"Halle - city of the five towers" Top 5 Page for this destination Halle by ettiewyn
Halle Travel Guide: 119 reviews and 429 photos
In summer 2011, my dad invited me to join him on a trip to Halle area. The reason for this was that he wished to travel on the Sky Paths, a touristic route along places connected to prehistoric sights in this part of Sachsen-Anhalt. The other places are Nebra, Goseck and Langeneichstädt.
The trip was very interesting and I learned a lot!
The picture shows why Halle is called the "City of five towers". It depicts the Red Tower located at the marketplace, and behind it the Marienkirche with its four towers (one hidden behind another one). I think this is just a beautiful expression.
Update April 2012: Grammar corrected
Halle is the biggest city in the Bundesland of Sachen-Anhalt and during GDR times, it was an important industrial town. First documentary evidence is from 806. This settlement was founded because there were salt springs. Together with a ford across the river Saale, this was a perfect location and the town prospered. During baroque times, it became a cultural centre, connected to people like Bach and Händel, and a university was founded in 1694.
I particularly noticed many historic sandstone buildings, like the house you see in the picture. This one is called the Schöffenhaus and is now home to a bank. Buildings like this are scattered all over the city and give it a very particular look. I did not expect this!
However, the city decayed much during GDR times, and this is still very visible. I was probably very naive, but I had not expected that you could still see such a difference, after twenty years of reunification. The marketplace of Halle was renovated and reconstructed very nicely, but only one street further it looks like a totally different city, with disrepaired houses, broken windows and roofs, and just a general atmosphere of decay. I did not take any photographs of it, though, because there were always locals present and it just did not feel right to me to do it. Maybe I'm too sensitive, but in such things I'll rather be on the safe sight and respect the people. These are their homes after all!
I still think that Halle is a very nice place to visit. It is not always beautiful, but it has some very interesting sights and it feels very authentic because it is not posh and not brushed up and styled like many tourist towns. We did not see many other tourists, and were welcomed very friendly by the locals we met. It is a happy memory to me!
- Pros:A world-class highlight in the museum, interesting sights, lovely locals
- Cons:If you want to see a perfect beautiful city, you should pick another one
- In a nutshell:A city that reveals its worth at the second glance
Reviews (23)
Museum of Prehistory
Things to Do
(16)
This museum was the reason why my dad planned this trip in the first place - or rather something located in this museum... more travel advice
The marketplace and surroundings
Things to Do
(16)
The marketplace (Marktplatz) is the central square of Halle. It is very wide, though not very beautiful. This is mainly... more travel advice
Marienkirche
Things to Do
(16)
I was very astonished when I saw the Marienkirche because I had never seen a church with four towers (at least not... more travel advice
Marienkirche - climb the towers!
Things to Do
(16)
When we saw the bridge between the two towers of Marienkirche, we immediately hoped that it would be possible to climb... more travel advice
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Halle Travel Guide
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Comments (7)
Hi Mirjam, I somehow missed the Hallmarkt on both my visits to Halle so I was very interested in your detailed description, especially of the sculpture showing the notorious Cardinal Albrecht. (I did see a different sculpture by Bernd Göbel, however.) Also I missed the Museum of Pre-History and the Sky Disc of Nebra, so I have at least two reasons to return to Halle. For your next visit to Halle I can highly recommend the Händel House, especially since you say Händel is your favorite composer. Also the Beatles Museum is well worth a visit.
Have enjoyed a pleasant 20 minutes reading your excellent review of a town that is well known for its name. Fascinating.
La Ka Rot, what an exceptional funny name for a vegetarian restaurant!! I had to read it loud before I finally understood it :-) And - wow, I would never have expected Halle to be such a beautiful town! The museum alone and the sky disc - fascinating! And the interiors of the churches! Simply wow! Haha, I would also have slightly screamed with such a height like from the towers of Marienkirche! And thanks that I learned something new today: that Roland isn't only standing in Bremen and what he stands for. Oh and that Hall is another name for Salz. Yes, Hallstadt makes sense, Bad Reichenhall as well. The fountain is also fascinating!!
I always wanted to see Halle because of its musical associations (went to hear Messiah yesterday for umpteenth time!)and because of the Hallé orchestra of my home town was Founded by Karl Halle. He was born in Hagen, fled Paris where he studied music during 1848 revolution, came to Manchester and founded the orchestra under the name Charles Hallé.
I see from your Tips there is so much more to see in Halle right back to neolithic times - fascinating history page.
Hi Mirjam! Great to see that you liked Halle, too, and understood what is special about it. This city is indeed underrated and underestimated, I agree. I'll thoroughly read your page next time when I'm less tired! Did you see my Halle page? Best, Kathrin
Another goregous page of yours. I have never been to Halle, but I agree that it is probably a bit underrated. And now I know where the famous Sky Disc can be seen. *winkygrin*
And please, let me know when you finish this page
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