Wettin, Saxony-Anhalt

Wettin is a small town belonging to the municipality of Wettin-Löbejün in the Saale District of Saxony-Anhalt ("Saxony-Ascania"), Germany. It is situated on the River Saale, just north of Halle-on-the-Saale. It is known for Wettin Castle (German: "Burg" or "Schloss Wettin"), the ancestral seat of the House of Wettin, the former ruling dynasty of Saxony, Poland, the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Bulgaria. The town and its name are of Slavic origin.
Geography.
Wettin lies in the Saale District of the eastern German federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, which was formed through the merger of the former Prussian Province of Saxony (main city: Magdeburg; as opposed to the Free State of Saxony with its main city of Dresden), and the former Free State of Anhalt (in English also known as "Ascania"; main city: Dessau-Roßlau), on the River Saale, which flows into the Elbe further north. Wettin belongs to the municipality of Wettin-Löbejün which borders Saxony-Anhalt's most populous city of Halle-on-the-Saale in the southeast. It further borders Petersberg and Salzatal in the Saale District, Gerbstedt in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz ("Mansfield-Southern Harz"), Könnern in the Salzlandkreis ("Saltland District"), and Südliches Anhalt in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld ("Ascania-Bitterfield"). The Saale District (German: "Saalekreis"), which Wettin-Löbejün is a part of, surrounds the city of Halle. The nearest international airport is Leipzig/Halle Airport in Schkeuditz, southeast of Halle. The municipality of Wettin-Löbejün further consists of the villages of Brachwitz, Döblitz, Domnitz, Gimritz, Löbejün, Nauendorf, Neutz-Lettewitz, Plötz, and Rothenburg. Most of these villages are of Slavic origin.
History.
Wettin was first documented as "Vitin civitas" in a 961 deed issued by German king Otto I. The settlement thereafter was a burgward within the Saxon Eastern March, held by Dietrich I von Wettin, the progenitor of the dynasty. His descendants became Margraves of Lusatia in 1032 and of Meissen in 1123. In 1288 Wettin was acquired by the Magdeburg archbishop Eric of Brandenburg.