitzkau, Menz, Nedlitz, Vehlitz and Wahlitz have been incorporated into Gommern. On January 1, 2008,

Prödel Prödel is a former municipality in the Jerichower Land district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2008, it is part of the town Gommern Gommern () is a town in the Jerichower Land district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated appro ...

was incorporated, and on January 1, 2009,

Lübs Lübs is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. History From 1648 to 1720, Lübs was part of Swedish Pomerania. From 1720 to 1945, it was part of the Prussian Province of Pomerania, from 1945 to ...

was incorporated.

Local council

Elections in October 2005: Elections in May 2014:

Dornburg

Charles, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst Charles William, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst (16 October 1652 in Zerbst – 3 November 1718 in Zerbst), was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst. He was the third (but eldest surviving) son of John V ...

, had a new castle built at Dornburg near Gommern from 1674, which he gave to his brother,

John Louis I, Prince of Anhalt-Dornburg John Louis I, Prince of Anhalt-Dornburg (4 May 1656, in Zerbst – 1 November 1704, in Dornburg), was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dornburg, as well as a grandfather of Catherine the Great. He ...

. It was inherited by the latter's second son, future

Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst (29 November 1690, in Dornburg – 16 March 1747, in Zerbst) was a German prince of the House of Ascania, and the father of Catherine the Great of Russia. He was a ruler of the Principality of A ...

. In 1747 he died and the castle burnt down in 1750. His widow,

Johanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp (24 October 1712 – 30 May 1760) was a member of the German House of Holstein-Gottorp, a princess consort of Anhalt-Zerbst by marriage, and the regent of Anhalt-Zerbst from 1747 to 1752 on behalf of her mino ...

, governed the principality of

Anhalt-Zerbst Anhalt-Zerbst was a district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts Potsdam-Mittelmark (Brandenburg) and Wittenberg, the city of Dessau and the districts of Köthen, Schönebeck and Jerichower Lan ...

for her son Frederick Augustus until 1752. She had the new castle at Dornburg built as her thirds from 1750, a lavish baroque palace prepared to host her brother,

Adolf Frederick, King of Sweden Adolf (or Adolph) Frederick (; ; 14 May 171012 February 1771) was King of Sweden from 1751 until his death in 1771. He was the son of Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin, and Albertina Frederica of Baden-Durlach. He was an ...

, or her daughter Sophie Auguste Fredericka, who in 1743 had married the Russian crown prince

Peter III Peter III may refer to: Politics * Peter III of Bulgaria (ruled in 1072) * Peter III of Aragon (1239–1285) * Peter III of Arborea (died 1347) * Peter III Aaron (died 1467) * Pedro III of Kongo (ruler in 1669) * Peter III of Russia (1728–1762) ...

, to become empress in 1762, better known as ''Catherine the Great''. However, neither of them ever visited, and the dowager princess and her son were forced into exile when

Prussian Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, the House of Hohenzoll ...

forces invaded Anhalt-Zerbst during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

in 1758.

Frederick the Great Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...

, who had actually proposed the Russian marriage, accused the princess and her son to support Russia, then his war enemy. Johanna Elisabeth died in Paris in 1760 and her son, Frederick Augustus, never returned to Zerbst and continued to live in Basel and Luxemburg. Upon his death in 1793, the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst came to an end. Nowadays the palace is in critical condition due to a lack of renovation. In 2018, it was sold to an investor from Berlin, who plans to use it as an academy. Gommernkirche.jpg, The Lutheran Church Gommern Herzjesu8.jpg, The Catholic Church

Personalities

Samuel Hahnemann Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann ( , ; 10 April 1755 – 2 July 1843) was a German physician, best known for creating the pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine called homeopathy. Early life Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann w ...

(1755-1843), physician and founder of homeopathy, from 1782 to 1785 physics in the office Gommern * Otto Theodor Alfred Hensel (1889-1966), honorary citizen, mayor of Gommern 1945-1955

References

{{Authority control Jerichower Land