The Ackeburg , also called the Ackenburg , in the Harz Mountains of central Germany, is the site of a high medieval hill castle , 333.2 m above sea level (NN) , in the borough of Falkenstein/Harz in Harz district in the state of Saxony-Anhalt . It was first mentioned in 1216 and was abandoned or destroyed in 1400. There was also a village associated with it, known as Akkeburg .
16-638: The ruins of the Ackeburg are located in the eastern part of that region of the Harz known as Mansfeld Land between Mägdesprung (north of Harzgerode) and Meisdorf (southwest of Falkenstein/Harz ) on a rocky ridge ( 333.2 m above sea level (NN) ) high above the valley of the River Selke on its northern flank. It lies in the forested country of the Harz/Saxony-Anhalt Nature Park within
32-552: A rocky eminence. Above that, in the direction of the highest point of that rise, was an inner ward, about 11 metres across. Today only parts of the neck ditch and transverse rampart are visible. The Ackeburg may be reached on woodland paths from Meisdorf, including the Meisdorfer Trift that runs past the Eckartsberg ( 330.5 m above NN ) and Wilhelmsberg ( 329.8 m above NN ) hills and finally up
48-618: The Lumpenstieg trail. About 100 metres south-southeast of the ruins lies the Selkesicht ("Selke View") viewing point (ca. 330 m above NN ; 51°41′7.31″N 11°15′16.11″E / 51.6853639°N 11.2544750°E / 51.6853639; 11.2544750 ; with its picnic site), which is no. 204 in the system of checkpoints in the Harzer Wandernadel hiking network. From there there are views into
64-673: The Selke Valley ( Selketal ) nature reserve about 3.7 km southwest of the village church of Meisdorf. About 1.2 km to the southwest of the Ackeburg is the site of the Old Falkenstein Castle ( Burg Alter Falkenstein ) and, circa 1 km southeast lies Falkenstein Castle (New Falkenstein) – both on the far side of the Selke valley. The Ackeburg was first mentioned in 1216 A.D. "as
80-484: The Selke valley and of Falkenstein Castle (New Falkenstein) high on a ridge on the other side. The Selke flows under the Akkeburg Bridge ( 207.6 m above NN ) south of the viewing point at an elevation of about 205 m; thus the viewing point is about 125 metres above the river. Like the castle, the Selkesicht viewing point may also be reached via the Lumpenstieg trail, which drops steeply into
96-592: The Selke valley from a point a little further east down to the inn of Zum Falken , where it meets the Selke Valley Trail and the E11 European long distance path . Mansfeld Land Mansfeld Land ( German : Mansfelder Land ) is a region in the southwestern corner of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt . The region derives its name from the counts of Mansfeld , who ruled this region for about 1,000 years. In
112-458: The county reform of 2007, Mansfeld Land – after several years as the independent county of Mansfelder Land – has belonged to the county of Mansfeld-Südharz . The extent of Mansfeld Land described above is roughly identical with the former County of Mansfeld. Located not far from the Halle-Leipzig industrial region and the heavily industrial province of Halle , Mansfeld Land was one of
128-581: The district Delitzsch in Saxony , and the district Merseburg-Querfurt . The district-free city Halle is nearly surrounded by the district. The main river of the district is the Saale , which also gave it its name. Other rivers and streams flowing through the former district are the Laweke , Würde , Kabelske , Strengbach and Götsche . Whilst the western part of the region is dominated by hillocks and dissecting valleys,
144-582: The houses where the Reformer was born and died. The town of Mansfeld was - as regards Luther - always rather overshadowed by the larger Eisleben; after the Wende Mansfeld was allowed to bear the official name: "Mansfeld-Lutherstadt". Today, on the remaining stretch of railway line from Klostermansfeld to Hettstadt via Siersleben, trains of the old Mansfeld Mining Railway recall formerly busy operations on this narrow gauge industrial railway that linked all
160-898: The most important industrial conurbations in East Germany. Copper mining and the smelting of copper and its roughly 80 accessory metals played a major role. All copper mining, processing and manufacturing firms in the whole of East Germany were operated under the umbrella of the Mansfeld combine, Wilhelm Pieck , which also ran the Mansfeld Mining Railway . Prior to that it was the Mansfeld Company for Mining and Smelting ( Mansfeld AG für Bergbau und Hüttenbetrieb ). The closure of mines and smelteries that had been working for almost eight hundred years resulted in an abrupt change to this monostructured economic area whose problems were exacerbated by
176-502: The official "nickname" of the Luther town ( Lutherstadt ). That takes into account the fact that Martin Luther was born here shortly before his parents moved the few kilometres to Mansfeld. Coincidentally, Luther died in his native town, where he was staying to mediate a dispute between the counts of Mansfeld (one branch of whom maintained a town castle in Eisleben). Tourist attractions include
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#1732851608951192-534: The political changes of 1989/90. And newly created business parks and the remediation of contaminated sites did not bring the expected economic recovery. The region has the right environment for recreational and cultural tourism around the lake of Süßer See south of Eisleben and in the Harz Foreland and the Luther memorial sites in the Lutheran towns of Eisleben and Mansfeld . Since 1946 the town of Eisleben has had
208-439: The seat of the castellans of the counts of Falkenstein" . From 1400, however, it appears to have been abandoned, like the former village of Akkeburg that was sited at or near the castle and, of which, nothing has survived. The owners of the castle were the "lords of Ackeburg" . The castle, which comprised inner and outer wards with a neck ditch and several ramparts , had an inner ward about 30 metres in diameter standing on
224-436: The shafts, numerous smelteries and other premises of the Mansfeld combine. In addition to its very wide-ranging goods traffic, the mining railway also ran passenger services - and primarily commuter services for the workers. Saalkreis Saalkreis was a district ( Kreis ) in the south of Saxony-Anhalt , Germany . Neighboring districts were (from west clockwise) Mansfelder Land , Bernburg , Köthen , Bitterfeld ,
240-582: The west and northwest, Mansfeld Land covered the eastern foothills of the Harz Mountains and is bounded in the east by the River Saale . To the north and south the territories of the two former county towns of Eisleben and Hettstedt form the boundary, whilst the territories of Sangerhausen and the town of Mansfeld form the border in the southwest to west. Until the Second World War , Mansfeld Land
256-443: Was made up of the counties of Mansfelder Gebirgskreis (roughly northwest of a line from Annarode via Siersleben to Gerbstedt) and Mansfelder Seekreis (villages southeast of the line). After the foundation of East Germany, these 2 counties were disbanded and transferred to the counties of Hettstedt and Eisleben , small areas of Mansfeld Land in the west went to Sangerhausen and in the south to Saalkreis and Querfurt . Since
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