Halle is located in the heart of Germany. It can easily reached by car, train or plane. The next larger city is Leipzig which is easily accessible by public transport in about 30 minutes. Leipzig is home of the world famous Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Leipzig Opera House has recently been voted number 3 in Germany and one can find a lifely shopping and student scene there as well. Berlin is at two hours by train, Prague is about four hours away. Halle can be reached by Autobahn A9 and A14, by IR and IC-train connections from all major German cities and by plane, with the nearest airport being Leipzig (Flughafen Halle-Leipzig).

The Harz with the German mountain "Brocken" or the Thüringer Wald offer plenty of nature and are close enough to make for an enjoyable weekend of hiking or skiing. A trip to the beautiful beaches of the Baltic Sea or to the peaceful lake district of Mecklenburg is an absolute must for those who want to get away for a prolonged weekend.

Halle is frequently called die graue Diva - the grey diva. Like a diva, Halle does not easily open up to just anyone, but if you decide to like her, there are treasures to be found. When you ask Germans about Halle you are likely to get the following reactions:

Never heard of this place, where is that?

Isn't it that polluted and grey city somewhere in the middle of Germany?

Oh, I have been there recently. I liked it very much. I expected something completely different.

A closer look at the history of Halle may explain these different responses.Halle is an East German city. Many years these cities had disappeared from the public - that is the West German - eye. To this day many West Germans do not know the geography of the „Neue Länder“ and have no or very little knowledge of the major cities and regions. Halle, however, is one of the old German cities with a history of more than 1000 years. This part of Germany is the craddle of many important developments in German history. Martin Luther lived and taught in nearby Wittenberg, the poets and philosophers of the romantic movement were working and teaching in Halle before Napoleon’s troupes closed down the university and forced them to move on to Heidelberg. Halle is proud to be the birthplace of Georg Friedrich Händel, the famous composer.

During the years of the GDR Halle and its surroundings developed into one of the leading industrial centers. Halle was situated in the middle of the so called "Chemiedreieck" (triangle of the chemical industry) since it was surrounded by some of the largest chemical plants in Eastern Europe in Buna, Leuna and Bitterfeld. Needless to say: the once beautiful city suffered a lot from pollution and lost its attractiveness. Snow during the winter season was not white but black and the houses had dirty brown colors. For the many thousand workers of the chemical industry the State started to build modern high rise buildings surrounding the city. They were very convenient at the time, allowing the workers good public transport to their factories, providing young families with desperately needed modern accommodations with nearby schools, kindergardens, doctors, shops etc.. At the time, it was most attractive to live in these neighbourhoods. Nowadays, these high rise buildings seem ugly, grey and outdated, but efforts are on the way to make them more attractive to the demands of the nineties.

Since 1989 Halle has undergone tremendous changes. The neglected inner city is being renovated and under the dirty brown one can discover with each new week beautiful buildings. Most of them date from the turn of the century ("Gründerzeit" style) and each has its own and absolutely unique facade. By now, many of them have already been restored, showing whole neighbourhoods in a completely new light with ensembles of art deco and "Gründerzeit"-style buildings that cannot be matched in their beauty by many other German cities. It is this constant change and the enormous differences between the already restored and the still destroyed and neglected that makes for the special appeal of Halle. This place does not seem saturated and boring as so many faceless West German cities. Through this esthetic tension it has much to offer to the eyes of an aspiring artist or designer. Not to mention the availability of industrial spaces for artistic use.

With the closing down or restructuring of many of the surrounding industries the environment has undergone enormous changes to the better. The quality of the air has improved dramatically and the snow is as white again as it should be on a romantic winter afternoon. However, these changes have brought about a high number of unemployment and all the negative consequences that go along with it. Still, the people of Halle are fighters. They are of the no-nonsens, down-to-earth kind, helpful and friendly. One will not find a lot of "yuppie" night life, fancy boutiques or souvenir shops. It is not a place that cateres to the tourist’s taste, but it is very much a place for the people who live there. A place for people who are interested in cultural events, hearty meals, cozy student hang-outs.

Halle is not the Garden of Eden, but unlike in the Garden of Eden one can observe history in the making which might be a unique and unforgettable experience for anybody willing to take up the challenge and to leave the safe haven of home for a few months or years. Chances are you might even fall in love with Halle!

The inhabitants of Halle (290 000) are proud of their city’s thousand-year-old history. Halle is known as the city of salt, since it was the production of salt that contributed to the city’s wealth over the centuries. A salt crystal is thus shown to this day on Halle’s coat of arms. Today, Halle proudly considers itself to be the cultural capital of the Land Sachsen-Anhalt. Due to Lyonel Feininger’s famous paintings Halle is called the "five-towers-city", although one can see more then just five towers its skyline: there is, for example, the Leipziger Turm or the tower of the castle "Burg Giebichenstein". Since 1920 "Burg Giebichenstein" is also the name for the University of Art and Design Halle. This school is located in two important historical sites: in the castle "Burg Giebichenstein", the oldest of the castles along the river Saale, since 968 residence of the archbishops of Magdeburg, and in the "Neuwerk" , location of a monastery founded in 1116.

Halle - university and college town:

home of the University of Art and Design Burg Giebichenstein, the Martin-Luther-University of Halle-Wittenberg and the Protestant College of Church Music. During the day students dedicate themselves to their studies, at night they meet in one of the numerous cafés, bars and student hang-outs for

Halle - city of libraries:

the university library and the other college libraries , among them the Art College’s own remarkables holdings of old and new literature from all fields of art, architecture and design. Not to forget the baroque library of the Franckeschen Stiftungen and the Marienbibliothek of the church St. Marien.

Halle - city of music and theatre:

cultural life in Halle is rich and on a high standard. An impressive variety in musical styles can be heard at the renowned Municipal Opera House, at the annual international Händel-Festival with its own orchestra and guests from all over the world, at the concert hall Ullrichskirche and at concerts in various churches. The new generation of musicians is receiving its formation at the "G.F. Händel" conservatory. And of course, young and old should not miss the opportunity to attend performances of high standard at the city’s numerous theatres and cabarets. The contemporary music scene is thriving as well and a local newspaper has - a bit overenthusiastically maybe - named Halle the "German Seattle" with regard to its music scene.

Halle - city of museums, galeries and art associations:

the National Gallery Moritzburg Halle presents an important permanent collection and a permanent exhibition on the history of the University of Art and Design Burg Giebichenstein. Birthplaces of the philosopher Christian Wolff and the famous composer Georg Friedrich Händel have been turned into interesting museums among numerous others. And there are many more places to see and experience. Art galeries in Halle are numerous. Most of them present exhibitions with an emphasis on contemporary artists.

Halle - city of movie theatres:

There are some independent movie theatres presenting "highbrow", non-commercial programs like the Künstlerkino188 or the Cinema Club of the University of Art and Design "Strapaze". Also, a visit to the cinema "Capitol" is recommended. A modern multi- screen complexe "Cinemaxx" has recently opened ist doors in the middle of town, showing the latest commercial Hollywood productions.

The Franckeschen Stiftungen:

are of special importance for the city of Halle. The entire building complexe has been included in the UNESCO list of protected cultural monuments and is in reconstruction since 1990. This complexe contains 50 baroque-style buildings which were constructed from 1698 onwards and were to become a place of instruction for orphaned children as well as for children of the nobility. August Hermann Francke, father of the Halle pietism movement, was founder of this "school - city".

Looking beyond the city limits:

there are interesting outings: to the historical health resort Bad Lauchstädt with the Goethetheater, founded by the master himself in 1802, or to the monastery church at the Petersberg or to the Bauhaus Dessau.