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'Halle' (also called ''Halle an der Saale'' (literally "''Halle on the Saale''", and in some historic references is not uncommonly called 'Saale' after the river) in order to distinguish it from Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia) is the largest city in the German State of Saxony-Anhalt. It is situated in the southern part of the state, along the river Saale which drains the surrounding plains and the greater part of the neighboring Free State of Thuringia located just to its south, and the Thuringian basin, northwards from the Thuringer Wald.

Contents

History

Main sights

Miscellaneous

External links

History

Halle's early history is connected with harvesting of salt. The name ''Halle'' might derive from a proto-germanic word for salt. Also the name of the river Saale contains the Germanic root for salt. Salt-harvesting has taken place in Halle at least since the Bronze Age.
The town was first mentioned in 806. It became a part of the bishopric principality of Magdeburg in the 10th century and remained so until 1680, when Brandenburg annexed it together with Magdeburg.
After World War II Halle served as the capital of the short-lived administrative region of Saxony-Anhalt (until 1952), when the East German government abolished its "Länder" (States). As a part of East Germany (until 1990), it functioned as the capital of the administrative district ("Bezirk") of Halle. When Saxony-Anhalt was re-established as a ''Bundesland'', Magdeburg became the capital.

Main sights

★ ''Giebichenstein'' Castle, first mentioned in 961, west of the city centre on a hill above the Saale river.

★ ''Moritzburg'', a newer castle, built in 1503; residence of the bishops of Magdeburg; destroyed in the Thirty Years' War, then a ruin for centuries, rebuilt in 1904; today an Art Gallery.

★ The Cathedral, a steepleless building, originally a church within a Dominican monastery (1271).

★ ''Halle-Neustadt'', most of it built in the 1960s, is situated in the west of Halle. The complex is an example of "modern" socialist housing development, as well as an example of successful smart growth.

Miscellaneous

Within East Germany, Halle's chemical industry, now mainly shut down, was of great importance. The two main companies were Buna and Leuna. Halle-Neustadt was built in the sixties to accommodate employees of those two factories.
The famous Baroque composer Georg Friedrich Händel was born in Halle on February 23rd, 1685. He spent the first 17 years of his life in Halle. The house he lived in is now a museum. It houses an exhibition about Handel's life. To celebrate the composer, Halle stages an annual Handel-festival.
Georg Cantor worked as a professor at the university of Halle.
A university was founded in Halle in 1694. It is now combined with the University of Wittenberg and is called ''Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg''.
Halle accommodates Germany oldest Evangelic Bible college, known as MarienBibliothek with 27 000 Title.
Halle was a center of German Pietism and played an important role in establishing the Lutheran church in North America, when Henry Muhlenberg and others were sent as missionaries to Pennsylvania. Henry Muhlenberg's son, Frederick Muhlenberg, the first Speaker of the House of Representatives, was a graduate of Halle University.
In 961 Otto I granted land around burgh Giebichenstein with a brine to his family-cloister Saint Moritz of Magdeburg.
Dorothea Christiane Erxleben of Quedlinburg (1715-1762) made her Doctor of Medicine in 1754 at the Medical Department of Martin Luther University (MLU), founded by Friedrich Hoffmann (1660-1742), Hoffmann's anogyne or Hoffmanns Tropfen.
The Silver Treasure of the ''Halloren'' is displayed occasionally at the Technical Museum Saline, Mansfelder Street 52.
It is a unique collection of goblets dating back to 1266. The goblets are made from silver and gold. Next time they are on display will be April 1st, 2007 from 10:00 a.m. till noon. The ancient craft of "Schausieden" boiling of the brine can be observed, too.
Salt, also known as ''White Gold'', was extracted on four "Borns" (well-like structures).
The four Borns/brine as Gutjahrwell, Meteritzwell, German Borne and Hackeborn are located around the Hallmarket or "Under Market", now a car park with a fountain,
just across from the TV station, MDR. The brine was highly concentrated and boiled in ''Koten'', simple structured houses made from reed and clay.
Salters were known as ''Halloren'' wearing a unique uniform with eighteen golden buttons.
Ludwig Wucherer (1790 - 1861) who fought Napoleon as a member of “Lützower Freikorps”, later elected Councillor. He made Halle to an important train connection point in Middle Germany. 1840 he opened the line Magdeburg - Köthen - Halle and
Halle- Leipzig, a connection between Madgeburg and Dresden was completed.
1841 - 1860 other lines to Erfurt, Kassel and Berlin fallowed.
Halloren-Werke, the oldest chocolate factory in Germany, was founded in 1804. Old documents are on display and a chocolate room can be visited at Delitzscher Street 70. The original "Halloren-Kugeln" are sold in a box of eighteen little pralines.
Halle’s Tram runs since 1891.
Reinhard Heydrich, one of the leading Nazis in World War II, was born in the town. He was seen as the successor to Hitler. Heydrich was assassinated by Czech partisans in Prague in 1942.
Hugenotten - French Protestants - around 700 people made Halle to their home after fleeing prosecution in France.
Hans-Dietrich Genscher, a former Vice Chancellor and longest serving Foreign Minister of Germany, was born in Reideburg, which belongs to Halle today.
Halle is known for its thriving coypu (or nutria) population. These elusive river bank denizens are frequently targeted by misguided stone-throwing youths. This violence is thought to be linked to the alien status of the coypu, which is native to south america.
Halle is also known for it’s hard working, friendly and successful Vietnamese population who running restaurants, food stores, cloth shops and snack bar’s.
Quentin Tarantino, the American film producer, born in Tennessee, visiting Halle in July 2007, stayed in one of the empty/ renovated buildings of the Paulus Area over night after having a few drinks and enjoying the music scene in the city centre.

External links

★ Official site

★ Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg

★ Map showing Halle in relation to Leipzig from Multimap.com with Halle marked.

★ Site about Halle with many photos and descriptions in English

★ http://www.okayone.de/halle/ Origins & Places of Interest (German)