Zerbst () is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in the district of

Anhalt-Bitterfeld Anhalt-Bitterfeld is a district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Its capital is Köthen (Anhalt). Its area is . History This district was established by merging the former districts of Bitterfeld, Köthen and a large part of Anhalt-Zerbst as part ...

, 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 ...

. Until an administrative reform in 2007, Zerbst was the capital of the former Anhalt-Zerbst district.

Geography

Zerbst is situated in the Anhalt-Wittenberg region, with its town centre located on the river Nuthe about northeast of the

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...

, halfway between

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 ...

and

Wittenberg Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is the fourth-largest town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, in the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. It is situated on the River Elbe, north of Leipzig and south-west of the reunified German ...

. With the 1 January 2010 local government reform, the 21 formerly independent communities of the disbanded ''

Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Municipal associations (, , ) are statutory corporations or public bodies created by statute in the German federal states of Bavaria, Saxony, Thuringia, and Schleswig-Holstein. In Baden-Württemberg the term ''stipulated municipal association ...

'' (municipal association) Elbe-Ehle-Nuthe were incorporated into the town. Zerbst today counts about 24,000 inhabitants and, at , is the fifth largest town in Germany by area. The current municipal area stretches from the Elbe in the southwest up to the

Fläming Heath The Fläming Heath () is a region and hill chain that reaches over 100 km from the Elbe river to the Dahme River in the German states Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg. Its highest elevation is the Hagelberg (201 m). The name Fläming originates ...

and the state border with

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

in the northeast.

Divisions

The town Zerbst consists of Zerbst proper and the following 24 ''Ortschaften'' or municipal divisions:Hauptsatzung der Stadt Zerbst/Anhalt
§ 19, May 2021. *Bias * Bornum * Buhlendorf * Deetz * Dobritz *

Gehrden Gehrden () is a town in the Hanover (district), district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately southwest of Hanover and next to the recreation area Deister. Notable people * Werner von Siemens (1816–1892), inve ...

* Gödnitz * Grimme * Güterglück * Hohenlepte *

Jütrichau Jütrichau is a village and a former municipality in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Zerbst Zerbst () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, town in the district of A ...

Leps SPring-8 (an acronym of Super Photon Ring – 8 GeV) is a synchrotron radiation facility located in Sayo Town, Sayo District, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, which is the main facility of Harima Science Garden City. It was developed jointly by RIKEN ...

Lindau Lindau (, ''Lindau am Bodensee''; ; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Lindou'') is a major Town#Germany, town and Lindau (island), island on the eastern side of Lake Constance (''Bodensee'' in German) in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital ...

*Luso * Moritz * Nedlitz * Nutha *

Polenzko Polenzko is a village and a former municipality in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Zerbst Zerbst () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, town in the district of An ...

*Pulspforde * Reuden * Steutz * Straguth * Walternienburg * Zernitz

History

In the 8th century the area east of the Elbe was settled by

Polabian Slavs Polabian Slavs, also known as Elbe Slavs and more broadly as Wends, is a collective term applied to a number of Lechites, Lechitic (West Slavs, West Slavic) tribes who lived scattered along the Elbe river in what is today eastern Germany. The ...

(

Sorbs Sorbs (; ; ; ; ; also known as Lusatians, Lusatian Serbs and Wends) are a West Slavs, West Slavic ethnic group predominantly inhabiting the parts of Lusatia located in the German states of Germany, states of Saxony and Brandenburg. Sorbs tradi ...

). Part of the border region with the adjacent

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

region around Magdeburg in the west, it was incorporated into the '' Gau Ciervisti'' of the

Saxon Eastern March The Saxon Eastern March () was a march of the Holy Roman Empire from the 10th until the 12th century. The term "eastern march" stems from the Latin term ''marchia Orientalis'' and originally could refer to either a march created on the eastern fr ...

(''

Marca Geronis The ''Marca Geronis'' or March of Gero was a vast marches, super-march in the middle of the tenth century. It was probably created for Thietmar, Margrave of Merseburg, Thietmar in the 920s and passed consecutively to his two sons, Siegfried, Margra ...

'') about 937 in the course of the German ''

Ostsiedlung (, ) is the term for the Early Middle Ages, early medieval and High Middle Ages, high medieval migration of Germanic peoples and Germanisation of the areas populated by Slavs, Slavic, Balts, Baltic and Uralic languages, Uralic peoples; the ...

''.

It is not clear when Zerbst was founded; however, the name ''Ciervisti'' mentioned as early as 949 may already refer to a fortified Slavic settlement. The chronicles by Prince-Bishop Thietmar of Merseburg recorded the first mention of a town as ''Zirwisti urbs'' in 1018, giving an account of the occupation by the Polish duke Bolesław I Chrobry during the German–Polish War with King

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

in 1007. In the early 12th century the Ascanian ruler

Albert the Bear Albert the Bear (; 1100 – 18 November 1170) was the first margrave of Brandenburg from 1157 to his death and was briefly duke of Saxony between 1138 and 1142. Life Albert was the only son of Otto, Count of Ballenstedt, and Eilika of Sa ...

had the fortress rebuilt, and the adjacent settlement was first fortified with town walls about 1250. In 1307 Prince Albert I of

Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a 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 8th-largest state in Germany by area an ...

acquired the city of Zerbst from the Barby comital family, starting a centuries-long rule by the Ascanian princely House of Anhalt. His descendants continued to rule the

Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst Anhalt-Zerbst was a Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, principality of the Holy Roman Empire ruled by the House of Ascania, with its residence at Zerbst in present-day Saxony-Anhalt. It emerged as a subdivision of the Principality of Anhalt from 1 ...

until in 1396 it was divided between Prince Sigismund I and his brother Albert IV, and the residence was moved to

Dessau Dessau is a district of the independent city of Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the ''States of Germany, Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Until 1 July 2007, it was an independent ...

