Halle

Industrial city in the Land (administrative region) of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, on the River Saale, 30 km/20 mi northwest of Leipzig; population (2005 est) 237,200. Salt, chemicals, and lignite (brown coal) are produced, and there are printing and publishing industries. It was the capital of the East German district of Halle from 1952 to 1990. The composer Handel was born here in 1685, and the Handel Festival has been held annually in June since 1951.

Structural economic change, or de-industrialization, has affected Halle's chemical and machine tool industries, leading to high unemployment. In 1992 Halle joined Karlsruhe, Nancy (France), and Nottingham (UK) in the Four Cities' Partnership, established for the exchange of industrial expertise in joint research and business ventures.

Halle grew up around a fortress from AD 806. In the Middle Ages it prospered from the salt trade, its name deriving from the commodity. Features of historic interest include the market, a number of churches, the Red Tower (1418–1506), and remnants of the city's fortifications, including the 15th-century Leipzig Tower.

Halle

Town in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium, on the River Senne, 16 km/10 mi south of Brussels; population (2001 est) 33,700. The chief products are paper, sugar, and chicory. The basilica of Notre Dame dates from the 14th century.