Halle (Saale), or simply Halle (; from the 15th to the 17th century: ''Hall in Sachsen''; until the beginning of the 20th century: ''Halle an der Saale'' ; from 1965 to 1995: ''Halle/Saale'') is the largest city of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

state of

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making i ...

, the fifth most populous city in the area of former

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In t ...

after ( East)

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

and

Chemnitz Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt , ) is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden. It is the 28th largest city of Germany as well as the fourth largest city in the area of former East Germany ...

, as well as the 31st largest city of Germany, and with around 239,000 inhabitants, it is slightly more populous than the state capital of

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river. Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebu ...

. Together with Leipzig, the largest city of

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a ...

, Halle forms the polycentric Leipzig-Halle conurbation. Between the two cities, in

Schkeuditz Schkeuditz () is a Große Kreisstadt in the district of Nordsachsen, in Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the White Elster river, 12 km northwest of Leipzig. Leipzig/Halle Airport is located in Schkeuditz. The letter processing center fo ...

, lies Leipzig/Halle International Airport. The Leipzig-Halle conurbation is at the heart of the larger

Central German Metropolitan Region The Central German Metropolitan Region (german: Metropolregion Mitteldeutschland) is one of the officially established metropolitan regions in Germany. It is centered on the major cities of Leipzig and Halle, extending over Central German parts ...

. Halle lies in the south of Saxony-Anhalt, in the Leipzig Bay, the southernmost part of the North German Plain, on the

River Saale The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale (german: Sächsische Saale) and Thuringian Saale (german: Thüringische Saale), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saale, ...

(a tributary of the

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Re ...

), which is the third longest river flowing entirely in Germany after the

Weser The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports o ...

and the Main. The White Elster flows into the Saale in the southern borough of Silberhöhe. Halle is the fourth largest city in the Thuringian-

Upper Saxon Upper Saxon (german: Obersächsisch, ; ) is an East Central German language spoken in much of the modern German state of Saxony and in adjacent parts of southeastern Saxony-Anhalt and eastern Thuringia. As of the early 21st century, it's mo ...

dialect area after Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz. Halle is an economic and educational center in central Germany. The Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, with campuses in Halle and

Wittenberg Wittenberg ( , ; Low Saxon: ''Wittenbarg''; meaning ''White Mountain''; officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg (''Luther City Wittenberg'')), is the fourth largest town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Wittenberg is situated on the River Elbe, north of ...

, is the largest university in Saxony-Anhalt, one of the oldest universities in Germany, and a nurturing ground for the local startup ecosystem. The German National Academy of Sciences, commonly known as ''Leopoldina'', has its seat in Halle. The university hospital of Halle (''Universitätsklinikum Halle (Saale)'') is the largest hospital in the state.

Geography

Halle (Saale) is located in the southern part of

in central

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, along the river

Saale The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale (german: Sächsische Saale) and Thuringian Saale (german: Thüringische Saale), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saal ...

which drains the surrounding plains and the greater part of the neighbouring

Free State of Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and la ...

just to its south, and the Thuringian basin, northwards from the Thuringian Forest.

, one of Germany's major cities, is only away. Its area is .

Climate

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

classifies its climate as oceanic (Cfb). However, it is close to being a

cold semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi ...

(BSk) or

hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi- ...

(BSh), depending on whether mean annual temperature isotherm or mean temperature in the coldest month isotherm is applied. Using the most current climate data from April 2017 to March 2022, the annual precipitation is 17 mm too much to be classified as a cold or hot semi-arid climate. For example, using the climate data from September 2015 to August 2020, the climate would fulfill the requirements to be classified as a cold or hot semi-arid climate. Notwithstanding, the great variation of annual precipitation between the years allows agriculture and large trees to grow, surviving recurring

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

periods and years like in the summers of

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

and 2019 with severe drought because of regularly occurring wet periods and years and absence of extremely hot temperatures with never reaching . With its vegetation, Halle is far from the steppe or semi-desert vegetation typical of hot or cold semi-arid climates.

History

Name

Halle's early history is connected with the harvesting of salt. The name of the river

contains the Germanic root for salt, and salt-harvesting has taken place in Halle since at least the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

(2300–600 BC). From 1965 to 1995, the official name was Halle/Saale.

Middle Ages until industrialisation

The earliest documented mention of Halle dates from AD 806. It became a part of the

Archbishopric of Magdeburg The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Roman Catholic archdiocese (969–1552) and Prince-Archbishopric (1180–1680) of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River. Planned since 955 and established in 968, the R ...

in the 10th century and remained so until 1680, when the

Margraviate of Brandenburg The Margraviate of Brandenburg (german: link=no, Markgrafschaft Brandenburg) was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806 that played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe. Brandenburg developed out ...

annexed it together with

as the Duchy of Magdeburg, while it was an important location for

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

in the 16th century. Cardinal Albert of Mainz (

Archbishop of Magdeburg The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Roman Catholic archdiocese (969–1552) and Prince-Archbishopric (1180–1680) of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River. Planned since 955 and established in 968, the Rom ...

from 1513 to 1545) also impacted on the town in this period. According to historic documents, the city of Halle became a member of the

Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label= Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...

at least as early as 1281. Halle became a center for

Pietism Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christian life, including a social concern for the needy an ...

, a movement encouraged by King Frederick William I of Prussia (reigned 1713–1740) because it caused the area's large

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

population to be more inclined to Fredrick William I's religion (

Calvinism Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John C ...

), as well as more loyal to the Prussian king instead of to the decentralized feudal system. By the 1740s Halle had established many orphanages as well as schools for the wealthy in the sober style Pietism encouraged. This Halle education was the first time the "modern education" system was established. The Halle Pietists also combatted poverty. During the War of the Fourth Coalition, French and Prussian forces clashed in the Battle of Halle on 17 October 1806. The fighting moved from the covered bridges on the city's west side, through the streets and market place, to the eastern suburbs. In 1815 Halle became part of the Prussian Province of Saxony.

World War II (1939–1945)

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, KZ-Außenlager Birkhahn, a subcamp of Buchenwald was in Halle, where prisoners from Poland, Czechoslovakia, the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

, France, Netherlands and other nations were forced to work in the

Siebel Siebel was a German aircraft manufacturer founded in 1937 in Halle an der Saale.Gunston p.424 History It originated in the Klemm-Flugzeugwerke Halle that had been founded in 1934 as a branch of Leichtflugzeugbau Klemm in Böblingen. Its name ...

aircraft plants, making combat aircraft. The plant was later dismantled. In Ammendorf, a large factory owned by produced

mustard gas Mustard gas or sulfur mustard is a chemical compound belonging to a family of cytotoxic and blister agents known as mustard agents. The name ''mustard gas'' is technically incorrect: the substance, when dispersed, is often not actually a gas, ...

