Plötzkau Castle

Plötzkau Castle in the town of Plötzkau (Saxony-Anhalt) is a Renaissance castle on the site of a medieval castle of counts. It became known primarily as the residence of Prince Augustus of Anhalt, who made it the smallest sovereign state in the world.
The medieval round castle was first mentioned in documents in 1049. Bernhard von Hecklingen is probably the first count of Plötzkau. He founded a Benedictine monastery in the nearby Kakelingen. It is believed that the establishment of the county was related to the castle policy of Henry IV. His son Dietrich was documented as count of Plötzkau. Helperich, Dietrich's son, received the Northern Mark as a fief from Emperor Henry V in 1112. Due to the uprisings of the Saxon nobility against Henry V, which ended in the defeat of the emperor at the Battle of Welfesholz in 1115, he was unable to assert his claims. Obviously, the family remained closely connected to the imperial house, as Helperich’s son, Konrad, was again granted the Northern Mark in 1130. However, Konrad could not enjoy his possession for long as he fell in 1133 during King Lothar I's campaign in Italy. Konrad's brother Bernhard, the last count of Plötzkau, perished in 1147 in the second crusade.

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