Walternienburg Castle

The first documentary mention of Walthernienburg occurred in 973 in the context of a donation of trade and honey tithes to the Archdiocese of Magdeburg. Just one year later, the associated district was assigned to Quedlinburg Abbey, which enfeoffed the Lords of Arnstein with the castle. It is presumed to have been either an early German or an older Slavic fortification. After the castle lost its strategic role as a border fortification, it served as an administrative seat under the bailiffs of the Counts of Arnstein-Barby. In the 14th century, the keep, still visible today, was erected with a wall thickness of 3.5 meters. The suffix "Walter-" first appeared in 1359 and is attributed to Count Walter II of Arnstein-Barby.