. Near the end of World War II, there were two bombing raids carried out against the town: the first on 31 March 1945, the second a few days later. The first attack took place between the railway station and the city's centre, and the second bombing was in the southern district. It killed over 1,000 inhabitants and destroyed 3,600 buildings. Among them, the Market Church, St. George Church, the Old Town Hall, the municipal theatre, historic buildings on Bruederstrasse and on Grosse Steinstrasse, and the city cemetery. On 17 April 1945, American soldiers occupied Halle, and the Red Tower was set on fire by artillery and destroyed. The Market Church and the Church of St. George received more hits. However, the city was spared further damage because an aerial bombardment was canceled, after former naval officer

Felix von Luckner Felix Nikolaus Alexander Georg Graf von Luckner (9 June 1881, Dresden – 13 April 1966, Malmö), sometimes called Count Luckner in English, was a German nobleman, naval officer, author, and sailor who earned the epithet ''Der Seeteufel'' (the ...

negotiated the city's surrender to the American army. In July, the Americans withdrew and the city was occupied by the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

German Democratic Republic (1949–1990)

After World War II, Halle served as the capital of the short-lived administrative region of Saxony-Anhalt until 1952, when the

East German East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

government abolished its "Länder" (states). As a part of

(until 1990), it functioned as the capital of the administrative district (''Bezirk'') of Halle.

Since German unity (after 1990)

When

was re-established as a '' Bundesland'' in 1990,

, not Halle, became the capital. On 9 October 2019, two people were killed in a shooting incident at a synagogue in Halle. The

Federal Prosecutor An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. Attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal gove ...

(Generalbundesanwalt) classified the attack as an act of right-wing terrorism stemming from

antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

; as a consequence security measures at Jewish facilities were increased.

Population

Population of foreign residents:

Politics

Mayor

The current mayor of Halle is

independent politician An independent or non-partisan politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicians have political views th ...

Bernd Wiegand since 2012. The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 October 2019, with a runoff held on 27 October, and the results were as follows: ! rowspan=2 colspan=2, Candidate ! rowspan=2, Party ! colspan=2, First round ! colspan=2, Second round , - ! Votes ! % ! Votes ! % , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Bernd Wiegand , align=left,

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

, 35,419 , 44.3 , 41,273 , 61.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Hendrik Lange , align=left, Left/ SPD/ Greens , 20,104 , 25.2 , 25,922 , 38.6 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Andreas Silbersack , align=left, FDP/ CDU , 18,310 , 22.9 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Daniel Schrader , align=left,

, 1,954 , 2.5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Falko Kadzimirisz , align=left, Free Voters , 1,613 , 2.0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Dörte Jacobi , align=left,

( PARTEI) , 1,598 , 2.0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Rolf Lennart Thiemann , align=left,

, 488 , 0.6 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Martin Bochmann , align=left,

( PARTEI) , 397 , 0.5 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 79,883 ! 99.4 ! 67,195 ! 99.1 , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 451 ! 0.6 ! 625 ! 0.9 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 80,334 ! 100.0 ! 67,820 ! 100.0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 189,583 ! 42.4 ! 189,208 ! 35.8 , - , colspan=7, Source
City of Halle (Saale)

City council

The most recent city council election was held on 26 May 2019, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Die Linke) , 55,951 , 17.8 , 7.3 , 10 , 4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , 54,831 , 17.4 , 7.7 , 10 , 4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) , 51,239 , 16.3 , 6.2 , 9 , 3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alternative for Germany (AfD) , 44,028 , 14.0 , 9.4 , 8 , 5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...

(SPD) , 35,489 , 11.3 , 7.9 , 6 , 5 , - , , align=left, Priority Halle (Hauptsache) , 21,637 , 6.9 , New , 3 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Democratic Party (FDP) , 16,904 , 5.4 , 1.1 , 3 , 1 , - , , align=left, With Citizens for Halle (MitBürger) , 14,051 , 4.5 , 1.1 , 3 , ±0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Die PARTEI (PARTEI) , 10,760 , 3.4 , 2.5 , 2 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Voters (FW) , 6,568 , 2.1 , 1.4 , 1 , 1 , - , colspan=7 bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , , align=left, Team Schrader (Schrader) , 2,576 , 0.8 , New , 0 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, National Democratic Party (NPD) , 738 , 0.2 , 1.0 , 0 , 1 , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 314,722 ! 100.0 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Valid votes ! 106,352 ! 98.3 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Invalid votes ! 1,796 ! 1.7 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 108,148 ! 100.0 ! ! 56 ! ±0 , - ! colspan=2, Electorate/voter turnout ! 191,030 ! 56.6 ! 16.2 ! ! , - , colspan=7, Source
City of Halle (Saale)

Sights

Halloren Chocolate Factory The Halloren Chocolate Factory (german: Halloren Schokoladenfabrik) is the oldest German chocolate factory. The first mention of the firm dates back to 1804. The firm was founded in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt where its headquarters are today. In 1851 ...

and visitors' centre, Germany's oldest chocolate factory still in use. * Giebichenstein Castle, first mentioned in 961, is north of the city centre on a hill above the Saale river, with a museum in the upper castle and the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in the lower castle. * Moritzburg, a newer castle, was built between 1484 and 1503. It was the residence of the Archbishops of Magdeburg, was destroyed in the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of batt ...

, and was a ruin for centuries afterward. Partially reconstructed in 1901–1913, it is an art gallery today. The reconstruction was completed with the opening of new exhibition rooms designed by the Spanish architects Sobejano and Nieto in 2010. *''Neue Residenz'' (New Residence), an early Renaissance palace (1531–1537) *Market square with ** Market Church of St. Mary (Marktkirche), built in 1529–1554, using elements of two medieval churches, St. Gertrude's Church dating back to the 11th century and the older St. Mary's Church from the 12th century. The church has four steeples, the two western octagonal ones are called Blue Towers because of their dark blue slate roofing. The other two ''Hausmannstürme'' are connected by a bridge and on this bridge was the city's fire watch. The church owns the original death-mask of

. The Marktkirche's four towers is a landmark symbol of the city. **''Roter Turm'' (Red Tower), originally built as

campanile A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tow ...

of the older St. Mary's Church between 1418 and 1503, a landmark of Halle, with the steeples of St. Mary's Church forms the five towers marking the city's skyline. **''Roland'', originally (13th century) a wooden sculpture representing urban liberty (after an uprising in the city, a cage was placed around it between 1481 and 1513, a reminder of the restrictions). Today's sculpture is a sandstone replica made in 1719. **''Marktschlösschen'', late Renaissance building, gallery and tourist information office **Monument to

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque music, Baroque composer well known for his opera#Baroque era, operas, oratorios, anthems, concerto grosso, concerti grossi, ...

