Germany - Saxony-Anhalt - Halle (Saale)

HALLE (SAALE)

First documented in 806.

The city center is dominated by the Market Church of Our Lady (1554), the monument (1859) to George Frideric Handel (1685-1759), and the Red Tower (1506), the only freestanding bell tower in Germany, erected as a symbol of power of the urban bourgeoisie against the archdiocese.

Sent by Susanne from Halle, Germany.

Halle (Saale), or simply Halle (German pronunciation: [ˈhalə]), is the second largest city of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is the sixth-most populous city in the area of former East Germany after (East) Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz and Magdeburg as well as the 31st-largest city of Germany.

With around 226,000 inhabitants, it is less populous than the state capital, Magdeburg. With Leipzig, the largest city of Saxony, Halle forms the polycentric Leipzig-Halle conurbation. Leipzig/Halle International Airport lies between the two cities, in Schkeuditz. The Leipzig-Halle conurbation is at the heart of the larger Central German Metropolitan Region.

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 name Halle an der Saale [ˈhalə ʔan deːɐ̯ ˈzaːlə] was used, and still remains a more formal reference for the city. Additionally, from 1965 to 1995 the city was referred to as Halle/Saale.

Halle lies in the south of Saxony-Anhalt, in the Leipzig Bay, the southernmost part of the North German Plain, and is the largest city on the River Saale (a tributary of the Elbe), which is the third-longest river flowing entirely in Germany after the Weser 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 dialect area after Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz.

Halle is one of the main economic and educational centers of Central Germany. The Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, with campuses in Halle and Wittenberg, is the largest university in Saxony-Anhalt and one of the oldest universities in Germany. The university hospital of Halle (Universitätsklinikum Halle (Saale)) is the largest hospital in the state. The German National Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina) has its seat in Halle. Halle is an important radio hub - Halle Radio Tower is Germany's second-tallest lattice tower, and at night many public German radio stations from all over the country switch to the broadcasting center of Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk in Halle which is responsible for the night program (read more).