Halle-Neustadt

Halle-Neustadt (popularly known as HaNeu, pronounced Ha-Noi) was a city in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) . It was established as a new town on May 12, 1967, as an independent and autonomous city. The population in 1972 was 51,600 and in 1981 was more than 93,000. On May 6, 1990, Halle-Neustadt merged back into Halle again. The population has halved since then and was about 45,157 inhabitants on December 31, 2010. Halle Neustadt has been praised for being “sustainable” as a result of its urban planning, which includes high density living, a tram line serving the central corridor and the regional suburban rail system (S-Bahn).

The development itself extends east to west for approximately 2.5 miles and is approximately one-kilometer wide. Much of the housing is located within the international mass transit standard of 400 meters (1/4 mile) from a station on the core axis. Virtually all housing is high rise, with some towers reaching 11 floors. Medium rise buildings tend to have six floors without elevators.

Halle (Saale)

Halle (Saale) (German pronunciation: [ˈhalə an dɛɐ̯ ˈzaːlə, "Halle an der Saale"]) is a city in the southern part of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. Halle is an economic and educational center in eastern Germany. The University of Halle-Wittenberg is the biggest university in Saxony-Anhalt and one of the oldest universities in Germany. Together with Leipzig, Halle is the heart of the Central German Metropolitan Region.

Geography

Halle (Saale) is situated in the southern part of Saxony-Anhalt, along the river Saale which drains the surrounding plains and the greater part of the neighbouring Free State of Thuringia located just to its south, and the Thuringian basin, northwards from the Thuringian Forest. Leipzig, one of the other major cities of eastern Germany, is only 35 kilometres (22 mi) away.

History

Name

Halle's early history is connected with harvesting of salt. The name Halle reflects early Celtic settlement given that 'halen' is the Brythonic (Welsh/Breton) word for salt (cf. 'salann' in Irish). The name of the river Saale also contains the Germanic root for salt, and salt-harvesting has taken place in Halle at least since the Bronze Age (2300-600 BC).