, 1859 by Hermann Heidel **''Ratshof'' (Council's Yard), built in 1928/29 as a backyard building of the Old Town Hall (demolished in 1948/50 after the destruction of World War II, so the ''Ratshof'' is situated today directly on the market square). **''Stadthaus'', Renaissance-Revival building of 1891–1894 **''Yellow line'', which runs over the market square, marking a geological fault line, the ''Hallische Verwerfung''. *

Handel House Handel House (German: ''Händel-Haus'') is a cultural site in Halle in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The composer George Frideric Handel was born here in 1685; it is now a museum, and houses a collection relating to the composer and to the musical his ...

, first mentioned in 1558, birthplace of George Frideric Handel, a museum since 1948 *

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach House The Wilhelm Friedemann Bach House is a cultural site in Halle in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The composer Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710–1784), eldest son of Johann Sebastian Bach, lived here during part of his career; the building now has an exhibi ...

, home of composer Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, now a museum *Old Market square with Donkey's Fountain (1906/13), referring to a local legend *Remains of the town fortifications: the Leipzig Tower (''Leipziger Turm'') (15th century) in the east and remains of the town wall to the south of the city centre. *Sculpture dedicated to

Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...

in the Pestalozzi Park. *Francke Foundations, Baroque buildings (including Europe's largest surviving half-timbered building) and historical collections *''Stadtgottesacker'', a Renaissance cemetery, laid out in 1557, in the style of an Italian ''camposanto'' * ''Saline'' Museum is dedicated to Halle's salt-works and the corporation of salt workers ''(Halloren)'' *Cathedral ''(Dom)'', a steepleless building, was originally a church within a Dominican monastery (1271), converted into a cathedral by cardinal Albert of Hohenzollern. Since 1688, it has been the church of the Reformed parish. *Saint Maurice Church, late Gothic building (1388–1511) *Saint Ulrich Church, late Gothic church of the Servite Order (15th century), today used as a concert hall *Church of the former village of Böllberg (Romanesque, with late Gothic painted wooden ceiling) *Numerous bourgeois town houses, including the ''Ackerbürgerhof'' (15th – 18th centuries with remains from the 12th century), Christian Wolff’s House (today City Museum), Graseweg House (half-timbered building) * State Museum of Prehistory where the

Nebra sky disk The Nebra sky disc (german: Himmelsscheibe von Nebra) is a bronze disc of around diameter and a weight of , having a blue-green patina and inlaid with gold symbols. These symbols are interpreted generally as the Sun or full moon, a lunar cresc ...

is exhibited *''Volkspark'' (1906/07), former meeting house of the Social Democrats *Theatres: **'' Halle Opera House'' **''Neues Theater'' **''Puppentheather'' **''Thalia Theater'', the only theatre for children in

**''Steintor Bühne'' *Parks and gardens: **''Botanical Garden'' of the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, founded in 1698 in the former gardens of the Archbishops of Magdeburg, belonging to the

Garden Dreams is a one-shot Japanese manga written and illustrated by Fumi Yoshinaga. The manga is serialised in Shinshokan's ''Wings''. Shinshokan released the manga in September 1999. It is licensed and published in North America by Digital Manga Publ ...

project **''Reichardts Garten'' is a historic park, part of the Garden Dreams project. Laid out in 1794 by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752–1814) as an English garden, becoming the "accommodation of Romanticism". It changed ownership several times and the city of Halle bought the park in 1903 to give the public wider access. **''Peißnitz Island'' **''Pestalozzi Park'' **Zoological Garden ''(Bergzoo)'', situated on the ''Reilsberg'' hill. *''Galgenberge'', location of the gallows from the 14th to the end of the 18th century *''Klausberge'', porphyry hill, named after a chapel of the St. Nicholas' brotherhood, panoramic view over the Saale Valley, Eichendorff's bench *''Dölauer Heide'' forest, including ''Bischofs Wiese'' with 35 graves dating back to about 2500–2000 BC, the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...

period *Racecourse in the Passendorf Meadows *'' Halle-Neustadt'', to the west of Halle, built beginning 1964 (foundation stone ceremony 15 July 1964) as a socialist model city. Still has several monuments from the GDR, as a giant mural dedicated to

Image gallery

File:Marktplatz Halle 2010.jpg, Market square File:Stadthaus-Halle.jpg, Stadthaus File:Vor dem Eingangsbereich - Stadtcenter Rolltreppe - Ladengeschäfte im Stadtzentrum von Halle Saale - panoramio.jpg, Old town File:Paulusviertel Pauluskirche.jpg, View over Paulusviertel File:Giebichenstein4.jpg, Giebichenstein Castle from Kröllwitz File:Moritzburg-neu.jpg,

Moritzburg (Halle) The Moritzburg is a fortified castle in Halle (Saale), Germany. The cornerstone of what would later become the residence of the Archbishops of Magdeburg was laid in 1484; the castle was built in the style of the Early Renaissance. Since ...

File:Landesmuseums für Vorgeschichte Sachsen-Anhalt in Halle - Außenansicht.jpg,

Halle State Museum of Prehistory The State Museum of Prehistory (''Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte'') in Halle (Saale) is the archaeological museum of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Founded in Naumburg in 1819, it was moved to Halle in 1825, and within Halle to its prese ...

File:Joliot-Curie-Platz - panoramio (3).jpg, Halle Opera House File:2014 04 Händelhaus.jpg,

File:Neue Klausbrücke, im Hintergrund die 5 Türme - panoramio.jpg,

to the left File:2007-05 Halle (Saale) 02.jpg,

File:ZooBlick.JPG, View to Reilberg of Zoo Halle File:Hochstraße Halle.jpg, View to Halle-Neustadt File:Halle (Saale), Blick auf Kröllwitz.jpg, View over Kröllwitz

Industrial heritage

Salt, also known as ''white gold'', was extracted from four "Borns" (well-like structures). The four Borns/brine named Gutjahrbrunnen, Meteritzbrunnen, Deutscher Born and Hackeborn, were located around the Hallmarket (or "Under Market"), now a market square 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, who wore a unique uniform with eighteen silver buttons, were known as ''Halloren'', and this name was later used for the chocolates in the shape of these buttons. The Halloren-Werke, the oldest chocolate factory in

, was founded in 1804. Old documents are on display and a chocolate room can be visited. Within

, Halle's chemical industry, now mainly shut down, was of great importance. The two main companies in the region were

Buna-Werke Buna Werke Schkopau were a chemical company specialising in the production of polymer materials such as plastics and artificial rubber. The name BUNA is derived from the technology of polymerising butadiene with sodium (chemical symbol: Na) as a c ...

and

Leuna Leuna is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, eastern Germany, south of Merseburg and Halle, on the river Saale. The town is known for the '' Leunawerke'', at 13 km2 one of the biggest chemical industrial complexes in Germany, where a very wide ra ...

