Halle has been known by many names throughout its history. From the 15th to the 17th century:Hall in Sachsen. From then until the beginning of the 20th century, the nameHalle an der Saale[ˈhaləʔandeːɐ̯ˈzaːlə]ⓘ was used, and still remains a more formal reference for the city.[3] Additionally, from 1965 to 1995 the city was referred to asHalle/Saale.
Halle lies in the south of Saxony-Anhalt, in theLeipzig Bay, the southernmost part of theNorth German Plain, and is the largest city on theRiver Saale (a tributary of theElbe), which is the third-longest river flowing entirely in Germany after theWeser and theMain. TheWhite Elster flows into the Saale in the southern borough of Silberhöhe. Halle is the fourth-largest city in theThuringian-Upper Saxon dialect area after Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz.
Halle (Saale) is located in the southern part ofSaxony-Anhalt in central Germany, along the riverSaale which drains the surrounding plains and the greater part of the neighboringFree State of Thuringia just to its south, and the Thuringian basin, northwards from theThuringian Forest. Leipzig, one of Germany's major cities, is only 35 kilometres (22 mi) away. Its area is 135.01 km2 (52.13 sq mi).[4]
The city is divided into five districts ('Stadtbezirke'): Central, North, East, South, and West. The city districts are in turn are divided into neighbourhoods ('Stadtteile'), which are further divided into quarters ('Stadtviertel').
The following municipalities and districts have been incorporated into the city of Halle (Saale) over the years.
1 July 1950: Town ofAmmendorf (with the districts of Beesen, Burg in der Aue, Osendorf, Planena, and Radewell), Bruckdorf, Büschdorf, Diemitz, Dölau, Kanena, Lettin, Mötzlich, Nietleben, Passendorf, Reideburg, Seeben, Tornau, and Wörmlitz-Böllberg
12 May 1967: Separation of the Halle-West development area north of Passendorf, which became an independent town under the nameHalle-Neustadt, later a district-free city
Köppen climate classification classifies its climate asoceanic (Cfb). However, it is close to being acold semi-arid climate (BSk). 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 semi-arid climate.[5] For example, using the climate data from September 2015 to August 2020, the climate would fulfill the requirements to be classified as a cold semi-arid climate.[6] Notwithstanding, the great variation of annual precipitation between the years allows agriculture and large trees to grow, surviving recurring drought periods and years like in the summers of2018 and2019 with severe drought because of regularly occurring wet periods and years and absence of extremely high temperatures - never reaching 40 °C (104 °F). With its vegetation, Halle is far from the steppe or semi-desert vegetation typical of cold semi-arid climates.
Climate data for Halle (Leipzig/Halle Airport) (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1973–2013)
Halle's early history is connected with the harvesting of salt. The name of the riverSaale contains theGermanic root for salt, and salt-harvesting has taken place in Halle since at least theBronze Age (2300–600 BC).
From 1965 to 1995, the official name wasHalle/Saale.
Halle became a center forPietism, a movement encouraged by KingFrederick William I of Prussia (reigned 1713–1740) because it caused the area's largeLutheran population to be more inclined to Fredrick William I's religion (Calvinism), 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.[citation needed] The Halle Pietists also combatted poverty.[9]
During theWar of the Fourth Coalition, French and Prussian forces clashed in theBattle 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.
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, are theMarket 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 officerFelix von Luckner negotiated the city's surrender to the American army. In July, the Americans withdrew and the city was occupied by theRed Army.
Population size may be affected by changes in administrative divisions.Source:[12][circular reference]
Halle has a population of about 242,000 and is the largest city inSaxony-Anhalt State. In theEast Germany era, Halle had a lot of big industry with many workplaces. At the time Halle was one of the leading cities in East Germany, along withLeipzig andDresden. Halle reached its highest population in 1991 with about 305,000 people. SinceGerman reunification, Halle's population began to decline due to its loss of industry, with many people moving to formerWest Germany. Halle is now considered one of the poorest cities in Germany. Halle's foreign population began to grow in 2015 after refugees from Syria and other war torn countries moved to Halle.
The current mayor of Halle isindependent politician Alexander Vogt since 2025. The most recent mayoral election was held on 2 February 2025, with a runoff held on 23 February, and the results were as follows:
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 theThirty Years' War, 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 twoHausmannstürme are connected by a bridge and on this bridge was the city's fire watch. The church owns the original death-mask ofMartin Luther. The Marktkirche's four towers is a landmark symbol of the city.[14][15]
Roter Turm (Red Tower), originally built ascampanile 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
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 theRatshof 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, theHallische Verwerfung.
Handel House, first mentioned in 1558, birthplace of George Frideric Handel, a museum since 1948
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 toLenin in the Pestalozzi Park.[16]
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 Italiancamposanto
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 aDominican monastery (1271), converted into a cathedral by cardinalAlbert 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 theAckerbürgerhof (15th – 18th centuries with remains from the 12th century),Christian Wolff's House (today City Museum), Graseweg House (half-timbered building)
Thalia Theater, the only theatre for children inSaxony-Anhalt
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 theGarden Dreams project
Reichardts Garten is a historic park, part of the Garden Dreams project. Laid out in 1794 byJohann 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 theReilsberg 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, includingBischofs Wiese with 35 graves dating back to about 2500–2000 BC, theNeolithic 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 toLenin.[17]
Salt, also known aswhite 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. Thebrine was highly concentrated and boiled inKoten, simple structured houses made from reed and clay. Salters, who wore a unique uniform with eighteen silver buttons, were known asHalloren, and this name was later used for the chocolates in the shape of these buttons.
