Duchy of Anhalt
The Duchy of Anhalt (German: Herzogtum Anhalt) was a historical German duchy. The duchy was located between the Harz Mountains in the west and the River Elbe and beyond to the Fläming Heath in the east. The territory was once ruled by the House of Ascania, and is now part of the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt.
For other uses, see Anhalt (disambiguation).
Duchy of AnhaltHerzogtum Anhalt
- Member of the Confederation of the Rhine
- Member of the German Confederation
- State of the North German Confederation
- State of the German Empire
Dessau (when united)
Duchy
Leopold IV (first)
Joachim Ernst (last)
1806
1863
1918
3,800 km2 (1,500 sq mi)
Geography[edit]
In the west, the land is undulating and in the extreme southwest, where it forms part of the Harz range, mountainous, the Ramberg peak being the tallest at 1900 ft (579 m). From the Harz, the country gently slopes down to the Saale; between this river and the Elbe is fertile country. East of the Elbe, the land is mostly a flat sandy plain, with extensive pine forests, interspersed with bog-land and rich pastures. The Elbe is the chief river, intersecting the eastern portion of the former duchy, from east to west, and at Rosslau is met by the Mulde. The navigable Saale takes a northerly direction through the western portion of the eastern part of the territory and receives, on the right, the Fuhne and, on the left, the Wipper and the Bode.[1]
The climate is generally mild, less so in the higher regions to the south-west. The area of the former duchy is 906 square miles (2,300 km2).[1] The population was 203,354 in 1871[4] and 328,007 in 1905.[1]
The country was divided into the districts of Dessau, Köthen, Zerbst, Bernburg and Ballenstedt with Bernburg being the most, and Ballenstedt the least. Four towns, namely Dessau, Bernburg, Köthen and Zerbst, had populations exceeding 20,000. The inhabitants of the former duchy, who were primarily upper Saxons, belonged, with the exception of about 12,000 Roman Catholics and 1700 Jews, to the Evangelical Church. The supreme ecclesiastical authority was the consistory in Dessau; while a synod of 39 members, elected for six years, assembled at periods to deliberate on internal matters touching the organization of Church of Anhalt. The Roman Catholics were under the Bishop of Paderborn.[1]
Attribution: