Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Sachsen-Anhalt ( Low German) | ||
---|---|---|
NUTS Region DEE | | |
HDI (2018) | 0.917[4] very high · 16th of 16 | |
Website | sachsen-anhalt.de |
Saxony-Anhalt (
The state of Saxony-Anhalt was formed in July 1945 after
Saxony-Anhalt is renowned for its rich cultural heritage and possesses the highest concentration of UNESCO World Heritage sites in Germany.
Geography
Saxony-Anhalt is one of 16 constituent states of Germany. It is located in the western part of eastern Germany. By size, it is the 8th largest state in Germany and by population, it is the 11th largest.
It borders four other states: Brandenburg to the north-east, Saxony to the south-east, Thuringia to the south-west and Lower Saxony to the north-west.
In the north, the Saxony-Anhalt landscape is dominated by the
derives its name.The
The wine-growing area Saale-Unstrut and the towns of
in the south of the state.The metropolitan area of Halle (Saale) forms an agglomeration with Leipzig in Saxony. This area is known for its highly developed chemical industry (the Chemiedreieck – chemical triangle), with major production plants at Leuna, Schkopau (Buna-Werke) and Bitterfeld. Finally, in the east, Dessau-Roßlau and Wittenberg are situated on the Elbe (as is the capital Magdeburg) in the Anhalt-Wittenberg region.
Administrative subdivisions
The capital of Saxony-Anhalt is Magdeburg. It is the second-largest city in the state, close to Halle (Saale). From 1994 to 2003, the state was divided into three regions (Regierungsbezirke), Dessau, Halle and Magdeburg and, below the regional level, 21 districts (Landkreise). Since 2004, however, this system has been replaced by 11 rural districts and three urban districts.[5]
The districts are:
- Altmarkkreis Salzwedel
- Anhalt-Bitterfeld
- Börde
- Burgenlandkreis
- Harz
- Jerichower Land
- Mansfeld-Südharz
- Saalekreis
- Salzlandkreis
- Stendal
- Wittenberg
The independent cities are:
- Dessau-Roßlau
- Halle (Saale)
- Magdeburg
Largest towns
The largest towns in Saxony-Anhalt as of 31 December 2021:[6]
Rank | City | Population |
---|---|---|
1 | Halle | 238,061 |
2 | Magdeburg | 236,188 |
3 | Dessau-Roßlau | 78,731 |
4 | Lutherstadt Wittenberg
|
44,984 |
5 | Weißenfels | 39,745 |
6 | Halberstadt | 38,682 |
7 | Stendal | 38,359 |
8 | Bitterfeld-Wolfen | 37,047 |
9 | Merseburg | 33,641 |
10 | Wernigerode | 32,027 |
-
Halle is the largest city in Saxony-Anhalt.
-
Dessau market square
-
Inside the old town of Wittenberg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
-
Halberstadt with its churches
-
Merseburg with its castle and cathedral
-
Castle in Wernigerode
History
Saxony-Anhalt is a federal state with a relatively short history, compared to other German federal states. It was formed in 1945 out of former Prussian territories and mainly consists of three distinct historical regions: the area around Magdeburg, the formerly independent Anhalt and a southern part which once was part of Saxony but had been annexed by Prussia in the 19th century. This historical origin can still be seen in the coat of arms of the federal state.
In April 1945 the
On 9 July the Soviet
Anhalt takes its name from Anhalt Castle near Harzgerode; the origin of the name of the castle remains unknown. Anhalt was once an independent German federal state dating back centuries.
The SVAG appointed Hübener as president of the provincial Saxon administration, a newly created function. The administration was seated in Halle an der Saale, which became the capital, also of later Saxony-Anhalt until 1952. On 3 September 1945 the new administration enacted by Soviet-inspired ordinance the mass expropriations, mostly hitting holders of large real estates, often of noble descent.
On the occasion of the first (and one and only) election in the Soviet zone, allowing parties truly to compete for seats in provincial and state parliaments, on 20 October 1946, the Province of Saxony was renamed as the Province of Saxony-Anhalt (German: Provinz Sachsen-Anhalt), taking the prior merger into account.[8] On 3 December 1946 the members of the new provincial parliament elected Hübener the first minister-president of Saxony-Anhalt, with the votes of the CDU and Liberal Democratic Party of Germany (LDPD). Thus he became the only governor in the Soviet zone who was not a member of the communist Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), making him an inconvenience for the Soviet forces.
