The present-day district town of Bernburg in the Salzland district of Saxony-Anhalt is located on the middle Saale river. For centuries, the town was a center on the historic trade route between Magdeburg and Halle. The town was first mentioned in a document in 961 as “Brandanburg”. As part of the Anhalt principality, the town was the residence of the princely house of Anhalt-Bernburg in the Middle Ages.

The striking Renaissance castle sits enthroned on a rocky spur above the Saale river and was built from the 16th century on the site of previous medieval buildings. Today it houses a museum on the history of the town and the region.

In the 20th century, Bernburg also became known as a location for the chemical industry. During the National Socialist era, the local state hospital was one of the killing centers as part of the Nazi “Aktion T4”. Today, a memorial on the grounds of the former sanatorium and nursing home commemorates these crimes.

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