Zerbst Castle: Residence of the Princes of Anhalt-Zerbst
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.3
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Germany
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Holy Roman Empire
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Palace
On this page15 sections
History
Zerbst Castle in Germany is a former princely residence in Zerbst, built by the Anhalt Askanian dynasty and transformed into a Baroque palace from 1681 onward. It served as the residence of the Princes of Anhalt-Zerbst from the late seventeenth century until the line became extinct in 1793. The palace was also the childhood home of Catherine the Great, who was born Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst before her marriage to the future Russian emperor.
Medieval origins and Anhalt rule
The earliest castle on the site was a Slavic water castle of the twelfth century, first mentioned in 1196. Albrecht the Bear, an Askanian nobleman and the first margrave of Brandenburg, later ordered a new castle to be built in its place. The margraves of Brandenburg enfeoffed the Lords of Barby with the castle, the town, and the surrounding territory. In 1307, Albrecht I of Anhalt acquired this fief, bringing Zerbst under the rule of the Anhalt Askanian line, a branch of the dynasty that controlled Anhalt and also held the Brandenburg margraviate.
Following later divisions of the Anhalt territories, Johann IV received Anhalt-Zerbst as an independent principality in 1544. The castle then served as a residence for several branches of the family. Each branch altered and enlarged its own accommodation within the shared castle enclosure, producing a complex of separate residences rather than a single uniform palace.
Decline and Baroque transformation
By 1603, the castle was almost derelict and required costly repairs. Its high tower was demolished in 1618. The complex survived the Thirty Years’ War, the major European conflict fought between 1618 and 1648, with little damage, but poor maintenance during the following century left it largely uninhabitable by the end of the seventeenth century.
Prince Charles William decided to replace the deteriorated complex with a modern residence and commissioned the Dutch architect Cornelis Ryckwaert. The foundation stone was laid on 31 May 1681. Structural work on the main building was complete by 1689, while decoration and extensions continued until its inauguration on 23 June 1696. The project was valued at 57,000 talers at the time of the inauguration.
Ryckwaert’s successor, Giovanni Simonetti, built the west wing between 1703 and 1706, and work on the castle chapel continued until 1719. The central projection of the main building was enlarged into a tower in 1721. The last remains of the earlier castle were removed in 1743, and construction of the east wing began in 1744. Its shell was complete by 1746, giving the palace its intended three-wing form. Building continued until work stopped in 1758.
The princely residence and its later uses
Zerbst was the childhood home of Catherine the Great, empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. In 1744, Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst was selected to marry the heir to the Russian imperial throne. In the same period, her younger brother, Prince Frederick Augustus, ruled Anhalt-Zerbst. After a dispute with Frederick the Great, king of Prussia from 1740 to 1786, Frederick Augustus fled to Basel in 1758. Construction at the unfinished palace was not resumed.
After the Anhalt-Zerbst line died out in 1793, the castle stood mostly empty. The Ducal House and State Archives moved into the principal residential block, or corps de logis, in 1872. A fire destroyed the tower in 1881, but it was later restored to its former appearance. The Castle Museum opened in 1921, while municipal institutions, including the Zerbst tax office, occupied other vacant rooms.
Destruction and conservation
Allied bombing on 16 April 1945, during the final weeks of the Second World War, caused the castle to burn out completely. The fire destroyed the interiors, museum exhibits, and State Archive documents. Although reconstruction on the surviving foundations was considered technically possible, the Communist authorities of East Germany rejected it for political reasons. The corps de logis and west wing were subsequently demolished, leaving the ruined east wing and a small fragment of the main residential block.
The Friends of Zerbst Castle began securing and reconstructing the ruins in 2005. Their stated objective is a faithful restoration of the east wing’s exterior. A new overall reconstruction concept was presented in 2016, and conservation and reconstruction work remains ongoing.
Remains
Zerbst Castle survives chiefly as the ruined east wing and a small section of the corps de logis, the principal residential block of the palace. The Baroque complex was planned with three wings around a formal ceremonial forecourt, following Dutch architectural models. Northern parts of the medieval castle were demolished to make room for the palace, and their debris was used as foundation fill. Sections of the earlier castle on the south side were incorporated into the new building.
Medieval fortifications
Water castle enclosure
The medieval castle consisted of a front castle and a main castle enclosed by a fortification wall and moat. By the sixteenth century, the enclosure contained separate residences for different branches of the ruling family. The free-standing bell tower now associated with the adjacent Church of St. Bartholomew began as part of these medieval defensive works.
Baroque palace remains
East wing
The east wing was built on the area cleared when the remaining medieval structures were demolished. Its exterior was completed by 1758, although its second floor remained undecorated until the Castle Museum was established in 1921. The interiors were designed in the Frederician Rococo style, a lighter decorative style with detailed ornament. They included an elaborate multi-flight staircase with wrought-iron Rococo railings, reportedly designed by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff.
Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, the east wing has been protected by a new roof. Some windows and doors have been reinstated, and repaired interior rooms have hosted exhibitions of artefacts found during renovation work. Stair flights are being reconstructed from surviving examples. In 2021, archaeologists found pieces of tableware and kitchenware in basement rooms, together with food remains including oyster shells. These objects relate to the final days of the Second World War.
West wing and castle chapel
The west wing, built between 1703 and 1706, contained the castle chapel. It was later demolished after the palace was destroyed in 1945 and reconstruction was rejected in the postwar period.
Central building and tower
The central projection of the main palace building was enlarged into a tower in 1721. A Baroque dome formed part of this later design. The tower burned in 1881 and was restored, but the central building was largely demolished after the wartime destruction. A small fragment of the corps de logis survives.
Associated buildings and grounds
Former riding school
The former riding school beside the castle is a Baroque building constructed in 1724. It originally served as a covered riding arena and now functions as an indoor event space.
Castle park and outbuildings
Parts of the former castle park and several outbuildings survive within the grounds. The park was created around 1798 as a French formal garden. After its geometric Baroque elements and lawns were neglected, it was converted into a landscaped park, and the original layout became indistinct.
