:en:Saxony-Anhalt

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 flat expanse of the North German Plain. The old Hanseatic towns Salzwedel, Gardelegen, Stendal and Tangermünde are located in the sparsely populated Altmark. The Colbitz-Letzlingen Heath and the Drömling near Wolfsburg mark the transition between the Altmark region and the Elbe-Börde-Heath region with its fertile, sparsely wooded Magdeburg Börde. Notable towns in the Magdeburg Börde are Haldensleben, Oschersleben (Bode), Wanzleben, Schönebeck (Elbe), Aschersleben and the capital Magdeburg, from which the Börde derives its name.

The Harz mountains are located in the south-west, comprising the Harz National Park, the Harz Foreland and Mansfeld Land. The highest mountain of the Harz (and of Northern Germany) is Brocken, with an elevation of 1,141 meters (3,735 ft). In this area, one can find the towns of Halberstadt, Wernigerode, Thale, Eisleben and Quedlinburg.

The wine-growing area Saale-Unstrut and the towns of Zeitz, Naumburg (Saale), Weißenfels and Freyburg (Unstrut) are located on the rivers Saale and Unstrut 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==

File:Aerial view of Magdeburg.jpg, Saxony-Anhalt's capital city]]

File:Halleuniplatz.JPG, is the seat of the state's largest university]]

File:Wittenberg - Stadtbach in der Schlossstrasse (Town Stream in the Schlossstrasse) - geo.hlipp.de - 28216.jpg was once one of the most important cities in Germany, especially for its close connection with Martin Luther]]

{{Further|Office for the Protection of the Constitution of Saxony-Anhalt}}

The capital and largest city of Saxony-Anhalt is Magdeburg. The second-largest city in the state is Halle (Saale). From 1994 to 2003, the state was divided into three regions ({{Lang|de|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.[http://st.juris.de/st/LKreisGebNRG_ST_rahmen.htm District reform law] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719051202/http://st.juris.de/st/LKreisGebNRG_ST_rahmen.htm |date=19 July 2011 }} 11 November 2005 {{in lang|de}}

File:LandkreiseSachsenAnhalt2007.png

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

{{See also|List of cities in Saxony-Anhalt by population}}

The largest towns in Saxony-Anhalt as of 30 June 2022:

{{clear|left}}

File:KST Dom Magdeburg Jann.jpg|Magdeburg - Capital city of Saxony-Anhalt - The Magdeburg Cathedral is the city's landmark.

File:2012-03 Halle 02 Marktplatz.jpg|Halle is the second-largest city in Saxony-Anhalt.

File:Dessau marktplatz 01.jpg|Dessau market square

File:WittenbergMittelstr.JPG|Inside the old town of Wittenberg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

File:Halberstadt Stadt der Kirchen Foto 2005 Wolfgang Pehlemann Wiesbaden Germany PICT0042.jpg|Halberstadt with its churches

File:MerseburgDomschloßsaale.JPG|Merseburg with its castle and cathedral

File:Agnesberg.JPG|Castle in Wernigerode

{{main|History of Saxony-Anhalt}}

File:Coat of arms of Saxony-Anhalt 1947-1952.svg

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 US Army took control of most of the western and northern area of the future Saxony-Anhalt. The U.S. Group Control Council, Germany (a precursor of the OMGUS) appointed the first non-Nazi officials in leading positions in the area. Erhard Hübener, put on leave by the Nazis, was reappointed Landeshauptmann (state governor). By early July the US Army withdrew from the former Prussian Province of Saxony to make way for the Red Army to take it as part of the Soviet occupation zone, as agreed by the London Protocol in 1944.

On 9 July the Soviet SVAG ordered the merger of the Free State of Anhalt, Halle-Merseburg, the governorate of Magdeburg (in its then borders), Allstedt (before Thuringia) and some Brunswickian eastern exclaves and salients (Calvörde and the eastern part of the former Blankenburg districtThe latter, however, a salient originally not assigned as part of the Soviet zone, was unilaterally handed over by the Britons only on 22 July.) with the Province of Saxony.[http://www.gedenkkultur-dessau-rosslau.de/1945-1949/chronik1 "1945–1949"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312064959/http://www.gedenkkultur-dessau-rosslau.de/1945-1949/chronik1 |date=12 March 2012 }}, on: [http://www.gedenkkultur-dessau-rosslau.de Gedenkkultur Dessau-Roßlau] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826105028/http://www.gedenkkultur-dessau-rosslau.de/ |date=26 August 2011 }}. Retrieved on 16 August 2011. The previously Saxon Erfurt governorate had become a part of Thuringia.

