Halle/Saale – University town, Handel hometown
and historic salt town at once

Even from the distance you are able to recognize the five towers on the market square, which form the skyline of the city and are the symbol of Halle. Four of the five towers belong to the market church (the church of Our Lady); the fifth tower being the Red Tower with a height of 84 meters. The market offers a variety of sights such as the Red Castle, the monument of George Frideric Handel and the market church. This late Gothic church is famous and unique for many reasons: Handel's baptism, Luther preached there, Johann Sebastian Bach consecrated the church organ and it is also the repository where Luther’s death mask is treasured. Visit the church, stroll across the daily food market and have a look at its surrounding alleyways with medieval renaissance buildings and half-timbered houses.

The early Gothic cathedral, which appears quite unusual as it is a church without towers, used to be a centre of sacred sciences and ecclesiastical art in Central Germany until the Reformation.
Lucas Cranach the Elder was involved in the interior design and it used to be the venue of Handel's performances, too. Even today, organ concerts are played here. The Moritzburg, a late medieval castle complex, used to serve as living area and as a part of the city’s fortification. But now it has become an art museum with Expressionist paintings and art of the GDR.

George Frideric Handel, the most famous composer of the baroque era, was born in Halle. At the house of his birth you can learn interesting facts about the life of this great musician. The museum also comprises the music history of the region and exhibits various music instruments from several centuries. In addition, concerts are held regularly at the house of George Frideric Handel, which you can plan as part of your group tour to Halle.

Learn more about the urban development: The inhabitants of Halle became rich with salt deposits and famous for their typical sweets. Find out more about the history of the Halloren (name to not only the chocolate but also the inhabitants of Halle) and let them show you how the traditional production of salt works. A production plant with large boiling pans, drying pans and the filling equipment from the 19th century is still in use today, either for regular production as well as for demonstration purposes.