Battle of Advertise

The city of Werben (Elbe) in the north of what is now Saxony-Anhalt has been the scene of battles several times over the centuries.

1032/34

For the first time, Count Liudeger fought in 1032 against an army of the Wends , which plundered the towns. Besides the battle, he also lost his life. In 1034 the Wendish army conquered the place again after Emperor Konrad II had failed to fulfill his promise to take permanent land for the Wends the year before. Many Germans were killed here and Count Dedo, who defended the place, was kidnapped.

Thirty Years War: 1631

Royal Swedish camp in front of the city, 1631

Commonly known as the Battle of Werben, the confrontation took place on August 7, 1631 during the Thirty Years' War . This is where the King of Sweden, Gustav Adolf, moved into the city. To do this, he set up a fortified camp in front of the city and had the Elbe dike occupied next to the city. The imperial under Tilly then shelled the city (hits are still visible on the church). In the following battle Tilly and his troops were defeated, so that he was forced to retreat. Thereupon Gustav Adolf had the Werbener Schanze built between the Elbe and Havel . This was followed by eventful battles for this hill, until it was captured and razed by Brandenburg troops in 1641 .

Napoleonic Wars: 1806 and 1813

The next fighting took place in the Napoleonic War in 1806 . At the end of October 1806, Prussian troops appeared on their retreat after the lost battle near Auerstedt during the Blüchers crossing over the Elbe and there were skirmishes with pursuing French troops. The Altmark was subsequently occupied by France and Werben became the capital of a canton in the Elbe department .

Finally, on March 25, 1813, the Prussian Landwehr and Tettenborn Cossacks crossed the Elbe. The French occupation was captured by a surprise attack. The city was not occupied and remained French. In June 1813 the town was occupied by Prussian troops before the French troops could complete a fort in front of the town.