Dretzel Castle

The origins of Dretzel date back to Slavic times and were located in the Wendish Gau Moricane. In the early 10th century, the Frankish King Henry I had a burgward called Dritzele built here to protect the eastern border of his empire. Emperor Otto I later handed Dretzel over to the Archdiocese of Magdeburg, which was first documented in 973. Emperor Henry II also confirmed the archdiocese's ownership rights in 1011. In the 14th century, the squires Henning and Werner von Kracht were enfeoffed with Dretzel and are considered the builders of the first castle. Around 1350, the von Meyendorf family took over the property, followed by Lippold von Arnim in 1553 through an exchange. In 1617, Hans Georg von Arnim sold the castle to Georg von Angern.