Zerbst

Zerbst grew as a town of Anhalt north of the Elbe, with churches, walls and a princely residence testifying to its place in the lands of the Ascanian rulers. The division of Anhalt in 1603 made it the seat of a separate principality of Anhalt-Zerbst. Its court maintained connections far beyond the small territory: a princess of the house became Catherine the Great of Russia. After the ruling male line died out in 1793, the principality was divided among other Anhalt branches, ending Zerbst's role as an independent residence.