Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia, not to be confused with Halle in Saxony-Anhalt, is a delightful little town in North Germany.
Due to its location, Halle (Westphalia) has been lucky to enjoy moderately warm summers and mild winters, so a visit, no matter the season, is surely going to be just lovely in this storybook land.
This is one of those historical towns with its own castle located nearby. Tatenhausen is a lily-pond moated castle in the Tatenhausen Forest, built in the 1500s on foundations dating from the 1300s.
Strolling along the pleasant town of Halle, you can see the half-timbered houses that look like the English Tudor Style and popular from the 11th-18th centuries, the oldest one being Kirchplatz #3 built in 1512.
At Bahnnhofstraße 10, for example, is a half-timbered house that has bay windows dating back to the 1600. Someone would feel really bad if a baseball came flying through one of them! What a superb way of starting to see a city that dates back to the 1200s.
The Protestant Parish Church (and surrounded by the historical half-timbered houses) has been around since that time, built with a single-nave in the 1200s and had additions dating from the 15th, 16th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Truly a divine work in progress!
One of the regularly held events in Halle is the weekly market held on Fridays in the city center. Another great event is the Party im gelben See or party in the yellow pond — an annual folk festival held in a field of sunflowers. If you’re lucky enough to be in Halle before Christmas, the annual Christmas Market near the Protestant church is held on one of the Sundays of Advent (dates change yearly).
You’ll love this town because of its old-world charm and history. A picturesque town with all the modern day amenities, yet still a place of quiet elegance making you feel you’re in a land of an enchanted fairy-tale.
