Halle upon 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°ECoordinates: 51°29′N 11°58′E / 51.483°N 11.967°E

Country

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)

CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)

06108-06132

0049345

HAL

Website

www.halle.de

Halle (Saale) (German: Halle an der Saale, pronounced [ˈhalə ʔan 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).

The Latin name Hala Saxonum was also used.

The earliest documented mention of Halle dates from AD 806. It became a part of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg in the 10th century and remained so until 1680, when Brandenburg-Prussia annexed it together with Magdeburg as the Duchy of Magdeburg, while it was an important location for Martin Luther's Reformation in the 16th century. Cardinal Albert of Mainz (Archbishop of Magdeburg 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 at least as early as 1281.

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Wikipedia