, and Halle-Neustadt was built in the 1960s to accommodate the employees of these two factories.

Science and culture

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

composer Georg Friedrich Händel (later ''George Frideric Handel'') was born in Halle in 1685 and spent the first 17 years of his life in the city. The house where he lived is now a museum about his life. To celebrate his music, Halle has staged a Handel Festival since 1922, annually in June since 1952. The ''Franckesche Stiftungen'' (Francke Foundations) are home to the ', which was founded before the year 1116 and is one of the oldest boys' choirs in the world. The University of Halle was founded here in 1694. It is now combined with the

University of Wittenberg Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (german: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg), also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg and the largest and oldest university i ...

and called the '' Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg''. The university's medical school was established by Friedrich Hoffmann. Its

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

, the Botanische Garten der Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, dates back to 1698. Halle's

German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (german: Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina – Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften), short Leopoldina, is the national academy of Germany, and is located in Halle (Saale). Founde ...

is the oldest and one of the most respected scientific societies in

. Halle is also home to Germany's oldest Protestant church library, known as the , with 27,000 titles. The seat of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, one of the world's largest social anthropological research institutions and a part of the

Max Planck Society The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science (german: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e. V.; abbreviated MPG) is a formally independent non-governmental and non-profit association of German research institutes. ...

, is in Halle. Halle was a centre of German

and played an important role in establishing the

church in North America, when Henry Muhlenberg and others were sent as missionaries to

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in the mid-18th century. Muhlenberg is now called the first Patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America. He and his son,

Frederick Muhlenberg Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg (; January 1, 1750 – June 4, 1801) was an American minister and politician who was the first Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and the first Dean of the United States House of Repres ...

, who was the first

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The office was established in 1789 by Article I, Section 2 of the ...

, were graduates of Halle University. The Silver Treasure of the ''Halloren'' is displayed occasionally at the Technical Museum Saline. It is a unique collection of silver and gold goblets dating back to 1266. The ancient craft of "Schausieden" (boiling of the brine) can be observed there too. The State Museum of Prehistory houses the

, a significant (though unproven) Bronze-Age find with astronomical significance. Halle Zoo contributes to the EAZA breeding programme, in particular for the Angolan lion and the

Malaysian tiger The Malayan tiger is a tiger from a specific population of the ''Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies that is native to Peninsular Malaysia. This population inhabits the southern and central parts of the Malay Peninsula and has been classified ...

. Halle is also known for its thriving

coypu The nutria (''Myocastor coypus''), also known as the coypu, is a large, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodent. Classified for a long time as the only member of the family Myocastoridae, ''Myocastor'' is now included within Echimyidae, the family of t ...

(or nutria) population, which is native to

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...

. With writers such as

Heine Heine is both a surname and a given name of German origin. People with that name include: People with the surname * Albert Heine (1867–1949), German actor * Alice Heine (1858–1925), American-born princess of Monaco * Armand Heine (1818–188 ...

, Eichendorff, Schleiermacher,

Tieck Tieck may refer to: *Christian Friedrich Tieck (1776–1851), German sculptor *Dorothea Tieck (1799–1841), German translator *Ludwig Tieck (1773–1853), German poet ** 8056 Tieck, asteroid named after Ludwig Tieck ** Schlegel-Tieck Prize, literar ...

and

Novalis Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg (2 May 1772 – 25 March 1801), pen name Novalis (), was a German polymath who was a writer, philosopher, poet, aristocrat and mystic. He is regarded as an idiosyncratic and influential figure o ...

the town was a vibrant scene of the German Romanticism. Also

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as t ...

was a regular guest at the house of his close friend Johann Friedrich Reichardt. German-American

expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radi ...

painter Lyonel Feininger worked in Halle on an invitation by the city from 1929 to 1931. As one of eleven views of the city termed ''Halle Cycle'', he painted in 1931 ''Die Türme über der Stadt'' (The towers above the city), which is now in the

Museum Ludwig Museum Ludwig, located in Cologne, Germany, houses a collection of modern art. It includes works from Pop Art, Abstract and Surrealism, and has one of the largest Picasso collections in Europe. It holds many works by Andy Warhol and Roy Lic ...

in Cologne. This painting appeared on a 55

eurocent There are eight euro coin denominations, ranging from one cent to two euros (the euro is divided into a hundred cents). The coins first came into use in 2002. They have a common Obverse and reverse, reverse, portraying a map of Europe, but each cou ...

stamp on 5 December 2002 as a part of the series “Deutsche Malerei des 20. Jahrhunderts” (German painting of the 20th century). File:Halleuniplatz.JPG, Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg File:Halle (Saale) University Library Building (Feb-2006).jpg, University and State Library File:Kunst-Campus der Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle.jpg, Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design File:Leopoldina Halle (Saale) Draufsicht.jpg, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina File:Franckesche Stiftungen Innenhof 2015.jpg, Francke Foundations File:2007-07 Halle (Saale) 28.jpg, Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics at Weinberg Campus Technology Park File:Laternenfest 1.jpg, The Laternenfestival at Peißnitzisland

Transport history

Ludwig Wucherer Ludwig Wucherer (30 May 1790, in Halle (Saale), Germany – 15 December 1861, in Halle) was a German entrepreneur. Biography Wucherer was the youngest son of the Halle Chamber Council and Golgasfabrikanten Matthäus Wucherer in the Great Ulrichs ...

made Halle an important rail hub in central Germany. In 1840 he opened the Magdeburg-Halle-Leipzig line, completing a connection between

and

. In 1841–1860, other lines to

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits in ...

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...

and

followed. The centrepiece of Halle's urban public transport system is the Halle (Saale) tramway network. It includes the world's first major electric-powered inner-city tram line, which was opened in 1891.