. In 1375 Zerbster Bitterbier was first mentioned; by the Middle Ages the town had 600 breweries. Zerbst Schlossruine

Following the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

Zerbst became a

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

centre. From 1582 to 1798 the ''Francisceum Gymnasium Illustre'' was an important Calvinist college. From 1603 to 1793 Zerbst again was the residence of the Anhalt-Zerbst princes, whose rule included among others also the Lordship of

Jever Jever () is the capital of the district of Friesland (district), Friesland in Lower Saxony, Germany. The name Jever is usually associated with a major brand of beer, Jever Pilsener, which is produced there. The city is also a popular holiday res ...

East Frisia East Frisia () or East Friesland (; ; ; ) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisia (peninsula), East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia and to the ...

. From 1722 to 1758, the Baroque composer

Johann Friedrich Fasch Johann Friedrich Fasch (15 April 1688 – 5 December 1758) was a German violinist and composer. Much of his music is in the Baroque-Classical transitional style known as galant. Life Fasch was born in the town of Buttelstedt, 11 km north of W ...

resided there and was employed as a '' Hofkomponist'' and later '' Hofkapellmeister''. To honour his memory, the Fasch Festivals have taken place in the city since 1983. In 1745 Princess Sophie Auguste Friederike of Anhalt-Zerbst married Peter, Crown Prince of Russia, the heir apparent to the

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n throne. As

Catherine II Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III ...

(the Great) she herself reigned as Empress of

from until ). In 1797 Zerbst became a component of the

Principality of Anhalt-Dessau Anhalt-Dessau was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire and later a duchy of the German Confederation. Ruled by the House of Ascania, it was created in 1396 following the partition of the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst, and finally merged into th ...

. From 1891 to 1928 a horse-drawn tram was operated in Zerbst, one of the longest surviving among such tram in Germany. In the later part of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

a Nazi labour camp was established on the edge of the military airfield, housing so-called " First-degree Hybrids" and "Jüdisch Versippte" (i.e., people with some Jewish blood, enough in Nazi terms to justify badly mistreating them but not killing them outright). 700 inmates from there were used for hard labour in road and airport construction as well as peat digging. On 16 April 1945 – just a few weeks before the final surrender of Nazi Germany – some eighty percent of Zerbst was destroyed in an Allied air raid. The old town was rebuilt in the following decades resulting in a fundamental change of the townscape, as only a few historical structures were preserved or reconstructed. On 1 July 2006, the town of Zerbst was renamed Zerbst/Anhalt. A year later, on 1 July 2007, the town of Zerbst/Anhalt was incorporated together with several other municipalities of the Zerbst administrative district, creating the renewed

administrative district with its capital at Köthen.

Local council

Elections in May 2014Endgültiges Wahlergebnis der Kommunalwahl in Sachsen-Anhalt am 25. Mai 2014
(pdf)

Mayors

*since July 2012: Andreas Dittmann (SPD) *1990-2012: Helmut Behrendt (FDP)

Notable people

Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

, (1729–1796), later Empress of Russia, lived at Zerbst Castle for some time *

Peter Hagendorf Peter Hagendorf was a German mercenary soldier in the Thirty Years' War. He wrote a diary which gives a unique historic record of life in the army from the viewpoint of a simple Landsknecht. Current research relates the book author to Peter Ha ...

, (exact life data unknown), mercenary in the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, possibly born in Zerbst * Charles, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst (1652–1718), ruling prince for 44 years * John Augustus, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst (1677–1742), ruling prince *

(1688–1758), composer * Friedrich Joachim Stengel (1694–1787), architect * Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch (1736–1800), composer and harpsichordist * Heinrich Ritter (1791–1869), philosopher * Hermann Raster (1827–1891), editor and political figure * Jenny Hirsch (1829–1902), author and reformer *

Paul Kummer Paul Kummer (22 August 1834 – 6 December 1912) was a Minister (Christianity), minister, teacher, and scientist in Zerbst, Germany, known chiefly for his contribution to mycological botanical nomenclature, nomenclature. Earlier Taxonomy (biology), ...

(1834–1912), minister, teacher, and scientist * Karl Ludwig Schröder (1877–1940), screenwriter and film agent * Leopold Bürkner (1894–1975), Deputy Admiral in the Second World War, short-time head of protocol of the government of Karl Donitz in 1945 * Siegfried Fink (1928–2006), percussionist, composer and professor * Detlef Raugust (born 1954), footballer * Ute Rührold (born 1954), luger * Uwe Ampler (born 1964), cyclist

References

External links

* {{Authority control Anhalt-Bitterfeld Fläming Heath Holocaust locations in Germany Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst