DEUTSCHLAND	GERMANY
Bundesland: Sachsen-Anhalt	Saxony-Anhalt
Landkreis: Salzlandkreis

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Bernburg (Saale) is situated at an elevation of 67 m on the river Saale in Germany's state of Sachsen-Anhalt. Bernburg has a population of about 31,300 (2006) and is the administrative seat of the district Salzlandkreis, which was formed on the 1st of July 2007 out of the former districts Aschersleben-Staßfurt (without Falkenstein/Harz), Bernburg and Schönebeck.

The first mention of Waldau, today part of the munipality of Bernburg, is found in a document of 806 AD; Bernburg itself, or rather its castle was first mentioned in 961. In the 12th century it was in possession of Albrecht 'the Bear', since 1142 the first Margrave of Brandenburg. In 1244 or 1245 Bernburg came in possession of the Prince Bernhard I of Anhalt-Bernburg (older line 1252–1468). At that time, two settlements near the river existed. Both of them were chartered as towns in 1278 (old town and new town). The two towns formed a defense union in 1278 and were finally united in 1561. Between 1624 and 1526 the Reformation was introduced in Bernburg. The princes of Anhalt took their residence in the castle in 1539. In 1603, the Anhalt dynasty was formally divided into five principalities: Anhalt-Dessau, Anhalt-Bernburg, Anhalt-Plötzkau, Anhalt-Zerbst and Anhalt-Köthen. Bernburg was occupied and looted several times by Swedish, Saxon and Imperial troops during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). During the Napoleonic Wars, Bernburg was occupied for a short period by French troops in 1806. In the same year, the Princes of Anhalt-Bernburg were elevated to the rank of Dukes; the two other remaining lines of the house of Anhalt, Anhalt-Dessau and Anhalt-Köthen, also obtained this rank in 1807. When the last Duke of Anhalt-Bernburg, Alexander Karl died in 1863, his country was inherited by the Duke of Anhalt-Dessau-Köthen and the countries were united as the Duchy of Anhalt. After World War I Bernburg was part of the state Anhalt (see map of the Weimar Republic). Between 1937 and 1945 Anhalt was merged with parts of the Province Saxony of the state of Prussia to form the administrative region Magdeburg-Anhalt (see map of the Third Reich). The state of Saxony-Anhalt was reestablished in 1945, but was dissolved into the districts of Halle and Magdeburg in 1952. After the re-unification of Germany in 1990, Bernburg again is part of Sachsen-Anhalt.

The famous Bernburg castle [left], also called 'the Crown of Anhalt', is one of the most important Renaissance residences in Germany. The residence was built between 1538 and 1570 and has remained practically unaltered ever since. The castle keep had already been part of the previous castle that was built by Albrecht 'the Bear' in the 12th century. The keep is frequently also named 'Eulenspiegelturm' because the famous rogue Till Eulenspiegel is said to have been keeper in the castle for some time in the 14th century. Since the 1960s bears are kept in the castle moat. (The coat of arms of the Anhalt dynasty shows a bear, which presumably goes back to the popular nickname of the Askanian Margrave Albrecht I of Brandenburg and also may be the origin of the name Bernburg).