Halle (Saale) Hauptbahnhof Halle (Saale) Hauptbahnhof is the main railway station in the city of Halle (Saale) in southern part of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. The station is situated east of the city centre and is a category 2 station. Importance The station is ...

is the main railway station. Halle's prominence as a railway centre grew with the arrival of the Erfurt-Leipzig/Halle high-speed railway. Leipzig is also connected to this route, but since it is a terminus station (though the Leipzig City Tunnel is currently under construction, the route will be shared with S-Bahn trains, making it unlikely that it will be used as a through station for Berlin-Munich trains), Halle is more likely to be used as an intermediate stop for Berlin-Munich trains. The completion of the

Nuremberg–Erfurt high-speed railway The Nuremberg–Erfurt high-speed railway is a German high-speed railway, between Nuremberg and Erfurt. The line is listed in Germany's federal transport plan as '' Verkehrsprojekt Deutsche Einheit Nr.'' ("German Unity transport project no") ''8. ...

also provided a further impetus to use the route.

Leipzig/Halle Airport Leipzig/Halle Airport (German: ''Flughafen Leipzig/Halle'') is an international airport located in Schkeuditz, Saxony, Germany and serves both Leipzig, Saxony, and Halle, Saxony-Anhalt. It is Germany's 14th largest airport by passengers and ...

(opened in 1927) is an international airport located in Schkeuditz, Saxony, and serves both Leipzig, Saxony, and Halle, Saxony-Anhalt. it is Germany's 11th largest airport by passengers, handling more than 2.57 million mainly with flights to European leisure destinations. In terms of cargo traffic, the airport is the fifth-busiest in Europe and the second-busiest in Germany after

Frankfurt Airport Frankfurt Airport (; german: link=no, Flughafen Frankfurt Main , also known as ''Rhein-Main-Flughafen'') is a major international airport located in Frankfurt, the fifth-largest city of Germany and one of the world's leading financial centres ...

. File:Hbf Halle (Saale).jpg,

, the main railway station File:Tram MGT6D Halle Moritzburgring 3.JPG, Tram in Halle File:Leipzig-Halle Airport Check-in.jpg,

Sports

The football team ''Hallescher FC Wacker 1900'' had some regional importance before World War II. In the German Championship ''Wacker'' reached the semi-finals in 1921, and the quarter-finals in 1928. The successor team became East German champions in 1949 and 1952 under the names of ''ZSG Union'' and ''BSG Turbine Halle''. From these evolved today's ''

Turbine Halle Turbine Halle is a sports club based in the quarter of Giebichenstein in the city of Halle in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt. With about 1,000 members in departments for track and field, association football, speedskating, table tennis ...

'' and ''

Hallescher FC Hallescher FC, sometimes still called by its former popular name Chemie Halle, is a German association football club based in Halle an der Saale, Saxony-Anhalt. The club currently plays in the 3. Liga, the third highest level in the German footb ...

''. In the era of the German Democratic Republic, the latter club (as ''Chemie Halle'' ) was a mainstay in the first division and won the Cup tournament in 1956 and 1962. The most prominent player was 72-times international

Bernd Bransch Bernd Bransch (24 September 1944 – 11 June 2022) was a footballer from East Germany who played as a sweeper. Career Bransch began his sporting career as a youngster at BSG Motor Halle-Süd. The son of a locksmith was then allowed to join sp ...

, who was with ''Chemie'' in the 1960s and 1970s. These days, ''Hallescher FC'' usually plays in the third division. The general sports club ', originating from ''Chemie Halle'', created a notable number of Olympic gold medallists and world champions, mainly in nautical and watersports, e.g., swimmer

Kornelia Ender Kornelia Ender (later Matthes now Grummt, born 25 October 1958 in Plauen, Bezirk Karl-Marx-Stadt) is a former East German swimmer who at the 1976 Summer Olympics became the first woman swimmer to win four gold medals at a single Olympic Games, ...

won four Olympic gold medals in 1976 and Andreas Hajek won four rowing world championships between 1998 and 2001. The basketball team of the club – these days known as ''Lions'' and focusing on the woman's team which plays in the national first division – won five men's and 10 women's championships of the German Democratic Republic. The Hallesher FC's location is extremely close to a train station.

Notable people

Public service

Bundesarchiv FDP-Bundesparteitag, Genscher

* Clemens von Delbrück (1856–1921) conservative politician,

Vice-Chancellor of Germany The vice-chancellor of Germany, unofficially the vice-chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (), officially the deputy to the federal chancellor (), is the second highest ranking German cabinet member. The chancellor is the head of governm ...

1908-1916 *

Helga Einsele Helga Einsele (born Helga Hackmann: 9 June 1910 - 13 February 2005) was a German Criminology , criminologist, prison director and high-profile prisons reformer. Life and works Provenance and early years Helga Marianne Freda Hackmann was born ...

(1910-2005) a criminologist, prison director and high-profile prisons reformer. * Gerhard Feige (born 1951), bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Magdeburg The Diocese of Magdeburg is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church, located in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Its seat is Magdeburg; it is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Paderborn. The Diocese was erected out of Paderborn te ...

August Hermann Francke August Hermann Francke (; 22 March 1663 – 8 June 1727) was a German Lutheran clergyman, theologian, philanthropist, and Biblical scholar. Biography Born in Lübeck, Francke was educated at the Illustrious Gymnasium in Gotha before he s ...

(1663–1727), Lutheran Pietist theologian at the University of Halle and founder of the Halle Orphan House complex. * Hans-Dietrich Genscher (1927–2016), former Vice Chancellor and longest serving

Foreign Minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

, (1974 to 1992), was born in Reideburg, which belongs to Halle today *

Gerald Götting Gerald Götting (9 June 1923 – 19 May 2015) was a German politician and chairman of the East German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1966 until 1989.Christian Democratic Union, 1966-1989. * Margot Honecker (1927–2016) First Lady of the

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **G ...

, 1976–1989 *

Friedrich Ludwig Jahn (11August 177815October 1852) was a German gymnastics educator and nationalist whose writing is credited with the founding of the German gymnastics ( Turner) movement as well as influencing the German Campaign of 1813, during which a coalition o ...

(1778–1852), theology student of University Halle 1796–1800, went into hiding using a porphyry cave along the river Saale. It became known as the "Jahn-Höhle" (Cave). * Christian Andreas Käsebier (1710–1757), intelligence operative for

Frederick the Great Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...

, robber and swindler, born and raised in Halle *

Carl Lampert Carl Lampert (9 January 1894 – 13 November 1944) was an Austrian Roman Catholic priest who served as the pro-vicar for the Diocese of Feldkirch in addition to being an outspoken critic of Nazism during World War II. This led to constant ...

