Anhalt-Zerbst was a district in Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts Potsdam-Mittelmark

Potsdam-Mittelmark

Potsdam-Mittelmark is a Kreis in the western part of Brandenburg, Germany. Neighboring are the district Havelland, the district free cities Brandenburg and Potsdam, the Bundesland Berlin, the district Teltow-Fläming, and the districts Wittenberg, Anhalt-Bitterfeld and Jerichower Land in...

 (Brandenburg

Brandenburg

Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...

) and Wittenberg

Wittenberg (district)

Wittenberg is a district in the east of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Neighboring districts are Anhalt-Bitterfeld, the district-free city of Dessau-Roßlau, the districts of Potsdam-Mittelmark, Teltow-Fläming and Elbe-Elster in Brandenburg, and the district of Nordsachsen in the Free State of Saxony.-...

, the city of Dessau

Dessau

Dessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Roßlau. Population of Dessau proper: 77,973 .-Geography:...

 and the districts of Köthen

Köthen (district)

Köthen was a district in the middle of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Neighboring districts were Anhalt-Zerbst, Schönebeck, Anhalt-Zerbst, the district-free city Dessau,Bitterfeld, Saalkreis and Bernburg.- History :...

, Schönebeck

Schönebeck (district)

Schönebeck was a district in the middle of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Neighboring districts are the district-free city Magdeburg, the districts Jerichower Land, Anhalt-Zerbst, Köthen, Bernburg, Aschersleben-Staßfurt and Bördekreis.- History :The district was created on July 1, 1816, with the capital...

 and Jerichower Land

Jerichower Land

Jerichower Land is a district in the north-east of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Neighboring districts are Anhalt-Bitterfeld, Salzlandkreis, the district-free city Magdeburg, Börde, Stendal, and the districts Havelland and Potsdam-Mittelmark in Brandenburg.- History :In 1816, the area of the district...

.

History

While Zerbst is a small town today, it once was together with Dessau

Dessau

Dessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Roßlau. Population of Dessau proper: 77,973 .-Geography:...

 one of the two central cities of Anhalt

Anhalt

Anhalt was a sovereign county in Germany, located between the Harz Mountains and the river Elbe in Middle Germany. It now forms part of the state of Saxony-Anhalt.- Dukes of Anhalt :...

. When the state of Anhalt was dissolved in 1603, one of the successor states was the principality of Anhalt-Zerbst

Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst

Anhalt-Zerbst was a principality located in Germany. It was established for the first time in 1252 following the partition of the principality of Anhalt. The capital of the state was located at Zerbst. Anhalt-Zerbst ceased to exist in 1396 when it was partitioned between Anhalt-Dessau and...

. It was a small state with almost no political power. In 1793 the line of the princes became extinct, and Anhalt-Zerbst was annexed by the neighbouring principality of Anhalt-Dessau.

The present district was established in 1994 by merging the former districts of Zerbst and Roßlau with parts of the former district of Gräfenhainichen. Its borders are roughly identical with the ancient principality.

Catherine II of Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 was by birth a princess of Anhalt-Zerbst.

Geography

Anhalt-Zerbst comprises plain countryside north of the Elbe

Elbe

The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...

 River. The Elbe enters the district in the east, runs through the southeastern part and then forms the southern and western border of Anhalt-Zerbst. The Elbe banks within the district are part of the Biosphere Reserve Middle Elbe

Biosphere Reserve Middle Elbe

The Middle Elbe Biosphere Reserve is a Biosphere Reserve in the German Federal state Saxony-Anhalt.The Middle Elbe reserve is a 430 square kilometre protected reserve, and is the largest protected region in Saxony-Anhalt . It extends along the Elbe river, between Wittenberg in the east, via...

. The north is occupied by the southern portions of the Fläming

Fläming

The Fläming Heath is a region and a hill chain that reaches over 100 km from the Elbe river to the Dahme River in the German states Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg. Its highest elevation is the Hagelberg...

 plateau.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms displays: top left and bottom right: three red roses, the arms of the former principality of Anhalt-Zerbst centre: a black bear on a red wall, symbolising Albert I of Brandenburg Albert I of Brandenburg Albert the Bear was the first Margrave of Brandenburg from 1157 to his death and was briefly Duke of Saxony between 1138 and 1142.-Life:...  (called "Albert the Bear"), who ruled the region in the 12th century top right and bottom left: the heraldic eagle of the county of Lindau, which existed in the region in the 14th century

Towns and municipalities

Towns

Verwaltungsgemeinschaften

Roßlau Roßlau Roßlau is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, part of the town Dessau-Roßlau. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, here crossed by two railway bridges, 3 m. by rail N. of Dessau and 35 m. S.E. of Magdeburg. Pop. 13,939... Zerbst Zerbst Zerbst is a town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until the administrative reform of 2007, Zerbst was the capital of the Anhalt-Zerbst district. Since the 1 January 2010 local government reform, Zerbst has about 24,000 inhabitants.It is not clear when was it founded;...

Coswig Coswig, Anhalt Coswig is a town in the district of Wittenberg of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, approx. 12 km west of Wittenberg, and 15 km east of Dessau.- History :...  (incl. town Coswig) Elbe-Ehle-Nuthe Elbe-Ehle-Nuthe Elbe-Ehle-Nuthe was a Verwaltungsgemeinschaft in the Anhalt-Bitterfeld district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was situated on the right bank of the Elbe, around Zerbst, which was the seat of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft, but not part of it. It was named after the three rivers Elbe, Ehle, and...  (incl. towns Lindau Lindau (Anhalt) Lindau is a small town and a former municipality in the district Anhalt-Bitterfeld in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is part of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Elbe-Ehle-Nuthe. It is situated near Zerbst on the river Nuthe in the landscape and low mountain rage Fläming and Fläming Nature Park...  and Loburg Loburg Loburg is a town and former municipality in the Jerichower Land district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Ehle, north of Zerbst. Since 1 January 2009, it is part of the town Möckern.... ) Wörlitzer Winkel Wörlitzer Winkel Wörlitzer Winkel was a Verwaltungsgemeinschaft in the Wittenberg district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was situated on the left bank of the Elbe, east of Dessau. The seat of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft was in Oranienbaum...  (incl. towns Oranienbaum Oranienbaum, Germany ' is a former town and a former municipality in the district of Wittenberg, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Oranienbaum-Wörlitz...  and Wörlitz Wörlitz ' is a town and a former municipality in the district of Wittenberg, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Oranienbaum-Wörlitz. It is situated on the left bank of the Elbe, east of Dessau... )

External links

• Official Website (German)
• Map of Saxony and Anhalt in 1789