Cities taken from a picture book.

First mentioned in a document dating from 805, the state capital Magdeburg (263,000 inhabitants) is the second largest city in this rather sparsely populated federal state. Here stands the first Gothic cathedral built on German soil: Dedicated in 1363, it contains the grave of Emperor Otto I. Magdeburg’s oldest structure is the Abbey of Our Lady, which was completed in 1160 and has survived the centuries virtually unchanged. The city of Halle (287,000 inhabitants), which prospered in the Middle Ages from salt extraction, is dominated by its cathedral, the Church of Our Lady and the Red Tower. In Dessau (92,000 inhabitants), Walter Gropius began setting global standards in architecture in 1925 with the “Bauhaus".

Especially picturesque are the Harz towns of Halberstadt, Wernigerode and Quedlinburg with their half-timber houses dating from the 16th-18th centuries. Quedlinburg’s Old Town graced with more than 1,200 half-timber houses (which are now being renovated one by one) has been placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Of particular interest in the city of Naumburg is the St. Peter and Paul Cathedral with the donor figures Ekkehard and Uta dating from the 13th century. Spread out over an area of 112 hectares, Worlitz Park near Dessau with the palace of Leopold III dedicated in 1773 is one of the most beautiful English-style gardens in Europe. A popular tourist attraction is the “Romanesque Route", which winds through Saxony-Anhalt for about 1,000 kilometers and passes by more than 70 notable architectural monuments.

Sugar beets and color film.

The rich loess soils of the Magdeburger Borde and the Harz foreland are some of the most fertile farmland in Germany and have given rise to an extensive food industry (including sugar refineries). Principal crops are grain, sugar beets, potatoes and vegetables. Heavy machinery and vehicle construction play a dominant role in the economies of Magdeburg and Dessau. Chemical plants are located primarily in the region Halle - Merseburg -Bitterfeld.