Anhalt-Bernburg

Anhalt-Bernburg was founded in 1252 by hereditary division: After the death of Henry I, prince of Anhalt, his sons divided the area on the Elbe and Saale and thus established four lines. The second eldest son - Bernhard I - got the land around the ancestral castle Bernburg. In 1468, the last reigning prince Bernhard VI died without male descendants and the principality became part of Anhalt-Dessau.

It was not until 1603 that there was another Anhalt-Bernburg, again created by division of the estate: After the death of Joachim Ernst of Dessau-Zerbst, his sons again divided the area into four lines. Again the second eldest son - Christian I – inherited Bernburg. The line he founded remained in power until 1863, when the last ruler Alexander Carl died without heir.

At the latest from the 18th century on, the coins from Anhalt-Bernburg carry their characteristic identifying feature: a crowned bear walking across a wall. This picture can be found on pennies, mariengroschen and fractions of the Thaler. The mining thalers were also popular due to the rich earnings of the local mines.