Benedictine monastery of St Pancras and St Abundus, Ballenstedt

Ballenstedt is regarded as the ancestral seat of the Ascanians and the cradle of Anhalt. The Romanesque western part of the former monastery church (the present castle tower) is impressive.

The baroque castle occupies the site of the monastery founded in the 11th century by Count Esiko of Ballenstedt. The monastery church of SS. Pancras and Abanus was built here. In the former western part of the church is the tomb of Albert the Bear (born 1100, died 1170). In 1525, the monastery was plundered and destroyed. It was not until the 18th century that the princes of Anhalt-Bernburg built the three-winged castle, using Romanesque remains in the construction.