After the official Allied decision to dissolve the
In 2015 the skeletal remains of an ancient inhabitant of Karsdorf dated from the Early Neolithic (7200 BP) were analysed; he turned out to belong to the paternal T1a-M70 lineage and maternal lineage H1.[9][10]
Demographics
Since German reunification, there has been a continuous downward trend in the population of Saxony-Anhalt. This is partly due to outward migration and partly because the death rate exceeds the birth rate. Although the birth rate has been steady since 1994, the net reproduction rate is only approximately 70%. However, the total fertility rate reached 1.50 in 2014, the highest value since 1990.
Year | Population | Change |
---|---|---|
1990 | 2,873,957 | |
1995 | 2,738,928 | −135,029 |
2000 | 2,615,375 | −123,553 |
2005 | 2,469,716 | −145,659 |
2010 | 2,335,006 | −134,710 |
2015 | 2,245,470 | −89,536 |
Religion
The region has historically been associated with the
In 2018, the majority of citizens in Saxony-Anhalt were irreligious and more were leaving the churches than entering them As of July 2019 there were 1,892 Jehovah's Witnesses (publishers) in Sachsen-Anhalt. Originally their branch office for Germany was in Magdeburg. When World War II ended in 1945, the property in Magdeburg, then part of East Germany, was returned and the branch was reestablished. But on 30 August 1950 Communist police stormed the facilities and arrested the workers, and the Jehovah's Witnesses in the German Democratic Republic (DDR) were banned.
Foreigners
The percentage of foreigners in Saxony-Anhalt was 4.9 percent by 31 December 2018, the third lowest among the 16 states of Germany (together with Saxony and Thuringia).[14]
The largest foreign resident groups by 31 December 2022 were:[15]
Ukraine | 34,678 |
Syria | 21,240 |
Poland | 13,257 |
Vietnam | 8,754 |
Romania | 8,243 |
Afghanistan | 7,045 |
Bulgaria | 5,085 |
India | 4,720 |
Russia | 4,650 |
Turkey | 4,285 |
Politics
List of minister presidents
Ministry of Finance
Landtag
2021 state election
Liberal Conservative Reformers 0 | 0.00 | ±0.00 | 0 | 473 | 0.04 | –0.83 | 0 | 0 | ±0 | | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Independents | 3,153 | 0.30 | –0.10 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ±0 | |||||||||||
Total | 1,061,514 | 100.00 | – | 41 | 1,063,694 | 100.00 | – | 56 | 97 | – | |||||||||||
Valid votes | 1,061,514 | 98.35 | 1,063,694 | 98.56 | |||||||||||||||||
Invalid/blank votes | 17,773 | 1.65 | 15,593 | 1.44 | |||||||||||||||||
Total votes | 1,079,287 | 100.00 | 1,079,287 | 100.00 | |||||||||||||||||
Registered voters/turnout | 1,788,955 | 60.33 | –0.78 | 1,788,955 | 60.33 | –0.78 | |||||||||||||||
Source: State Returning Officer |
Minister-president Reiner Haseloff (CDU) retained his position in a coalition with former partner SPD and newly the FDP. Before the election the coalition had consisted of the CDU, SPD and Greens.
Economy
This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: Outdated Data.(January 2023) |
The
By 2020, the GDP of the state dropped to 62.654 billion euros, shortly after reaching an all-time high of 64.115 billion euros in 2019.[17]
Development
Saxony-Anhalt was part of the communist German Democratic Republic. After the breakdown of communism and the German reunification in 1990, the collapse of non-competitive former GDR industries temporarily caused severe economic problems. In 2000, Saxony-Anhalt had the highest unemployment rate of all German states, at 20.2%.[18]
However, the process of economic transformation towards a modern market economy seems to be completed. Massive investments in modern infrastructure have taken place since 1990, and the remaining and newly created businesses are highly competitive. For example, the industry has doubled its share of international revenue from 13 percent in 1995 to 26 percent in 2008.[19] Meanwhile, the unemployment rate has fallen considerably.[20] By 2010 the GDP of Saxony-Anhalt was almost two and a half times higher than it was in 1991.[21]
Even though part of this recovery was brought on by the positive performance of the German economy, Saxony-Anhalt not only followed the national trend, but clearly outperformed other German states. For example, it outperformed three German states in terms of unemployment (10.8%, as of September 2011): the German capital and
The unemployment began to fall under 10% in 2016, and stood at 7.1% in October 2018.[23]
Year[24] | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unemployment rate in % | 20.2 | 19.7 | 19.6 | 20.5 | 20.3 | 20.2 | 18.3 | 15.9 | 13.9 | 13.6 | 12.5 | 11.6 | 11.5 | 11.2 | 10.7 | 10.2 | 9.6 | 8.4 |
Structure
- The chemical industry is quite important, with almost 25,500 employees across 214 plants in 2010.[25] One of the biggest chemical producing areas can be found around the city of Bitterfeld-Wolfen. Because of the chemical industry, Saxony-Anhalt attracts more foreign direct investments than any other state in eastern Germany.
