Köthen Castle

The original medieval moated castle burned down in 1547 (the guilty party was a negligent court baker). Following the division of the Duchy of Anhalt in 1606, the local sovereign Ludwig commissioned the ensemble existing today with its characteristic tower hoods. The third tower dates to 1826 and was constructed at the same time as the Ferdinandbau.

With the end of the Köthen line of nobles, the fate of the house also changed. A grammar school moved in, and a purpose-built prison, demolished in 1993, was erected on the castle grounds. Today, visitors direct their steps to the castle to visit the museums, among them the Naumann Museum, established in 1835 and unique in the world as a museum of ornithology in the Biedermeier style.

Just as family-friendly as this museum is the Prehistoric Collection, where children in particular will get excited by the “Adventure Archaeology”. In the Historical Museum, friends of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach - who spent six years at the court of Prince Leopold - will find what they are looking for, as will the admirers of Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy, who spent 14 years in Köthen.

Another attraction is the “German Language Experience” (Erlebniswelt Deutsche Sprache”) of the New Fruitbearing Society (Neue Fruchtbringende Gesellschaft). But the highlight of any tour of the castle is the Hall of Mirrors, once the throne room and now a venue for special concerts, renovated in 2018. On a smaller scale, such concerts also take place in the baroque castle chapel, very popular for wedding ceremonies.

The hub for all visitors is the Köthen-Information in the Ludwigsbau, offering everything from souvenirs to entrance tickets to help with plans for private tours of the city.