Giebichenstein Castle

Giebichenstein Castle stands on a rocky outcrop above the Saale river in Halle (Saale), Saxony-Anhalt. It began as a burgward in the 9th century and became a royal residence for Emperor Otto I, who gave it to the Archbishopric of Magdeburg in 968. The castle served as a place of death or lying in state for three bishops and was used by King Henry II as a state prison for high nobility. Notable prisoners included Henry of Schweinfurt and Ezzo of Este. In 1064, Henry IV visited, and in 1157, Frederick I Barbarossa held an assembly of princes there.

The castle’s transformation into a sovereign territory of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg occurred under Archbishop Wichmann between 1154 and 1192. During his tenure, a gate tower, curtain wall, and southern tower were built. In 1215, King Frederick II besieged the castle during a conflict with Otto IV of the Welf dynasty. After Magdeburg’s archbishops left the city, Giebichenstein became their principal residence in 1382, remaining so until they moved to Moritzburg in 1503.

The lower castle was built between 1445 and 1464 under Archbishops Günther II and Friedrich III. It features a curtain wall with flanking towers, a moat, and a granary built during Archbishop Johannes’s reign. By 1500, the residential buildings were repurposed for economic use, including a brewhouse and distillery. In 1706, a baroque manor house was constructed, and a stone bridge was added. Today, the lower castle houses the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design, founded in 1915 as an alternative to the Bauhaus.