Wettin, Saxony-Anhalt

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Wettin
Coat of arms Location
Coat of arms of Wettin
Wettin, Saxony-Anhalt (Germany)
Wettin, Saxony-Anhalt
Administration
Country Flag of Germany Germany
State Saxony-Anhalt
District Saalekreis
Municipal assoc. Saalkreis Nord
Town subdivisions 4
Mayor Dorette Koch
Basic statistics
Area 16.95 km² (6.5 sq mi)
Elevation 73 m  (240 ft)
Population 2,076  (31/12/2006)
 - Density 122 /km² (317 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate SK
Postal code 06198
Area code 034607
Website www.wettin.de
Location of the town of Wettin within Saalekreis district
Map

Coordinates: 51°34′59″N 11°48′0″E / 51.58306, 11.8

Wettin is a small town in the kreis (district) of Saalekreis in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is located on the River Saale close to Halle and Leipzig. Wettin is part of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Saalkreis Nord and has about two thousand inhabitants.

First documented in 961, Wettin became part of the Duchy of Magdeburg in 1680 and the Province of Saxony in 1815. Administered within Bezirk Halle while in East Germany, it became part of Saxony-Anhalt during German reunification.

Wettin is the home of the House of Wettin, who reigned in Upper Saxony for over 800 years. They were kings of Poland and had many famous descendants, such as Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and August der Starke (August the Strong).

A large castle, the former family seat of the House of Wettin, is now a school. This school, the Burggymnasium is famous for its art classes.

In Mücheln (a small village, now part of Wettin) is an old chapel of the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, popularly known as the Knights Templar. It is one of best-preserved chapels of the Templars in Europe. After the disbanding of order the chapel was used as a barn, so it survived the destroying of most of the buildings of the order. In the last few years the chapel has been restored.

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