Walternienburg Castle

Walternienburg Castle is a small castle on the Nuthe river near Zerbst, close to Magdeburg in Saxony-Anhalt. Medieval structures include the keep and probably parts of the curtain wall. The former rampart-and-ditch system is clearly visible.

In connection with the donation of trade and honey tithes to the Archdiocese of Magdeburg, Walternienburg was first mentioned in a document as "nigenburg" in 973. A year later, the district ("pagus") "nigenburg" came under the control of Quedlinburg Abbey. Its abbess enfeoffed the Lords of Arnstein with it.

It is not yet clear whether the castle was an early German fortification similar to Loburg or an older Slavic castle. After the complex lost its strategic importance as a border castle, it served as an administrative seat. The Counts of Arnstein-Barby served as bailiffs for Quedlinburg Abbey.

In the 14th century, the keep, which still stands today, was erected. It had a wall thickness of 3.5 meters, and its interior measured two by two meters. In 1359, the prefix "Walter-" first appeared, possibly referring to Count Walter II of Arnstein-Barby. After the extinction of the Counts of Barby, the Walternienburg office was administered by the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst in 1659.

Major reconstruction measures took place in the second half of the 18th century, the result of which shaped the appearance of the castle until the 20th century. From 1815, Walternienburg was in Prussian possession.

After the Second World War, the castle was only used for residential purposes and increasingly fell into disrepair. When there was no longer any use after 1973, the demolition of the castle buildings began in 1988.