Rabenstein Castle

Between 1209 and 1212, Rabenstein Castle was built to secure the crossing over the Plane river on the road between Wittenberg and Brandenburg an der Havel. It was first documented in 1251 and 1277. In 1296, Duke Albrecht II of Saxony-Wittenberg stayed at the castle. In 1298, the complex was first besieged by Margrave Hermann III of Brandenburg. In 1377, the village of Raben, located below the castle, received its first documentary mention. In 1395, renewed military conflicts occurred, with Rabenstein being set on fire by Magdeburgian troops. By 1428, the castle administered 14 villages and the territory of 17 deserted settlements. After several changes of ownership, including the von Oppen family, the castle passed into Electorate of Saxony possession in 1482. In 1625, Professor Unruh from Wittenberg acquired the complex, but it was plundered by Swedish troops in 1636 during the Thirty Years' War. Following further changes of ownership, including the Leyser, Loesecke, Laue, and Grust families, Marshal Carl August von Stangen acquired the castle in 1786, before it passed to the ducal family of Anhalt-Dessau in 1802/1804.