Zeitz was first recorded under the name Cici in the synode of Ravenna in 967. Between 965 and 982, it was the chief fortress of the March of Zeitz. Zeitz was a bishop's residence between 968 and 1028, when it was moved to Naumburg. Beginning at the end of the 13th century, the bishops again resided in their castle at Zeitz. The Herrmannsschacht is one of the oldest brick factories in the world. The city was captured by Swedish troops during the Thirty Years' War and was given to Electorate of Saxony in 1644. It was centre of Saxe-Zeitz between 1657 and 1718 before returning to Electorate. In 1815, it was given to Kingdom of Prussia and became district centre in Merseburg region of Province of Saxony till 1944, when it became part of Halle region. It became a county free city between 1901 and 1950. It was occupied by USA troops on 27 April 1945 and was given to Soviet ones on 1 July 1945. It was a district centre in Halle region of Saxony-Anhalt state between 1945 and 1952 and again 1990 and 1994 and in Halle bezirk between 1952 and 1990. It lost status centre of county and became part of Burgenlandkreis on 1 July 1994. A bombing target of the Oil Campaign of World War II, the Brabag plant northeast of Zeitz used lignite coal to synthesize ersatz oil – forced labor was provided by the nearby Wille subcamp of Buchenwald in Rehmsdorf and Gleina.. In the middle of the 1960s work started on the "Zeitz-Ost" residential area, and in the mid-1980s, housing estates such as the "Völkerfreundschaft" were built. On 18 August 1976, the Protestant clergyman Oskar Brüsewitz from Rippicha burnt himself to death in front of the Michaeliskirche. This was a protest against the DDR system. The town was an industrial centre until German Reunification made many companies in eastern Germany uncompetitive, and 20,000 people lost jobs or moved to other employment. The town still has a large sugar factory, and the nearby lignite mines and Lippendorf Power Station, together employing 2,000 people from Zeitz.
Main sights
Zeitz sights are predominantly situated along the Romanesque Road.
Schloss Moritzburg, a baroque-style castle with the cathedral of St. Peter and Paul. The 10th century crypt displays 17th century tin coffins including that of Moritz, Duke of Saxony.
Michaeliskirche, originally a Roman basilica and contains a 1517 original of Martin Luther's 95 Theses.
Town Hall. It is a Gothic structure that, together with restored houses and 3 market-places, provides Zeitz' medieval appearance.
Herrmannsschacht, a technical monument in a former brick factory.