TheHalloren-Werke, the oldest chocolate factory in Germany, was founded in 1804. Old documents are on display and a chocolate room can be visited.
WithinEast Germany, Halle's chemical industry, now mainly shut down, was of great importance. The two main companies in the region wereBuna-Werke andLeuna, andHalle-Neustadt was built in the 1960s to accommodate the employees of these two factories.
Baroque composerGeorg Friedrich Händel (laterGeorge 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 aHandel Festival since 1922, annually in June since 1952. TheFranckesche Stiftungen (Francke Foundations) are home to theStadtsingechor zu Halle [de], which was founded before the year 1116 and is one of the oldest boys' choirs in the world.[citation needed]
The Silver Treasure of theHalloren 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 theNebra sky disk, a significant Bronze-Age find with astronomical significance.
Halle Zoo contributes to theEAZA breeding programme, in particular for the Angolan lion and theMalaysian tiger. Halle is also known for its thrivingcoypu (or nutria) population, which is native to South America.
German-Americanexpressionist painterLyonel Feininger worked in Halle on an invitation by the city from 1929 to 1931. As one of eleven views of the city termedHalle Cycle, he painted in 1931Die Türme über der Stadt[20] (The towers above the city), which is now in theMuseum Ludwig in Cologne.[21] This painting appeared on a 55eurocent stamp on 5 December 2002 as a part of the series "Deutsche Malerei des 20. Jahrhunderts" (German painting of the 20th century).[22]
The centrepiece of Halle's urban public transport system is theHalle (Saale) tramway network. It includes the world's first major electric-powered inner-city tram line, which was opened in 1891.[23]Halle (Saale) Hauptbahnhof is the main railway station.
Halle's prominence as a railway centre grew with the arrival of theErfurt-Leipzig/Halle high-speed railway. Leipzig is also connected to this route, but since it is mostly a terminus station (theLeipzig City Tunnel, opened in 2013, is mostly used by suburban S-Bahn trains and unsuitable for the high-speed network) and the route via Halle is shorter, Halle is used as an intermediate stop by many Berlin-Munich trains.
Leipzig/Halle Airport (opened in 1927) is an international airport located in Schkeuditz, Saxony, and serves both Leipzig, Saxony, and Halle, Saxony-Anhalt. As of 2018[update] 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 afterFrankfurt Airport.
The football teamHallescher FC Wacker 1900 had some regional importance before World War II. In the German ChampionshipWacker 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 ofZSG Union andBSG Turbine Halle. From these evolved today'sTurbine Halle andHallescher FC. In the era of the German Democratic Republic, the latter club (asChemie Halle ) was a mainstay in the first division and won the Cup tournament in 1956 and 1962. The most prominent player was 72-times internationalBernd Bransch, who was withChemie in the 1960s and 1970s. These days,Hallescher FC usually plays in the third division.
The general sports clubSV Halle [de], originating fromChemie Halle, created a notable number of Olympic gold medallists and world champions, mainly in nautical and watersports, e.g., swimmerKornelia Ender won four Olympic gold medals in 1976 andAndreas Hajek won four rowing world championships between 1998 and 2001. The basketball team of the club – these days known asLions 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 Hallescher FC's location is extremely close to a train station.
August Hermann Francke (1663–1727), Lutheran Pietist theologian at the University of Halle and founder of the Halle Orphan House complex.[24]
Hans-Dietrich Genscher (1927–2016), former Vice Chancellor and longest servingForeign Minister, (1974 to 1992), was born in Reideburg, which belongs to Halle today
Friedrich Ludwig Jahn (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).[25]
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 ofGeorge Frideric Handel.
Ulrich Wehling (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 (born 1969), a German football coach and former player with 563 club caps and 17 forGermany
^Clark, Christopher (2007).Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600–1947. Penguin UK.ISBN9780141904023.Archived from the original on 13 April 2017. Retrieved18 May 2017.In Halle, too, the local Pietists battled poverty and indigence. Around the charismatic figure of August Hermann Francke there was an extraordinary flowering of Christian voluntarism. In 1695, Francke opened a poor-school financed by pious donations.
^Das vergessene Lager: Eine Dokumentation zum Außenkommando des KZ Buchenwald in Halle/Saale 1944/45
^Fiebiger, Anke (2025).The Marienbibliothek in Halle an der Saale, Founded in 1552 (brochure). Marienbibliothek Halle.
^Heinrich L. Nickel, Karsten Eisenmenger:Die Marienbibliothek der Marktkirche Unser Lieben Frauen zu Halle an der Saale. (Flyer, hrsg. vom Freundeskreis der Marienbibliothek zu Halle e. V.)
^"Painting".ids.lib.harvard.edu.Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved9 May 2014.
.jpg)
_24.jpg)
.svg)
_COA.svg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
%2c_Moritzburg%2c_Ansicht_von_Nordosten_20170718_003.jpg)
_Opernhaus_asv2024-04_img1.jpg)
_02.jpg)
%2c_Blick_auf_Kr%25C3%25B6llwitz.jpg)
_University_Library_Building_(Feb-2006).jpg)
_Draufsicht.jpg)
_28.jpg)
_Hauptbahnhof_asv2024-04_img2.jpg)
.jpg)
.svg)
