county · Germany and Central Europe

County of Stolberg-Wernigerode

1645 CE – 1806 CE · capital Wernigerode

Harz county of the Stolberg family, a centre of German Pietism dominated from its castle above Wernigerode.

Origins

The counts of Stolberg acquired Wernigerode in 1429. Repeated divisions of the family lands produced a separate line of Stolberg-Wernigerode in 1645, ruling the town and the northern Harz around the Brocken.

Rule and society

The county had silver and iron mining and forestry in the Harz. In 1714 a treaty acknowledged the overlordship of Prussia, limiting the counts' independence. Under Christian Ernst, from 1710 to 1771, the court became a centre of Pietism, with hymn books, a fine library and links to Halle, and the counts supported church and school reforms.

Decline and legacy

The county was absorbed into the Kingdom of Westphalia in 1807 and passed to Prussia in 1815, while the family kept its estates. Its counts were later raised to princes, and Otto of Stolberg-Wernigerode served as Prussian vice-chancellor under Bismarck.

Lineage

County of Stolberg 1210 CE – 1645 CECounty of Stolberg-WernigerodeKingdom of Westphalia 1807 CE – 1813 CE

Connections (2)

More states of Germany and Central Europe →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). County of Stolberg-Wernigerode. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-stolberg-wernigerode
MLA
“County of Stolberg-Wernigerode.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-stolberg-wernigerode. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “County of Stolberg-Wernigerode.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-stolberg-wernigerode.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘County of Stolberg-Wernigerode’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-stolberg-wernigerode (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