, (1894–1944), priest, beheaded by Nazis in World War II at Halle *

Hans Litten Hans Achim Litten (19 June 1903 – 5 February 1938) was a German lawyer who represented opponents of the Nazis at important political trials between 1929 and 1932, defending the rights of workers during the Weimar Republic. During one trial in ...

(1903–1938), lawyer, represented opponents of the Nazis at trials from 1929 and 1932 * Johann David Michaelis (1717–1791) a Prussian biblical scholar and teacher. *

(1750–1801), the first

, graduated at Halle University. * George Müller (1805–1898), preacher and philanthropist, coordinator of orphanages in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...

. *

Cornelia Pieper Cornelia Pieper (''née'' Richter; born 4 February 1959) is a German politician of the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP). She currently serves as German consul general in Gdańsk, Poland. Pieper previously served as Minister of State at the ...

(born 1959) a German politician, now German consul general in

Gdańsk Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...

, Poland. *

Richard Raatzsch Richard Raatzsch (born 1957 in Halle an der Saale, Germany) is a German philosopher. Since 2008, he has been Chair of Ethics within the European Business School (EBS) at Reichartshausen Castle in Oestrich-Winkel/Rheingau (Germany). Life Raatzs ...

(born 1957), philosopher and professor of practical philosophy * Princess Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg (1619–1680), a princess of Saxe-Altenburg * Fabian von Schlabrendorff (1907–1980), lawyer, officer, judge and member of the German resistance * Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher (1768–1834), university preacher and professor of theology to the University of Halle, where he remained until 1807. * Fabian von Schlabrendorff (1907–1980) a jurist, soldier and member of the German resistance and judge of the German Federal Constitutional Court. *

Albrecht Schröter Albrecht Schröter (born 7 April 1955) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) who served as mayor (''Oberbürgermeister'') of Jena from 2006 to 2018. Early life and career Schröter attended the Polytechnic Seco ...

(born 1955), politician (SPD) and mayor of Jena from 2006 to 2018. *

Gertrud Schubart-Fikentscher Gertrud Schubart-Fikentscher (23 December 1896 - 24 March 1985) became Germany's first female professor of Law in September 1948, and remained the country's only female university law professor - after 1957 an emeritus (retired) law professor - fo ...

(1896-1985) first female professor of Law from 1948 for 17 years *

Ullrich Sierau Ullrich Sierau (born 6 March 1956, Halle an der Saale, East Germany) is a German politician from the Social Democratic Party of Germany and, since 15 June 2014, for the third time, has been the lord mayor of Dortmund. After retaining this posit ...

(born 1956), politician (SPD) and mayor of Dortmund from 2010 to 2020 * John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg (1572–1619) a

Prince-elector The prince-electors (german: Kurfürst pl. , cz, Kurfiřt, la, Princeps Elector), or electors for short, were the members of the electoral college that elected the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 13th century onwards, the princ ...

of the

Hans-Christian Ströbele Hans-Christian Ströbele (; 7 June 1939 – 29 August 2022) was a German politician and lawyer. He was a member of Alliance 90/The Greens, the German green party. Education and early career Ströbele was born on 7 June 1939 in Halle, Saale, ...

(born 1939), politician (Greens) and member of the Bundestag *

Johann Friedrich Struensee Lensgreve Johann Friedrich Struensee (5 August 1737 – 28 April 1772) was a German-Danish physician, philosopher and statesman. He became royal physician to the mentally ill King Christian VII of Denmark and a minister in the Danish governmen ...

(1737–1772) a German physician, philosopher and statesman. * Ľudovít Štúr (1815–1856), Slovak national leader, linguist and writer, studied at the University of Halle in 1838–1840 * Thomas Kesselhut

Military

* Reinhard Heydrich (1904–1942), a leading

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

WWII World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and a main architect of the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

* Ludolf von Alvensleben (1901–1970) an SS functionary, fled to Argentina after WWII *

Oswald Boelcke Oswald Boelcke PlM (; 19 May 1891 – 28 October 1916) was a World War I German professional soldier and pioneering flying ace credited with 40 aerial victories. Boelcke is honored as the father of the German fighter air force, and of air ...

(1891–1916), World War I German flying ace, born near Halle * Karl von Eberstein (1894–1979) German nobility, early member of the Nazi Party, the SA and the SS. *

Walter Eisfeld Walter Eisfeld (born 11 July 1905 in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt – died 3 April 1940 in Dachau) was a German SS functionary and concentration camp commandant during the Nazi era. Eisfeld had been a member of the Artamanen-Gesellschaft, a völkisch ba ...

(1905–1940), Nazi SS concentration camp commandant * Paul Götze (1903–1948), Nazi SS officer at Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps executed for war crimes *

Johannes Hassebroek Johannes Hassebroek (11 July 1910, in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt – 17 April 1977, in Westerstede) was a German SS commander during the Nazi era. He served as a commandant of the Gross-Rosen concentration camp and its sub-camps from October 1943 until t ...

(1910–1977), Nazi SS commandant of

Gross-Rosen concentration camp , known for = , location = , built by = , operated by = , commandant = , original use = , construction = , in operation = Summer of 1940 – 14 February 1945 , gas cham ...

. * Karl Freiherr von Müffling (1775–1851), Prussian general field marshal.

Science

* Bernd Baselt (1934–1993), university professor, published a catalogue leading to the modern day opus designator ( HWV) which is used when referring to the works of

. *

Dorothea Christiane Erxleben Dorothea Christiane Erxleben (13 November 1715 – 13 June 1762) was a German doctor who became the first female doctor of medicinal science in Germany. Early life Dorothea was born on 13 November 1715 in the small town of Quedlinburg, Germa ...

of Quedlinburg (1715–1762) received her

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. ...

degree in 1754 from the Medical Department of Martin Luther University (MLU) *

Georg Cantor Georg Ferdinand Ludwig Philipp Cantor ( , ; – January 6, 1918) was a German mathematician. He played a pivotal role in the creation of set theory, which has become a fundamental theory in mathematics. Cantor established the importance o ...

(1845–1918), mathematician and professor at the university of Halle *

Arthur Golf Arthur Golf (21 July 1877 – 18 February 1941) was a German academic agronomist. A principal focus of his teaching and research was on " colonial agriculture": another was " selective breeding", concentrating on sheep. During his later years he ...

