Leuna is a town in

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 it th ...

, eastern

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 betwe ...

, south of

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 ...

and Halle, 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 ...

. The town is known for the ''

Leunawerke The Leuna works (german: Leunawerke) in Leuna, Saxony-Anhalt, is one of the biggest chemical industrial complexes in Germany. The site, now owned jointly by companies such as Total S.A., BASF, The Linde Group, Linde AG, and DOMO Group, covers 13&n ...

'', at 13 km² one of the biggest

chemical A chemical substance is a form of matter having constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Some references add that chemical substance cannot be separated into its constituent elements by physical separation methods, i.e., w ...

industrial complexes in Germany, where a very wide range of chemicals and plastics is produced. In 1960, Leuna's population was nearly 10,000, but after reunification high unemployment rates and poor living conditions, including

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...

from nearby industries, caused significant outward migration. Before the 31 December 2009 incorporation of ten neighbouring municipalities, its population had declined to 6,670.

Geography

The town Leuna consists of Leuna proper and the following 10 ''Ortschaften'' or municipal divisions:Hauptsatzung der Stadt Leuna
July 2020. * Friedensdorf * Günthersdorf * Horburg-Maßlau * Kötschlitz * Kötzschau * Kreypau * Rodden * Spergau * Zöschen * Zweimen

Economy

Industrie- und Chemiepark Infraleuna Leuna Total Raffinerie ehem Leunawerke Sachsen-Anhalt Foto 2009 Wolfgang Pehlemann DSCN2964

Leuna's industrial site stretches over 13

km² Square kilometre ( International spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures) or square kilometer (American spelling), symbol km2, is a multiple of the square metre, the SI unit of area or surface area. 1 km2 is equa ...

, making it one of the largest chemical industry sites in Germany in terms of geographical area. At the beginning of the 21st century, a wide range of chemical products and plastics are made there. A pilot plant to produce

isobutylene Isobutylene (or 2-methylpropene) is a hydrocarbon with the chemical formula . It is a four-carbon branched alkene (olefin), one of the four isomers of butylene. It is a colorless flammable gas, and is of considerable industrial value. Producti ...

from vegetal stock is being built by the French company Global Bioenergies and should start during 2016.. Bad Duerrenberg Saale Leuna

Notable people

* Christian August Crusius (1715–1775), philosopher and evangelical theologian * Wolfram Adolphi (born 1951), journalist and political scientist

References

{{Authority control Oil campaign of World War II Towns in Saxony-Anhalt Saalekreis