Kalbe Castle

Kalbe, Germany, Germany

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Kalbe Castle, or Burg Kalbe, is a moated castle ruin in the town of Kalbe (Milde) within Saxony-Anhalt's Altmarkkreis Salzwedel district, Germany, originally constructed in the 10th century as a Saxon border fortress against the Wends on what was likely a Slavic hillfort site amid the Milde River swamps.

Held by noble families including the von Kalben from 1207 and expanded grandly by the von Alvensleben starting in 1324 into the Altmark's largest fortress with multiple moats, outer works, and controlled waterways, it served as a key judicial and military center until damaged in 1240 wars, further ruined in the 1631 Thirty Years' War, and stabilized in 1903 before 1945 expropriation.

Today, preserved remnants like the chapel, gate, residential building, and the 101-step Hausmann tower draw visitors near the town's spa gardens and local history museum.