Calbe - Roland

The city of Calbe was first mentioned in 936 under the name of Calvo in a document from King Otto I. It is assumed that a settlement probably existed as early as the 8th or early 9th century.

Due to the good traffic situation in the eastern part of what was then Germany as a starting point for trade with the colonized Slavic areas, Calbe was granted market rights around 1160. To 1680 Calbe belonged to the Archdiocese of Magdeburg and the Archbishops had their summer seat at Calbe Castle.

The figure of Roland, known through the "Chanson de Roland", had the status of a folk hero in the Middle Ages. The fame goes back to the fate of Hruotland, the alleged nephew of Charlemagne, who died in a skirmish against the Basques in the Pyrenees in the Roncesvalles Valley. His legendary sword is stuck in a rock at Rocamadour.

A statue of Roland existed in Calbe as early as 1370. In 1656 a new statue was commissioned because the old Roland was in danger of decaying. The new Roland was over four meters high and carved from an oak trunk.

Today's Roland was created in 1976 based on the 1656 figure. It consists of sandstone and is 4.50 m high.