You only see what you know (Goethe)
Georg Frideric Handel (Georg Friedrich Händel) was born in Halle (Saale) in 1685 and lived in this city for 18 years. Today, his birthplace houses an exhibition on the life and work of the composer. It is generally known as the Handel House (Händel-Haus).
Halle’s early history relates to harvesting of salt. The names of the city Halle and the river Saale origin from old expressions related to salt. An appropriate souvenir from Halle (Saale) could be a portion of salt, produced with technologies of the 19th century in the Hallors and Saline Museum (Halloren- und Salinenmuseum).
With the MS Händel II, a ship named after composer Georg Frederik Handel (Georg Friedrich Händel), one can take relaxing tours on the river Saale around Halle. A highlight of these trips is passing Giebichenstein Castle. If you are interested in the works of the composer, the Handel House is worth a visit.
Giebichenstein Castle (Burg Giebichenstein) is part of the Romanesque Road (Straße der Romanik). Today it is used by the Kunsthochschule Halle (Academy of Arts). Being a Burgward in the 9th century, the castle became a royal residence of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor.
The Talent 2 is a multiple unit railcar manufactured by Bombardier Transportation. The first trains were produced in 2008. The design of the cab ends made Germans call this type of train Hamsterbacke (hamster cheek). The depicted train is run by the S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland.
The Marienbibliothek, a library named after the nearby church Marienkirche was founded by Sebastian Boetius in 1552. In the beginning, the books were stored in a tower of the Marienkirche. Today the library is housed in a typical magazine of the late 19th century with iron stairs and iron-cast pillars.
The Donkey Fountain (Eselsbrunnen) on the Old Market (Alter Markt) in Halle (Saale) was built in 1913. The bronze sculpture was created by the sculptor Heinrich Keiling. The man who walks with a donkey over a rug of roses refers to an old legend. [German]
The library was founded by August Hermann Francke for the teachers and pupils at the schools of the Francke Foundations. With its opening in 1728, it is regarded as Germany’s oldest surviving secular library building. [German]
The Cabinet of Artefacts and Natural Curiosities (Kunst- und Naturalienkammer) was established by August Hermann Francke in 1698. Today this collection is regarded as the only wholly preserved cabinet of curiosities dating from the Baroque age. [German]
In the beginning, the later cathedral of Halle was a church built by the Dominican. Traditionally churches of a mendicant order don’t have a tower. The lovely gables were added by Cardinal Albert of Brandenburg. Today it is just a church again but people of Halle still call the edifice a Dom (cathedral).
Right next to the buildings of the Francke Foundations I came across this fascinating architecture. It’s the headquarter of the German Federal Cultural Foundation (Kulturstiftung des Bundes). The purpose of this foundation is to promote and fund art and culture within the framework of federal responsibility.
The Leipzig Tower (Leipziger Turm) was built in the 15th century. Canopy, roof lantern and the clock were added at the end of 16th century. The 44-metre-high edifice was used as a fire lookout tower. Today it is a prominent point on the Leipziger Straße, one of the main shopping streets in Halle.