GLEICHEN, two groups of castles in Germany, thus named from their resemblance to each other (Ger. gleich =like) . The first is a group of three, each situated on a hill in Thuringia be tween Gotha and Erfurt. One of these called Gleichen, the Wanderslebener Gleiche (1,221 ft. above the sea), was besieged unsuccessfully by the emperor Henry IV. in 1088. After belong ing to the elector of Mainz the castle became the property of Prussia in 1803.
The second castle is called Miihlburg (1,309 ft. above the sea). This existed as early as 704 and was besieged by Henry IV. in It came into the hands of Prussia in 1803. The third castle, Wachsenburg (1,358 ft.), is still inhabited and contains a collection of weapons and pictures collected by the former duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, whose family obtained possession of it in 1368. It was built about 935 (see Beyer, Die drei Gleichen, Erfurt, 1898) . The other group consists of two castles, Neuen-Gleichen and Alten-Gleichen. Both are in ruins and crown two hills about 2 m. S.E. from Gottingen.