Egeln Castle

The first mention of Egeln dates back to 941, when King Otto I granted lands to Siegfried, the son of Margrave Gero. A fort mentioned there protected an important Bode ford where trade routes converged. As this fort hindered the settlement's development, the Ascanians built a new castle in the 10th/11th century, around which a planned new town developed. In 1250, the nobles of Hadmersleben conquered the castle, made it their main residence, and henceforth called themselves Lords of Egeln. They fortified the town and granted it market and town rights. In 1259, they founded the Marienstuhl Monastery on the site of the old fort. After the death of Count Curd von Hadmersleben in 1416, Egeln fell to the Cathedral Chapter of Magdeburg in 1418, which converted the castle into a palace and used it as a summer residence.