Formerly independent, Anhalt has seven world heritage sites, the highest of any state in Germany. Due to its chemicals industry, Saxony-Anhalt attracts more foreign direct investment than any other eastern German state. The former independent state of Anhalt is home to several wind farms that generate wind-powered power.

UNESCO world heritage

The state of Saxony-Anhalt originated after the Second World War, in July 1945, when a Soviet military administration in Allied-occupied Germany formed the Saxony-Anhalt from the former Prussian province of Saxony and the free state of Anhalt. The largest city of Saxony-Anhalt, Halle is a former ducal city with rich historical heritage. All the way from medieval times until the 1680s, Halle was part of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg, whose ruling Archbishop-Elector founded stately castles in the town, in Moritzburg and at the Neuresidenz.

Halle’s cathedral dates from the 13th century, the oldest building of a church in Halle. Halle’s Cathedral is sixty-eight metres long, has three naves, and is Germanys first example of the circular gabled roof in the facade. One of the finest Late Gothic churches in central Germany, Halle’s 16th-century Marktkirche is hard to miss for its four towers.

As a stand-alone Campanile, Halle’s fifth tower has no counterpart elsewhere in Germany. Halle’s zoo is commonly called Bergzoo (hillzoo) because it is attached to 130-metre-high Reilsberg, in northern Halle.

There are continuous views over the city, most memorably from a viewpoint on the summit. Over the past decade, the garden has been re-decorated each year with a different theme, in an initiative that helps the long-term unemployed in Halle.

The north-western town of Moritzburg is now home to a major collection of artworks, and several attractions outside of the Altstadt collectively offer insight into Halle’s historical background, including Technisches Halloren- und Salinenmuseum, which examines the towns origins and salt industry, and the Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte (museum for prehistory). Top attractions include the cathedral treasury at Naumburg Cathedral, the Meiseburg, Halberstadt, and the old city of Quedlinburg.

Martin Luther Memorial

Dessau, 60km south-west of Magdeburg, was once a charming city in the middle of a patchwork of palaces, parks, and gardens. Meanwhile, directly west of Halle, at the foothills of the Harz mountains, lies Lutherstadt Eisleben, the city where Martin Luther was born, died, and is now tirelessly celebrated. The key eastern gateway into the Harz mountains is the semi-timbered city of Quedlinburg, pretty enough to merit a spot on any German road trip.

To the east, Dessau-Rosslau and Wittenberg is situated in (Elbe) territory in Anhalt-Wittenberg region (as is Magdeburg, its capital). The Saale-Unstrut wine growing region, with towns such as Zeitz, Naumburg (Saale), Weissenfels, and Freyburg (Unstrut), are situated on the rivers Saale and Unstrut in southern Saxony-Anhalt.

Overview The capital city of the state in Saxony-Anhalt, Magdeburg is small and provincial, but it has several interesting attractions, notably the State Capital Cathedral, and a few city distractions and a good nightlife. Magdeburg Cathedral is similarly the focus of Wittenberg, a federal city in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, as well as being home to the tomb of the Emperor Otto I the Great.

The Romanesque Route runs across Saxony-Anhalt, connecting 80 Romanesque churches, cathedrals, castles, imperial palaces, and abbeys, and placing this age squarely at its centre. The breath-taking natural landscapes, like the Harz National Park and UNESCOs Middle Elbe Biosphere Reserve, as well as an extensive network of trails, make Saxony-Anhalt a hotspot for anyone looking to be sportif and at one with nature.