- The state is the location of numerous wind farms producing wind-turbine energy.
- Saxony-Anhalt is also famous for its good soil. Hence, the food industry has an important role with almost 19,500 employees across 190 plants in 2010.[25] Some of the best known products are Baumkuchen from Salzwedel and Halloren chocolate globes from Germany's oldest chocolate factory in Halle.
Tourism
Saxony-Anhalt has seven
-
Collegiate church, castle, and the old town of Quedlinburg
-
Luther memorials in Wittenberg
-
Luther memorials in Eisleben
-
Bauhaus Dessau
Education
Saxony-Anhalt has several universities, including:
- Anhalt University of Applied Sciences
- Harz University of Applied Studies
- Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences
- Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg
- Merseburg University of Applied Sciences
- Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg
Anthem
- "Lied für Sachsen-Anhalt" ("Song for Saxony-Anhalt")
- Motto: "Land of the Early Risers"
See also
References
- ^ Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt. Archivedfrom the original on 20 November 2022. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
- ^ Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt. June 2023.
- ^ "Bruttoinlandsprodukt, Bruttowertschöpfung | Statistikportal.de". Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder | Gemeinsames Statistikportal (in German). Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ "Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ^ District reform law Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine 11 November 2005 (in German)
- Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt (in German). June 2022. Archived(PDF) from the original on 14 June 2022.
- ^ The latter, however, a salient originally not assigned as part of the Soviet zone, was unilaterally handed over by the Britons only on 22 July.
- ^ a b c "1945–1949" Archived 12 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, on: Gedenkkultur Dessau-Roßlau Archived 26 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 16 August 2011.
- ^ Marres, E.C.W.L. (Boed). "Our Far Forebears". www.marres.education. Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
- PMID 25731166.
- ^ Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt. "Bevölkerungsentwicklung seit 1966" (in German). statistik.sachsen-anhalt.de. Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ a b c [1] Archived 17 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland – Kirchemitgliederzahlen Stand 31. Dezember 2018 Archived 19 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine EKD, January 2020
- ^ "Ausländische Bevölkerung". statistikportal.de (in German). 17 July 2019. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ "1/3 der Ausländerinnen und Ausländer im Rahmen der EU-Freizügigkeit in Sachsen-Anhalt". statistik.sachsen-anhalt.de (in German). 8 April 2020. Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ "Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018". Eurostat. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022.
- ^ "Germany GDP: Sachsen Anhalt | Economic Indicators | CEIC". www.ceicdata.com. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
- ^ Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt (29 January 2014). "Statistical Office of the State of Saxony-Anhalt (2010)". Statistik.sachsen-anhalt.de. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
- ^ Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Halle-Dessau (2010), p. 14[dead link]
- ^ "Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Berlin (2011), p. 2" (PDF) (in German). Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
- ^ "(2010)". fDi Atlas. Archived from the original on 4 April 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
- ^ "Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Berlin". 2011. p. 2. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
- ^ "Arbeitslosenquote nach Bundesländern in Deutschland 2018 | Statista". Statista (in German). Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
- ^ (Destatis), Statistisches Bundesamt (13 November 2018). "Federal Statistical Office Germany – GENESIS-Online". www-genesis.destatis.de. Archived from the original on 13 November 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
- ^ a b fDi Atlas Archived 4 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine (2010)
- ^ "Denkmäler in der UNESCO Liste des Welterbes in Deutschland nach Bundesland 2019". Statista (in German). Archived from the original on 23 March 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
External links
- Official governmental portal
- Official website for tourists
- Official Directory
- Geographic data related to Saxony-Anhalt at OpenStreetMap