SAXONY-ANHALT

#MODERNTHINKING

»Guten Tag«

Saxony-Anhalt is an up-and-coming state with a rich cultural heritage and fascinating history. Here, in our region, over the centuries, clever minds have come up with world-changing ideas, ranging from the Nebra sky disk to Luther’s Reformation and the Bauhaus.

Modern-day Saxony-Anhalt is a pioneer in renewable energies and a model region for green hydrogen. The Leuna Chemical Park is one of the largest innovative construction sites in Germany, the German Aerospace Centre is researching future mobility at the Cochstedt drone airport and Saxony-Anhalt is being transformed into a hub of the digital world with the planned Intel factory.

This is where the heart of German unity beats. Heinrich I (Quedlinburg) and Emperor Otto I (Magdeburg) provided ideas and introduced changes that were decisive for the formation of a German nation. The “first chancellor of unity” – Otto von Bismarck – was born here. Now the nationwide Future Centre for German Unity and European Transformation is being built in Saxony-Anhalt. We intend to continue doing what we’re historically great at: providing ideas and momentum for a common future in Europe.

#moderndenken

5 Highlights
SAXONY-ANHALT

The Nebra Sky Disk

The Sky Disk of Nebra in Saxony-Anhalt is the world’s oldest known representation of the heavens and is considered one of the most significant archaeological discoveries.

To the UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Bauhaus Dessau

The Bauhaus is an icon of modernism. The founders built their seminal school in Dessau in Saxony-Anhalt because they were given the freedom to follow their unique vision here.

More information

Future Centre in Halle (Saale)

The Future Centre for German Unity and European Transformation is being built by the federal government in Halle/Saale in Saxony-Anhalt; it is scheduled for completion in 2028.

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Digital future hub

Saxony-Anhalt is to become the centre of European chip production. The planned settlement of the chip manufacturer Intel is the largest investment project in Europe.

Saxony-Anhalt’s major projects

Ferropolis – The City of Iron

Music and dancing against the astonishing backdrop of giant lignite excavators: Ferropolis – City of Iron stands for structural change. These days, the site with the gigantic bucket-wheel excavators is used for major festivals.

About the site

SAXONY-ANHALT AT THE FESTIVAL OF GERMAN UNITY

Powerful history, great ideas and a digital future – plus music and sparkling beverages. Welcome to the stand of Saxony-Anhalt at the Festival of German Unity. We invite you to meet Saxony-Anhalt: from global history to microchips!

Dive into the virtual world of the Sky Disk; fly over the Pömmelte ring sanctuary in a VR art installation, walk through Bronze Age villages and float in a solar barque through three-dimensional space.

Modern-day Saxony-Anhalt has for centuries offered the space to turn ideas into reality: from the Sky Disk to Martin Luther or the Bauhaus. The first German steam engine was built here, colour film was invented here, and the world’s first passenger aeroplane, built by Junkers, took off here.

And there are plenty of ideas and examples for #modernthinking in the present. From renewable energy to green hydrogen, from the Leuna Chemical Park to the chip manufacturer, from the drone airport to the Future Centre for German Unity and European Transformation.

Find out about the up-and-coming federal state and its major projects for the future. We have a lot planned! Want to join us? Families and children in particular love the great quality of life here and feel at home in Saxony-Anhalt.

A tip for lovers of nature and wine enthusiasts: from picturesque floodplain landscapes to the Elbe cycle path, the Harz Mountains with the Brocken to the beautiful wine region of Saale/Unstrut, there is a lot to be discovered in Saxony-Anhalt.

FOR GERMAN UNITY DAY 2024:

THE MINISTER-PRESIDENT OF SAXONY-ANHALT
Dr. Reiner Haseloff

The celebrations to mark German Unity Day are an impressive reflection of the cultural diversity of our country and the strength of German federalism. The maritime motto of this year’s festival also serves to highlight our unity in plurality. United, we will set sail for a successful future and a country with a good quality of life for all. In this spirit, I greatly look forward to many pleasant and productive encounters on the 3rd of October in Schwerin.

Dr Reiner Haseloff, Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt

FUN AND REMARKABLE FACTS ABOUT SAXONY-ANHALT

Madam Doctor

Dr Dorothea Christiane Erxleben, née Leporin, from Quedlinburg was the first woman in German to qualify as a doctor and was a pioneer of fighting for women’s right to attend university. This was made possible by Frederick the Great, who in 1741 instructed the University of Halle to admit Dorothea Leporin to their doctoral course.

The Brocken

The Brocken in the Harz Mountains is the highest mountain in northern Germany. Historic steam locomotives run from Wernigerode to the top of the mountain. Many myths surround the mountain, which is popularly known as Blocksberg and is said to be the haunt of witches. Goethe created a literary monument to the Brocken with the Walpurgis scene in Faust, and Heinrich Heine described his ascent of the Brocken in Die Harzreise.

The world’s first passenger aircraft

The history of civil aviation began in Dessau. On 13 September 1919, the Junkers F13 took off from here. Hugo Junkers’ all-metal aircraft was the world’s first passenger plane. In 1926, the airline Junkers Luftverkehr AG was merged with Deutsche Aero Lloyd to form Deutsche Luft Hansa.

The largest Trojan horse

In the garden of the Winckelmann Museum in Stendal stands the largest Trojan horse in the world; it is over 15 metres high. Up to 30 visitors can fit inside, just like in the Greek myth. The museum stands on the site of the birthplace of Johann Joachim Winckelmann, the founder of classical archaeology and modern art studies.

The longest piece of music in the world

The longest piece of music in the world is being played in Halberstadt. The piece, by the US composer John Cage, will last 639 years. It commenced in 2000, 639 years after the construction of the great organ in Halberstadt and the birth of “modern” music – and this period of 639 years is being mirrored into the future with duration of the piece.