(1877–1941) an academic agronomist, focussed on ''colonial

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

'' * Siegwart Horst Günther (1925–2015), a German physician,'father of the anti-uranium-weapons movement in Germany', born in Halle * Friedrich Hoffmann (1660–1742), a German physician and chemist. * Christian Knaut (1656–1716), doctor, botanist and librarian * Andreas Libavius (1550-1616), practised alchemy, wrote the book ''Alchemia,'' a chemistry textbook *

Felix Jacob Marchand Felix Jacob Marchand (22 October 1846 – 4 February 1928) was a German pathologist born in Halle an der Saale. He studied medicine in Berlin, and later became an assistant at the pathological institute in Halle. In 1881 he became a professor ...

(1846–1928) a German pathologist, coined the term '' atherosclerosis'' *

Leonhard Sohncke Leonhard Sohncke (22 February 1842 Halle – 1 November 1897 in Munich) was a German mathematician who classified the 65 space groups in which chiral crystal structures form, called Sohncke groups. He was a professor of physics at the Technisch ...

(1842–1897), mathematician and professor of physics *

Georg Wilhelm Steller Georg Wilhelm Steller (10 March 1709 – 14 November 1746) was a German botanist, zoologist, physician and explorer, who worked in Russia and is considered a pioneer of Alaskan natural history.Evans, Howard Ensign. Edward Osborne Wilson (col ...

(1709–1746), a botanist, zoologist, physician and explorer of Siberia, Kamchatka and Alaska * Christian Friedrich von Völkner (1728–1796), German translator and historian in Russia

Arts

* Conny Bauer (born 1943) & Johannes Bauer (1954–2016) jazz trombonists. *

Johann Friedrich Bause Johann Friedrich Bause (3 January 1738 in Halle - 5 January 1814, Weimar) was a German copper engraver; primarily of portraits. Life and work He was born to Christian Gottlieb Bause (b.1696), supervisor of the Halle saltworks, and his wife, So ...

(1738-1814) a copper engraver; primarily of portraits. * Ursula Brömme (1931–2001), operatic soprano * Thuon Burtevitz (born 1973), composer *

Heinrich Andreas Contius Heinrich Andreas Contius, also Cuntius (1708 – 1795 in Valmiera, Livonia) is considered the most important organ builder in the Baltic States in the 18th century. Life Contius was born in 1708 as the son of the organ builder Christoph Cuntziu ...

(1708–1795) an organ builder in the Baltic States *

Susanne Daubner Susanne Daubner (born 26 March 1961) is a German news and television presenter. She has been part of the ''Tagesschau'' news team since 1999. Previously, Daubner had worked for Rundfunk der DDR, DT64 and Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg. Biogra ...

(born 1962), German news and television presenter * Lyonel Feininger (1871–1956), painter of several famous images in Halle, incl. ''Der Dom in Halle.'' * Ernst Flügel (1844—1912) a German Romantic composer. * Robert Franz (1815–1892) a German composer, mainly of lieder. *

Moritz Goetze Moritz is the German equivalent of the name Maurice. It may refer to: People Given name * Saint Maurice, also called Saint Moritz, the leader of the legendary Roman Theban Legion in the 3rd century * Prince Moritz of Hesse (2007), the son o ...

(born 1964), pop-artist, painter, sculptor, born and lives in Halle * Georg Friedrich Händel (1685–1759),

composer, born and raised in Halle. * Carola Helbing-Erben (born 1952), textile artist *

Claire Heliot Claire Heliot (9 February 1866, in Halle (Saale) – 9 June 1953, in Stuttgart) was a German lion tamer. She was born Klara Haumann (Huth). Her father was a government postal official. In April 1897, she caused a sensation when she first perfor ...

(1866–1953) a German lion tamer. *

Johann Georg Ludwig Hesekiel Johann George Ludwig Hesekiel (12 August 1819 – 26 February 1874) was a German author from Halle, where his father, distinguished as a writer of sacred poetry, was a Lutheran pastor. Hesekiel studied history and philosophy in Halle, Jena and ...

(1819–1874), author and journalist. *

Nickel Hoffmann Nickel Hoffmann (also known as Nikolaus Hofmann, 1536 – 1592) was a German stonemason, sculptor, craftsman, and builder of the Great Masters in the later part of the Gothic Art movement and the Renaissance in central Germany. Life and work Hoffm ...

(1536–1592), mastermason, worked over 30 years in Halle, including the Market Church and the Composanto * Thomas Kesselhut, (born 1991)

Twitch streamer An online streamer or live streamer is a person who broadcasts themselves online through a live stream to an audience. History Streaming arose in the early 2010s, originating on sites like YouTube where users could upload videos of themselves i ...

known for

Hearts of Iron IV ''Hearts of Iron IV'', also known as HOI4, is a grand strategy computer wargame developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive. It was released worldwide on 6 June 2016. It is the sequel to 2009's '' Hearts of Iro ...

, born and raised in Halle *

August Lafontaine August Heinrich Julius Lafontaine (5 October 1758 – 20 April 1831) was a German novelist. Biography Lafontaine was born and brought up in Brunswick, the son of the court painter Ludolph Lafontaine and his fifth wife, the court maid-in-waitin ...

(1758–1831), a writer of sentimental novels, then hugely popular, died in Halle *

Georg Listing Tokio Hotel is a German pop rock band, founded in 2001 by singer Bill Kaulitz, guitarist Tom Kaulitz, drummer Gustav Schäfer, and bassist Georg Listing. Their sound encompasses multiple genres, including pop rock, alternative rock, and electro ...

(born 1987), bassist from the

-based band,

Tokio Hotel Tokio Hotel is a German pop rock band, founded in 2001 by singer Bill Kaulitz, guitarist Tom Kaulitz, drummer Gustav Schäfer, and bassist Georg Listing. Their sound encompasses multiple genres, including pop rock, alternative rock, and electro ...

* Johann Friedrich Naue (1787–1858), classical composer *

Ursula Noack Ursula Noack (7 April 1918 – 13 February 1988) was a German Kabarett, cabaret artiste, Actor, film and stage actress, :de:Hörspielsprecher, radio drama performer and Chanson, chanson singer who after End of World War II in Europe, 1945 made her ...

(1918–1988) a cabaret artiste, film and stage actress and chanson singer *

Kai Pflaume Kai Pflaume (born 27 May 1967 in Halle) is a German television presenter and game show host A game show host is an individual who manages a game show, introduces contestants, and asks quiz questions to test the knowledge of said contestant ...

