Gommern Castle

As early as the 10th century, a Slavic rampart stood on an artificially created hill at the site of the present-day castle. From 948 onwards, a new castle complex was built there, consisting of an outer and inner bailey, to secure the German conquest. This was reinforced with ramparts and double moats. The still-preserved keep was constructed with three-meter-thick walls and measures about ten meters in diameter. In 1578, the Saxon Elector August ordered the demolition of large parts of the castle and commissioned master builder Paul Buchner to convert it into a hunting lodge. For this purpose, quartzite quarry stones from local quarries and material from the dismantled Plötzky Monastery were used. The keep received a spiral staircase and a Welsch cap.