Radegast () is a small town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is the smallest town in Saxony-Anhalt and is located about 13 km south of the district capital of Köthen. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Südliches Anhalt. Geography Radegast is located midway between the cities of Köthen (Anhalt), Wolfen, Bitterfeld and Dessau. Geographical Situation The area of Radegast borders on the national park "Cösitzer Teich" in the southeast and on the conservation park "Fuhneaue" in the south. Geology Radegast is situated at the margin of the Köthen culture plain. Here it ascends from the Fuhne valley, so the difference in height is about on a short distance. The town is situated right in the middle of a former swampland. The upper level of this swamp has been quite fertile for a long time. The official Radegast Chronicle says, "the lower level of the soil in this area is not bad, but its value is lowered because it is too damp." The upper level to a depth of about is meadowland with a lush vegetation of grasses and swampland, which is very fertile and became very calcareous, too because of the stagnant water. This is followed by peat, which was cut for being used as peat coal in former times. The upper level is bordered by an impermeable stratum of clay. At shallow depth large boulders can be found from ice age deposits. The quality of the soil became a lot better because of its agricultural use. It offers perfect conditions for cultivating sugar beets and wheat. Neighbouring towns and villages The neighbouring village in the north of Radegast is called Weißandt-Gölzau, in the east it is the village Zehbitz, in the south there is the town of Zörbig and in the west Radegast is bordering on Cösitz, which is a now part of Zörbig. City structure The town encloses the historical town centre and a housing estate formerly named "Siedlung Heimat", built in the early 1930s. History The first written document mentioning "Frates de Radegiz" dates from 1244. In the following centuries, the ownership changed a few times, which was mentioned in some documents. In 1612, Radegast became a princely office. In 1727 the village received market and city rights from Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Dessau, but the city rights were not exercised until 1852. From 1685 to 1688, a dam was