Anhalt

The former residence town of the Princes of Anhalt-Bernburg lies in the heart of Saxony-Anhalt, in the Lower Saale Valley Nature Park, about 45 km from the Bauhaus city Dessau-Roßlau.

The historic town of Coswig (Anhalt), charmingly set on the Elbe about 15 km to the West of Wittenberg, is only a stone’s throw away from the Garden Kingdom Dessau-Wörlitz on the opposite shore of the river.

The town city of Dessau-Roßlau is located 35 km from Wittenberg on the edge of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Middle Elbe, nestled in the riverine landscapes of the Mulde and Elbe with their lush forests and meadows. 

In the heart of Anhalt and less than 25 km away from Bauhaus city Dessau, the former residence of the princes and dukes of the Köthen line is waiting to be discovered. 

The charming little town of Wörlitz, only about 10 km bee-line from Wittenberg in the Biosphere Reserve Middle Elbe, looks back on over 1000 years of history. Wörlitz rose to fame in the second half of the 18th century through one of the earliest and most beautiful English landscape parks in continental Europe. Today, the heart of the UNESCO-protected Garden Kingdom Dessau-Wörlitz beats just outside the city.

The small town of Oranienbaum lies only 13 km to the east of the Bauhaus city Dessau in the Biosphere Reserve Middle Elbe. Princess Henriette Catharina of Orange-Nassau turned Oranienbaum, originally a small hamlet in Anhalt called Nischwitz, into what it still is today: a unique gem of Dutch baroque architecture in the middle of Germany.

Between the Elbe and the Fläming, about 20 km from the Bauhaus city Dessau-Roßlau, Zerbst looks back on 1000 years of eventful history. In the first reformed town of Anhalt, Princess Sophie Auguste Friederike von Anhalt-Zerbst, the later “Catherine the Great,” grew up protected by imposing castle walls. Johann Friedrich Fasch, the court conductor of the time, also helped the town achieve musical fame and glory.

Albrecht the Bear, the founder of the principality of Anhalt, had his ancestral seat in Aschersleben, the oldest town in Saxony-Anhalt. On an exciting discovery tour, you will learn why Aschersleben gave the Ascanian dynasty its name.

As the former ancestral seat of the Ascanians (the dynasty of the great Margrave Albrecht the Bear) and the residence of the Dukes of Anhalt-Bernburg, the history of this city has been closely linked to that of Anhalt’s noble family for over 900 years.

The state-recognized resort town of Gernrode on the northern edge of the eastern Harz Mountains, on a charming hill at the foot of the Stubenberg, is famous for the Stiftskirche (abbey church) St. Cyriakus, looking back on over 1,000 years of history. This lovely landmark is visible from quite a distance.

The town of Harzgerode in the middle of the Harz Nature Park comprises 13 districts. The area itself took its name from a small river, the Selke, whose valley boasts a unique flora and fauna. It is often considered one of the most beautiful nature reserves in Germany.

Composer and organ virtuoso (1685-1750)

A woman from Anhalt became Tsarina in Russia

Schöpfer des Gartenreiches Dessau-Wörlitz (1740 - 1817)

Pioneer of aircraft construction (1859-1935)

Architect & Director of the Bauhaus Dessau (1883-1969)