Halle (Saale)

Halle (Saale)
From top: Halle market square with Market Church, Moritzburg (Halle), Halle-Neustadt, Francke Foundations and Halle State Museum of Prehistory
Flag Coat of arms
Halle (Saale)
Coordinates: 51°29′N 11°58′E / 51.483°N 11.967°E / 51.483; 11.967Coordinates: 51°29′N 11°58′E / 51.483°N 11.967°E / 51.483; 11.967
Country	Germany
State	Saxony-Anhalt
District	Urban district
Government
• Mayor	Bernd Wiegand
Area
• Total	135.01 km2 (52.13 sq mi)
Elevation	87 m (285 ft)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	236,991
• Density	1,800/km2 (4,500/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	06108-06132
Dialling codes	0049345
Vehicle registration	HAL
Website	www.halle.de

Halle (Saale) (/ˈhɑːlə/; German: Halle an der Saale, pronounced [ˈhalə an dɛɐ̯ ˈzaːlə]) is a city in the southern part of the German state Saxony-Anhalt.

Halle is an economic and educational center in central-eastern Germany. The University of Halle-Wittenberg is the largest university in Saxony-Anhalt and one of the oldest universities in Germany, and a nurturing ground for the local startup ecosystem. Together with Leipzig, Halle is at the heart of the Central German Metropolitan Region.

Halle (Saale) is in the southern part of Saxony-Anhalt, along the river Saale which drains the surrounding plains and the greater part of the neighbouring Free State of Thuringia just to its south, and the Thuringian basin, northwards from the Thuringian Forest. Leipzig, one of eastern Germany's other major cities, is only 35 kilometres (22 mi) away.

Halle's early history is connected with harvesting of salt. The name Halle reflects early Celtic settlement given that halen is the Brythonic (Welsh/Breton) word for salt (cf. salann in Irish). The name of the river Saale also contains the Germanic root for salt, and salt-harvesting has taken place in Halle at least since the Bronze Age (2300–600 BC).

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