Sachsen Anhalt Google Map, Germany

Sachsen-Anhalt is one of the 16 federal states in the central Southern Germany that plays an important role in the formation of the German country. Its capital holds the name of Magdeburg and the other big cities include Halle (Saale) and Dessau-Roßlau. It is a culturally rich part and is famous in the context of its historic places such as the Bauhaus in Dessau, the Luther sites of Wittenberg or the mediaeval castles of the Harz Mountains. Sachsen-Anhalt was once a part of East Germany, but since then a lot of transformation has taken place in its economy since reunification.

History

Saxony-Anhalt is the region that constitutes the present-day German state; it has a long and complicated history starting with prehistoric days. With the research proving archaeological finds like the Nebra Sky Disk and the Goseck circle indicating higher forms of early culture who knew astronomy and rituals are helpful. It is with these prehistoric tribes that the beginning of a land which would later have significance to European history prevailed.

It was the Saxon focal point of the Middle Ages. The Magdeburg was moved into a 10th century heartland of the Ottonian dynasty and Otto I made it an archbishop and an imperial seat at Magdeburg. Quedlinburg, Merseburg, Naumburg, there were three such towns that thrived and examples of Romanesque architecture of that era can be found to-day.

The land became fragmented into a number of minor principalities under the House of Ascania, at the end of the medieval, and the beginning of the early modern period. The Principality of Anhalt saw a lot of division and was reunited once again in the 19th century. In the meantime, territories of this region comprising the majority of the modern German state Saxony were absorbed by Prussia following the Napoleonic Wars as a constituent of Prussian Province of Saxony.

It was Protestant Reformation as well. Luther was born in Eisleben and taught in Wittenberg in which he became known to have initiated Reformation in the year 1517. Through his legacy, the territory became a cultural and spiritual landmark, which is still significant nowadays.

The ruin of the 30 Years War happening in the 17th century was a scar that will remain in history as cities such as Magdeburg were practically wiped off the face of the earth. Nevertheless, the area slowly healed up and turned out to be a focus of learning and reformation. A case in point other than this case is the fact that the city of Halle was also linked to the learning institutions and others of social welfare in the 1700s.

Industrialization was already in place by the 19th century. Some of the cities like Dessau and Halle also became centers of chemistry, engineering, and designing. The Bauhaus movement began in the 1920s in Dessau revolutionized modern architecture and art. In the interim, the German chemical industry was also invested in the region which has major industrial plants and exhibition plants and research-centers in Leuna, Bitterfeld and Schkopau.

The land was incorporated into the Soviet occupation zone after World War II. Prussia was disintegrated, and the latter territory was transformed into a new state that unified former Prussian lands, Anhalt, and some other regions. It was a federal state and it existed only for a short time before the East German government abolished it in 1952 and replaced it with administrative districts. It has been reconstituted following German unification in the year 1990.

Culture

There are 5 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which are the medieval town of Quedlinburg, Bauhaus architecture and in Dessau, the Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Worlitz, the Luther memorials and the Naumburg Cathedral in Eisleben and Wittenberg.

One delightful culture path is called Romanesque Road, which connects about 80 Romanesque cathedrals, monasteries and castles built during the years between 10th and 13th centuries. The rest are the Magdeburg Cathedral, Jerichow Monastery and Halberstadt Cathedral which are remarkable architecture of the early middle ages and are some of the places that continue to attract tourists together with the scholars.

George Frideric Handel was born in Halle and he is also remembered with an annual festival, and a museum in the form of his old home. The town of Dessau also commemorates another son, Kurt Weill and annually stages plays with a dedicated special culture centre named after him. The Anhaltisches Theater in Dessau is the venue of various productions of performances, which includes opera and ballet, musicals and classical concerts as well.

The availability of an appropriate cultural activity and immersive encounters is also the case. Panorama installations are set up in Wittenberg to bring back to life the main moments of the Reformation and provide interactive learning to visitors. The Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz is a vivid example of the synthesis of nature and design, of the English-style park, lakes, palaces, and decorated bridges in the chain of a huge landscape.

Food culture is the expression of agricultural origins of the region. Baumkuchen, Harz cheese and Halloren chocolate balls are some of the local treats. There are also different unique white wines that are produced in Saale-Unstrut wine region and are consumed by locals and people outside the region.

Cultural activities on festivals that happen once a year unify communities. The most popular of them being the Luther Wedding Festival in Wittenberg, Emperors Otto Festival in Magdeburg, Kurt Weill Festival in Dessau and the rotating festivals of the towns including the Assumption Festival in Halle and Winter Festival in Quedlinburg.

Language

Standard German (Hochdeutsch) is the predominant language that is being spoken all over the area in schools and media, in business and everyday situations. There exist regional dialects but most of the residents change to standard German and are doing it with ease, especially where there is a need to formalize or chat with strangers.

The boundaries are shared with the Central German dialect area and Low German dialect area. The Low German (Plattdeutsch) is still to be found in the northern regions (the Altmark, and the Border) of Germany and in rural settlements among the elders. But its use has decreased a lot in the past and some work is being done to maintain it as the language heritage of the region.

Unlike other states which are in the neighborhood like Saxony and Brandenburg, this state does not have a large sorbian speaking group. The Slavic-derived Sorbian languages are not found here at all and are restricted to the east in general.

Concerning the foreign languages, the residents are mostly people who speak German and the percentage of people who have the immigrant background is not very large. Among the most visible communities are the Russians, Vietnamese and the Ukrainian. The most widespread foreign language learned in schools is English, then there are other languages like French, Spanish or Russian in various school systems.

Geography

The state is located in central-eastern Germany and has an area size of around 20,451 square kilometers, thus, being the eighth largest state in the country in terms of area. The population density of this region is at a low score as compared to the national average and most of the land is under cultivation and forestry.

Geographically the area is extended between the flat terrains in the North European Plain in the northward and the low mountains in the southwards. and the part north of this, as far as the altmark, is moor and of a sandy soil. Simultaneously, the Magdeburg Boring is exceedingly useful in the very fertile loessist soils, so the central Magdeburg Boring is one of the highly productive agriculture areas in Germany. Most of the land in the state is under farming around 2/3 rds of the land and about 1/5 th of the land is under forests.

The topography then rises into the south (into the Harz Mountains, where the area is topped with the Brocken, 1,141 meters). It is hilly and most of the areas are heavily forested or carved with deep valleys giving a sharp contrast when compared with flat terrains of the north. Harz is also characterized by cool and foggy weather, it almost constantly mists and sometimes it has wintry conditions even when it is not the season.

The topography of the region is formed by major rivers. The state is crossed by the Elbe River flowing in a south eastern to north western direction with several tributaries which rise in its course such as the Saale and the Mulde. The production of wine is famous in the Saale Valley (which is in the Saale-Unstrut region). Bode River which cuts across the mount Harz and is also referred to as the Bode Gorge also makes the place dramatic.

Biodiversity and eco-tourism are promoted in several protected regions such as Harz National Park, Elbe river landscape biosphere reserve and Drolming nature park.

FAQs

Q.1: Which is the capital city and is it worth going there?

It has Magdeburg as a capital with a gothic cathedral and history and green parks. One should observe it.

Q.2: What are the famous monuments that cannot be ignored in history?

In the older history of the Reformation we can never overlook Wittenberg, the architecture of medieval times Quedlinburg, the construction of the Bauhaus school, the Cathedral at Naumburg and Dessau.

Q.3: Does the region suit the wine lovers?

Yes! The Saale-Unstrut region is a Germany region, one of the oldest wine regions of the country and a region of beautiful vineyards with wine tasting paths.