(born 1967), German television presenter, born in Halle * Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752–1814), composer, writer and music critic, lived in Halle. He was a close friend of

Samuel Scheidt Samuel Scheidt (baptised 3 November 1587 – 24 March 1654) was a German composer, organist and teacher of the early Baroque era. Life and career Scheidt was born in Halle, and after early studies there, he went to Amsterdam to study with ...

(1587–1654),

composer and

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists. In addition, an organist may accompany congregational ...

, spent most of his life in Halle * Hellmut Schnackenburg (1902–1974), conductor * Daniel Gottlob Türk (1756–1813), classical composer, was born in Halle in 1750, and was a professor at the University of Halle *

Anja Daniela Wagner Anja Daniela Wagner (born 11 March 1969, in Halle/Saale) is a German operatic mezzo-soprano and photographer. Life and work After a training in picture retouching, Wagner, the daughter of the artist couple and , studied singing at the Universi ...

(born 1969), operatic mezzo-soprano * Paul Weigel (1867–1951) a German-American actor, appearing in over 110 films between 1916 and 1945.

Sport

(1944–2022) a footballer with 317 club caps and 64 for

Waldemar Cierpinski Waldemar Cierpinski (born 3 August 1950) is a former East German athlete and two time Olympic Champion in the marathon. He lives in Halle an der Saale. Career He was born to Polish parents who had moved to Germany in 1945, in Neug ...

(born 1950), East German athlete and twice Olympic Champion, lives in Halle *

Fritz Huschke von Hanstein Fritz Sittig Enno Werner von Hanstein (3 January 1911 – 5 March 1996) nicknamed "Huschke von Hanstein", was a German racing driver who from the 1950s served both as Porsche's public relations manager and chief of their racing department. ...

(1911–1996) a German racing driver, worked for

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company ...

* Yoan Pablo Hernández (born 1984), Cruiserweight

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

champion (immigrated from

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

) *

Marita Lange Marita Lange (born 22 June 1943 in Halle) is a former athlete from East Germany, who won the silver medal behind team mate Margitta Gummel in the shot put event at the 1968 Summer Olympics held in Mexico City, Mexico Mexico (Spanish: Mé ...

(born 1943), shot putter, silver medallist at the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport ev ...

Lothar Milde Lothar Milde (born 8 November 1934) was an East German athlete who competed mainly in the discus throw. He was born in Halle an der Saale. Milde competed at three Olympic Games winning the silver medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico Cit ...

(born 1934) East German discus thrower, silver medallist at the

Jochen Pietzsch Jochen Pietzsch (born 1 December 1963 in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt) is a former East German luger who competed during the mid-1980s. Together with Jörg Hoffmann, he won two medals in the men's doubles event with a gold in 1988 and a bronze in 198 ...

(born 1963) a former East German

luge A luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine (face up) and feet-first. A luger steers by using the calf muscles to flex the sled's runners or by exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh for ...

r, he won gold in at the

1988 Winter Olympics The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games (french: XVes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Calgary 1988 ( bla, Mohkínsstsisi 1988; sto, Wîchîspa Oyade 1988 or ; cr, Otôskwanihk 1998/; srs, Guts� ...

and bronze in 1984. *

Conny Pohlers Conny Pohlers (born 16 November 1978) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward. From 1998 she played in the Women's Bundesliga and from 2001 in the Germany national team. Club career Born, Halle, Pohlers comes from ...

(born 1978) a German former footballer with 67 caps with Germany women * Torsten Spanneberg (born 1975) an team bronze medal winner in the 4×100 m medley relay at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

Andreas Wank Andreas Wank (; born 18 February 1988) is a German former ski jumper who competed at World Cup level from 2004 to 2019. He currently works in a supporting role as part of the German national ski jumping team. Early career Wank began early on w ...

(born 1988), German ski jumper, team gold medallist at the

2014 Winter Olympics , ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'') , nations = 88 , events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , athletes = 2,873 , opening = 7 February 2014 , closing = 23 February 2014 , opened_by = President Vladimir Putin , cauldron = , stadium = Fisht Olympi ...

Ulrich Wehling Ulrich Wehling (born 8 July 1952 in Halle) is a retired German skier who won the nordic combined event in the Winter Olympics three consecutive times, in 1972, 1976, and 1980. Wehling was the first man to win three consecutive gold m ...

(born 1952) a retired German skier who won the nordic combined event in the Winter Olympics three consecutive times, in 1972, 1976, and 1980. *

Dariusz Wosz Dariusz Wosz (, ; born 8 June 1969) is a German professional football coach and former player who is a technical trainer for German club VfL Bochum. As a player, he played mostly as a deep-lying playmaker in midfield. Early life Wosz's famil ...

(born 1969) a German football coach and former player with 563 club caps and 17 for

Twin towns – sister cities

Halle is twinned with: *

Oulu Oulu ( , ; sv, Uleåborg ) is a city, municipality and a seaside resort of about 210,000 inhabitants in the region of North Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is the most populous city in northern Finland and the fifth most populous in the country after ...

, Finland (1968) *

Linz Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846. In 2009, it was a European Capital ...

, Austria (1975) * Grenoble, France (1976) * Ufa, Russia (1977) *

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...

, Germany (1987) * Jiaxing, China (2009) *

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

, United States (2011) *

Gyumri Gyumri ( hy, Գյումրի, ) is an urban municipal community and the second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th century, when the city w ...

, Armenia (2020)

Friendly cities

Halle also has friendly relations with: *

Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of . The fourth-largest urban area in Portugal after Lisbon, Porto, and Braga, it is the largest cit ...

, Portugal (1976) *

Hildesheim Hildesheim (; nds, Hilmessen, Hilmssen; la, Hildesia) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of Hildesheim, about southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of the ...

, Germany (1990)

Around Halle

Nearby towns

Halle (Saale) and Leipzig are the two centres of the

with more than 2.4 million people. File:Leipzig Fockeberg Zentrum.jpg,

, Germany's eighth largest city File:Merseburger Schloss 2006.jpg,

Merseburg Merseburg () is a town in central Germany in southern Saxony-Anhalt, situated on the river Saale, and approximately 14 km south of Halle (Saale) and 30 km west of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a dioces ...

borders Halle File:Wittenberg,Luthers Hochzeit.jpg,

File:Lutherstadt_Eisleben_Markt.jpg,

Eisleben Eisleben is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is famous as both the hometown of the influential theologian Martin Luther and the place where he died; hence, its official name is Lutherstadt Eisleben. First mentioned in the late 10th century, ...

References

Bibliography

External links

* * {{Authority control Cities in Saxony-Anhalt Members of the Hanseatic League