Burg Roßlau: A Moated Castle in Germany
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.5
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Germany
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Holy Roman Empire
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page11 sections
History
Burg Roßlau is a moated castle in Germany, located in Roßlau, now part of Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt. Its oldest parts date from the twelfth century, while examination of the masonry establishes that construction took place before 1400. The castle replaced an earlier Slavic fortified settlement and developed as a lowland stronghold surrounded by three moats.
Medieval origins
The first building phase consisted of a residential tower and a curtain wall, a defensive wall enclosing the castle. Two further buildings were added later, although only slight foundation traces survive. The circular castle became the seat of the von Schlichting ministerial family. In the medieval period, ministeriales were officials who served a prince, count, or other lord and could hold administrative or military duties while forming part of the lower nobility.
Burg Roßlau came into the possession of the Princes of Anhalt in 1348. It was first recorded in 1358 as “rozlowe dat hus,” when the Princes of Anhalt bought it back from the Counts of Lindau. The castle was subsequently expanded substantially during the sixteenth century.
Princely residence and changing use
From the middle of the seventeenth century, the castle declined in importance after the Princes of Anhalt-Zerbst moved to Zerbst Castle. Anhalt-Zerbst was a branch of the princely House of Anhalt. In 1740, a hunting lodge was built beside Burg Roßlau and connected to it by a bridge.
The castle and lodge changed ownership after the Anhalt-Zerbst line became extinct in 1793 and the Anhalt-Köthen line ended in 1847. Duke Heinrich of Anhalt-Köthen renewed interest in the complex during the nineteenth century and ordered renovations between 1836 and 1838, allowing it to serve again as a seat of lordship. From the middle of the nineteenth century, the hunting lodge housed a ducal district forester’s office.
Fire, reuse, and protection
Burg Roßlau burned out completely in 1870. Apartments were installed again in 1923 and 1924, remaining in use until 1986. After the Second World War, the municipal cadastral office also occupied the complex. The castle, hunting lodge, and grounds are now unused and legally protected as historic monuments. A support association was established to promote their future use.
Remains
Burg Roßlau survives as a circular water castle in a built-up setting at approximately 58 metres above sea level. Its plan was enclosed by three water-filled moats. The complex retains a gatehouse, defensive wall, inner courtyard, and a smaller château or lodge structure, while the hunting lodge stands nearby and remains connected to the castle by a bridge. Significant portions of the buildings survive despite the 1870 fire and later renovation.
Castle structures
Residential tower and defensive enclosure
The earliest medieval arrangement included a representative residential tower and a surrounding curtain wall. These elements formed the core of the fortified residence, whose circular plan and three moats established its defensive layout. Two later buildings are known through minimal foundation remains, preserving evidence of changes to the medieval complex.
Gatehouse and inner courtyard
The surviving castle complex includes a gatehouse, defensive wall, and inner courtyard. Together, these features express the organization of the water castle around an enclosed central space. The buildings have undergone renovation after the complete fire of 1870, and the grounds are currently not in use.
Hunting lodge and archaeological finds
Hunting lodge
The hunting lodge was built near the castle in 1740 and linked to it by a bridge. It later served as the office of a ducal district forester from the middle of the nineteenth century. The lodge forms a separate but connected part of the surviving complex.
Heating installation and recovered objects
Within the castle, excavations revealed a medieval warm-air heating system. The installation used a stone chamber to heat air and circulate it through parts of the building, providing an early form of central heating. Excavations on the grounds also recovered medieval objects, including a chess piece and a gold ring known as the Roßlau fidelity ring. The ring is considered probably one of the oldest wedding rings in Germany.
Nearby sites
