Otto I.
Otto I (912–973) was the first German Holy-Roman emperor of the Ottonians. He was called Otto the Great because he ended the Hungarian raids on the empire, successfully fought and evangelized the Slavs and ushered in a cultural heyday during his reign. Starting in the mid-10th century, Otto I tried to have Magdeburg elevated to the archdiocese, which finally happened in 968. He visited the city over twenty times, and the St. Maurice Monastery received multiple royal donations. In a royal deed of donation dated 29 July 961, it is decreed that the St. Maurice Monastery would receive the entire Gau Neletici with all attendant rights.
Giebichenstein Castle belonged to this region. This is the oldest mention of a place called Giebichenstein. The donation was extremely profitable for the Magdeburg St. Maurice Monastery: it allowed the monastery to exploit local deposits of salt, also known as “white gold”. Otto I found his final resting place in Magdeburg Cathedral in 973.