Emperor Barbarossa’s knights
Since the sixth century the Slavic settlement area expanded to the rivers Elbe and Saale. In those days Slavic tribes settled in today’s County of Altenburg, too. In the following time Germanic farmers, who already had settled in the region, were absorbed by the Slavic tribes. The today’s Altenburger Land had therefore been Slavic since the early Middle Ages. Sorbian tribes lived on farming and cattle breeding here. Village names like Nischwitz, Nitschka and Zschernitzsch still remind of that time.

The Slavic lost their influence in the middle of the 12thcentury when the Swabian Staufer expanded to these areas. Emperor Friedrich I Barbarossa safeguarded his gained rule by knighting previous serves, the ministerial officials. They should lead new settlements, force back existing Slavic influences, effect German law, collect taxes and protect the land against enemies. So a network of small reinforcements resulted. Posterstein Castle is one of them.
First mentioning of Posterstein Castle
The first mentioning of the fortress known itself until the 16th century as ‘Stein’(rock), can be documented for the year 1191 when the ministerial official Gerhardus de Nubodicz (today: Nöbdenitz) and his mother ‘Mechthilde de Steinne’ were mentioned in a Naumburg document. The neighbouring village Nöbdenitz belonged to Posterstein until 1575. The little hill in Posterstein, close to the small river Sprotte, obviously was the more favourable place for defence.
Read more:
The Slawic settlement in the County of Altenburg (Blogpost by Museum Burg Posterstein)
The History of Posterstein Castle