Cities & Culture
Halle: Living well under the sun, moon and stars
Few other places have such a high concentration of the good things in life than Halle and its historic, largely intact city centre. There is an enthralling contrast between the grand old buildings lining beautiful squares and the youthful buzz of this old-yet-young city.
If you stroll through the streets of the Old Town, you will sense history at every turn. But Halle is also a contemporary city with bustling cafés, restaurants and bars. At the centre of the historical Marktplatz square is the statue of the composer George Frideric Handel, who was born in Halle in 1685. From here you can make out the silhouette of five towers, which together form the city's most famous landmark. One of these towers is the Red Tower, which features the third largest carillon in the world. The great organ in the Church of St. Mary was inaugurated in the presence of Johann Sebastian Bach 300 years ago. Its crypt also houses the death mask of Martin Luther.
The Domviertel district takes you back to even earlier times, with the Renaissance house where George Frideric Handel was born. The sun, moon and stars on Halle's coat of arms could well be an allusion to the world-famous Nebra sky disk, the oldest visual representation of the cosmos in human history. You can marvel at this 3,600-year-old treasure at the State Museum of Prehistory, one of the most prestigious archaeological museums in Europe. Or gaze at gems from various eras at Moritzburg Museum of Art. You can then step back into the present and enjoy life by visiting the opera, theatre, variety performances or cabaret at various venues throughout this wonderful city.