Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt)

Wettin Castle by the Saale River in Saxony-Anhalt
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WettinCastleSaale.jpg
Author: David Meisel


Saxony-Anhalt is a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. Also called Sachsen-Anhalt in German, it is on the northern central part of the country, in the former East Germany. It is bordered by Brandenburg to the east, Saxony to the southeast, Thuringia to the south, and Lower Saxony to the west. It is just one of the three states of the Federal Republic that does not have an international border with a neighboring country, not counting the city states of Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg.

Riebeckplatz, in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Halle-Riebeckplatz.jpg
Author: Kolossos


Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of 20,445 sq km (7,894 sq mi) and has a population of 2.4 million people (2011 estimate). The biggest city in Saxony-Anhalt if Halle while the capital and second-largest city is Magdeburg.

Saxony-Anhalt is divided into eleven rural districts and three urban districts. The state was created following the end of the Second World War out of the territories of former Prussia, including the Province of Saxony, the Free State of Anhalt and the Free State of Brunswick. It was part of East Germany from 1949 until 1990, when it became part of the Federal Republic following reunification.

Ecke Heilige Geist Straße in Quedlinburg
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Quedlinburg_Neue_Stra%C3%9Fe.jpg
Author: Christian Bickel


The Magdeburger Börde region of Saxony-Anhalt is reputably the most fertile in the country, with some of the best soil in Europe. As such, it is a major food producing region. The state's other economic mainstay is its chemical industry, concentrated in the cities of Wolfen and Bitterfeld. After years of living under Communist rule, some 80% of the people of Saxony-Anhalt were not church-going. Of the remainder, 15% attend the Evangelical church while 3.5% the Catholic church.

Visiting Saxony-Anhalt

The city of Halle is served by the Leipzig/Halle Airport (LEJ), the second biggest airport in the former East Germany after Berlin's airport. It is located in neighboring Saxony, about 30 km from downtown Halle. You can also reach Halle by train, and transfer to local trains to visit the smaller towns.

Magdeburg Cathedral at night
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Magdeburger-Dom-Nachts.jpg
Author: Prinz Willi

Cities of Saxony-Anhalt

World Heritage Sites in Saxony-Anhalt

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