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Halle (in full Halle an der Saale), is a city in central Germany, in Saxony-Anhalt, on the Saale River, near Leipzig. A principal product of Halle is salt, which is obtained from salt springs on an island in the Saale River. Halle is an important railroad junction; important industries include brewing, sugar refining, printing, making machinery, and processing foodstuffs. The city is the site of the University of Halle (1694), which in 1817 was merged with the University of Wittenberg (1502); since 1933 the university, long noted as a center of Protestant theology, has been known as the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg. Among the noteworthy buildings in Halle are the medieval town hall; the 12th-century Sankt Moritzkirche; the Marktkirche, where Wilhelm Friedemann Bach was organist for 18 years; and the 16th-century Marienkirche. A statue of the composer George Frideric Handel, who was born in Halle, stands in the main square of the city.
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In the 9th century Halle was a fortress. It early became known for its valuable saltworks, and it received a charter as a town in 981. During the 13th and 14th centuries Halle was a free city of the Hanseatic League. After the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, Halle became part of the electorate of Brandenburg. Because of the city's importance as an industrial and railroad center, it suffered considerable bomb damage during World War II (1939-1945); rebuilding of the city continues. Population (1990 estimate) 311,400.
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