The oldest records regarding Weimar date to 899. Its name changed over the centuries from "Wimares" through "Wimari" to "Wimar" and finally Weimar; it is derived from Old High German "wīh-" (holy) and "-mari" (standing water, swamp). The place was the seat of the County of Weimar, first mentioned in 949, which was one of the most powerful jurisdictions in early-Middle Ages Thuringia. In 1062 it was united with the County of Orlamünde to the new County of Weimar-Orlamünde, which existed until the Thuringian Counts' War in 1346. It fell to the Wettins afterwards.