Ummendorf Castle

The origins of Ummendorf Castle date back to 1178, when Archbishop Friedrich I of Magdeburg ordered the construction of a border fortification. As early as 1180, the Lords of Ummendorf were mentioned as administrators. In the mid-14th century, the castle came into the possession of the knights Hildebrand and Volbrecht von Oebisfelde, before Archbishop Albert of Magdeburg acquired it in 1389. In the 15th century, the von Veltheim family became the feudal lords; under Ludolf von Veltheim, the castle served as a robber baron's nest, leading to its storming by Magdeburg troops in 1430. Later, from 1463, the castle fell to the von Meyendorff family, who carried out Renaissance-style renovations between 1535 and 1581 and promoted the Reformation in the region. During the Thirty Years' War, the complex was repeatedly occupied and devastated, including in 1623 by Protestant and in 1625 by imperial troops.