Käthen

Käthen is a village and a former municipality in the district of Stendal, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Bismark.

Köthen (Anhalt)

Köthen (Anhalt) ([ˈkøːtən]) is a city in Germany. It is the capital of the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld in Saxony-Anhalt, about 30 km (19 mi) north of Halle.

Köthen is the location of the main campus and the administrative centre of the regional university, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences/Hochschule Anhalt which is especially strong in information technology. The city is conveniently located at the hub of the Magdeburg-Leipzig, Dessau–Köthen and Köthen–Aschersleben railways.

Köthen is situated in a fertile area with rich black soil suitable to the cultivation of sugar-beets. Industry includes high-tech engineering, manufacture of cranes, as well as chemicals, printing, and foodstuffs.

History

Owing to the fertile soil of the region, the area of Köthen is unusually rich in archaeological discoveries. The earliest signs of human habitation date from the early Stone Age about 250,000 years ago, and evidence of every succeeding historical period may be found in the collections of the local Prehistorical Museum.

Köthen (district)

Köthen was a district (Kreis) in the middle of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Neighboring districts were (from north clockwise) Anhalt-Zerbst, Schönebeck, Anhalt-Zerbst, the district-free city Dessau, Bitterfeld, Saalkreis and Bernburg.

History

In 1603 the principality of Anhalt-Köthen was created, when the principality of Anhalt was split in five parts. In 1665 it merged with Anhalt-Plötzkau, and in 1807 it became a duchy. 1847 it was divided between Anhalt-Dessau and Anhalt-Bernburg, and in 1853 it was merged with Anhalt-Dessau to form the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau-Köthen.

When in 1863 the various parts of Anhalt were reunited, the district was created. At first the district Dessau-Köthen did cover the area surrounding the two district-free cities Dessau and Köthen. In 1950 the city of Köthen was added to the district, and it was renamed after its capital. As result of the district reform of 2007, the area was merged into the new district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld with the city of Köthen as its capital.