Sightseeing in Halle

Marktplatz

Halle's principal sights are largely within easy walking distance of the town's huge Marktplatz (Market Square), which is adorned by a statue of Halle’s most famous son, the composer baptized Georg Friederich Händel. After becoming an English citizen in 1727, he was known as George Frederic Handel. On the square, too, is the tourist information office, housed in the Roter Turm (Red Tower), a freestanding 84-meter (269-foot) tower constructed between 1418 and 1506. The tower's 84-bell carillon is the largest in Germany.

Marienkirche

Among the structures on the Marktplatz, the most interesting is the Marienkirche, An der Marienkirche 2. Its four tall, slim towers dominate the skyline. The current Late Gothic, triple-nave hall church was completed in 1554, replacing two Romanesque churches. Händel was baptized here and learned to play the organ on the smaller of the two instruments in the church. Johann Sebastian Bach introduced the larger Reichel organ in 1716, even though his application was rejected three years earlier for the position of organist, a post one of his sons filled three decades later. The church also has a death mask of Luther, made while his body stayed overnight en route to Wittenberg.

Adjacent to the church is the Late Renaissance Marktschlösschen (Little Market Palace), at Markt 13, which has a non-commercial gallery with exhibitions of contemporary art, mostly from the region.

Händelhaus

Although Händel (1685-1759) left Halle in 1703 and eventually found fame in London, Halle has not forgotten him. In addition to the statue on Markt and an annual Händel festival, his birth house was turned into a museum. The Händelhaus (Händel House), Große Nikolaistraße 5, is devoted to the composer and has a large collection of musical instruments and documents from the period. Information on some displays is available in up to 23 languages. Händel is played in most rooms.

The nearby Dom is surprisingly without a tower or an impressive façade as one would expect from a cathedral. It is, however, the largest church in Halle and originally served as a monastery church. It has three aisles, with the central one only slightly higher than the narrow side ones. It dates back to the 13th century, but the original Gothic church was converted to a more Renaissance style during the Reformation. The church has excellent acoustics and is thus a favored venue for concerts.

Schloss Moritzburg

Schloss Moritzburg, Friedemann-Bach-Platz 5, should not be confused with the similarly named and also round-towered palace near Dresden. This Late Gothic castle was built by the archbishop of Magdeburg during the 15th century. It was destroyed during the Thirty Years’ War, which was also a turn for the worse for Halle’s power, and only partly restored. It currently houses the Staatliche Galerie Moritzburg (National Gallery), which has a fine collection of 19th- and 20th-century art, including Rodin’s The Kiss. There is a special emphasis on German art from Romanticism to Impressionism and Expressionism. The Nazis considered much of the latter as degenerate and had it removed, though some original works have returned. The gallery is considered the best in Saxony- Anhalt, but then again the competition is not very strong given that the magnificent collections in nearby Leipzig, Dresden, and Berlin are across state borders. The castle also has a fine numismatics collection and display of glassware, porcelain, and ceramics from the Middle Ages to the present.