Old castle

The oldest of the three castles named Giebichenstein was located on the site of today’s Amtsgarten. Since the 17th century, this area has also been known as the Alte Burg.

Carolingian writings of the early 9th century mention a castle that was positioned “on the eastern side of the Saale near a town called Halla” Since the 16th century, searches have been made throughout the city for this castle’s location. To this day, no definitive location has been determined, and its identification with the “Alte Burg” is still a guess. It is, however, certain that the plot was in use from the 10th to the 15th century. This is proven by clay vessel fragments found on the surface. Furthermore, 10th and 11th-century writings indicate that there was a castle, a chapel and a bower in Giebichenstein. Some suspect that this castle was built out of wood. Yet as long as no excavations are made on site, no conclusions can be made as to the appearance of any potential castle.