Merseburg

Merseburg, a town in Prussian Saxony, on the right bank of the Saale, 60 miles S.S.E. of

Magdeburg, formerly the residence of the dukes of Sachsen-Merseburg. It has a fine cathedral, the choir of which dates from the 11th century, and a 15th-century castle. Merseburg has been the scene of two battles: Henry the Fowler defeated the Hungarians there in 934, and Rudolf of Swabia (whose bronze effigy is in the cathedral) encountered defeat and death from Henry IV. in 1080.