The history of Saxony-Anhalt (German: Sachsen-Anhalt) goes back to the dawn of the German state. With Magdeburg as the capital, its southwest corner is occupied by the Harz mountains. The region is also noted for industrial production.
Saxony-Anhalt Map
Rural Districts (Counties) in Saxony-Anhalt
Major cities, besides Magdeburg of course, are Halle (Saale) and Dessau.
Since the rule of the Ottonians in the 10th century, Saxony-Anhalt, whose German name is Sachsen-Anhalt, has established as an important place in the history of Germany. Until the 12th century, this federal state was part of the duchy of Saxony when it was split into several regions.
Prussia dominated one of those regions after the 17th century. In the year 1871, the area was made a state of the German empire. When the Soviet military occupied the region in 1947, Saxony-Anhalt consisted mainly of the former state of Anhalt, the former Prussian province of Saxony, and several small territories of the former state of Brunswick.
Furthermore, in 1952, the region was demolished and its territory was included in the districts of Halle, Magdeburg, Leipzig, and Cottbus.
After the restructuring post-Soviet occupation, Saxony-Anhalt emerged as one of the five independent states. However, the state was again demolished in the GDR era.
Since German reunification in 1990, Saxony-Anhalt has been one of 16 federal states with its own parliament, which is elected every five years by its citizens (as in most federal states).
It has, historically, been one of the centers of cultural significance since the early middle ages. The state boasts a number of monuments of architectural splendor from the time of the Romanesque and the gothic cathedrals.
Magdeburg and Quedlinburg have both been the center of a number of castles and churches. The buildings are mostly coining/shaping from the time of the Prussian province. You can visit a number of villages with architectural beauty and amazingly stunning churches.
Halle, with its river Saale, is the largest city of Saxony-Anhalt. This place is known for its earlier existence of a chemical industry. And together with the river Unstrut, which is located in the south, it is very well known for its wine cultivation.