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 ({{langx|de|Provinz Sachsen-Anhalt}}), taking the prior merger into account. 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 Free State of Prussia, which had remained in limbo since the Prussian coup of 1932, its former provinces, in as far as they still existed, achieved statehood; thus the province emerged into the State of Saxony-Anhalt on 6 October 1947. It became part of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) in 1949. From 1952 on the East German states were dissolved, and Saxony-Anhalt's territory was divided into the East German districts of Halle and Magdeburg, except that the territory around Torgau was assigned to Leipzig. In 1990, in the course of German reunification, the districts were reintegrated as a state. The territory around Torgau did not return to the state and joined Saxony. Torgau is now the centre of the Nordsachsen district (since 2008).

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.{{cite web |url=http://www.marres.education/far-forbears.htm |title=Our Far Forebears |first=E.C.W.L. (Boed) |last=Marres |website=www.marres.education |access-date=1 May 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912003826/http://www.marres.education/far-forbears.htm |archive-date=12 September 2017}}{{Cite journal |title=Massive migration from the steppe was a source for Indo-European languages in Europe |year=2015 |doi=10.1038/nature14317 |arxiv=1502.02783 |last1=Haak |first1=Wolfgang |last2=Lazaridis |first2=Iosif |last3=Patterson |first3=Nick |last4=Rohland |first4=Nadin |last5=Mallick |first5=Swapan |last6=Llamas |first6=Bastien |last7=Brandt |first7=Guido |last8=Nordenfelt |first8=Susanne |last9=Harney |first9=Eadaoin |last10=Stewardson |first10=Kristin |last11=Fu |first11=Qiaomei |last12=Mittnik |first12=Alissa |last13=Bánffy |first13=Eszter |last14=Economou |first14=Christos |last15=Francken |first15=Michael |last16=Friederich |first16=Susanne |last17=Pena |first17=Rafael Garrido |last18=Hallgren |first18=Fredrik |last19=Khartanovich |first19=Valery |last20=Khokhlov |first20=Aleksandr |last21=Kunst |first21=Michael |last22=Kuznetsov |first22=Pavel |last23=Meller |first23=Harald |last24=Mochalov |first24=Oleg |last25=Moiseyev |first25=Vayacheslav |last26=Nicklisch |first26=Nicole |last27=Pichler |first27=Sandra L. |last28=Risch |first28=Roberto |last29=Rojo Guerra |first29=Manuel A. |last30=Roth |first30=Christina |journal=Nature |volume=522 |issue=7555 |pages=207–211 |pmid=25731166 |pmc=5048219 |bibcode=2015Natur.522..207H |display-authors=1 }}

{{historical populations|13=1990|14=2,873,957|15=1995|16=2,738,928|17=2000|18=2,615,375|19=2005|20=2,469,716|21=2011|22=2,287,040|23=2022|24=2,146,443|footnote=Source:{{cite web |author=Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt |url=https://statistik.sachsen-anhalt.de/themen/bevoelkerung-erwerbstaetigenrechnung-mikrozensus-evs/bevoelkerung/tabellen-bevoelkerungsstand/#c234712 |title=Bevölkerungsentwicklung seit 1966 |publisher=statistik.sachsen-anhalt.de |language=de |access-date=2020-05-04 |archive-date=6 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406150808/https://statistik.sachsen-anhalt.de/themen/bevoelkerung-erwerbstaetigenrechnung-mikrozensus-evs/bevoelkerung/tabellen-bevoelkerungsstand/#c234712 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |title=Germany: States and Major Cities|url=https://citypopulation.de/en/germany/cities/}}}}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.

{{bar box

|title=Religion in Saxony-Anhalt – 2018

|left1=religion

|right1=percent

|float=right

|bars=

{{bar percent|EKD Protestants|DodgerBlue|11.9}}

{{bar percent|Roman Catholics|DarkOrchid|3.3}}

{{bar percent|Non religious|SlateGray|82.8}}

{{bar percent|Other religion|LimeGreen|2}}

}}

The region has historically been associated with the Lutheran faith, but under Communist rule, church membership was strongly discouraged and much of the population disassociated itself from any religious body. Saxony-Anhalt contains many sites tied to Martin Luther's life, including Lutherstadt Eisleben and Lutherstadt Wittenberg.

In 2018, the majority of citizens in Saxony-Anhalt were irreligious and more were leaving the churches than entering them[http://www.sachsen-anhalt-wahl.de/das-land-sachsen-anhalt/religion-in-sachsen-anhalt.htm#more-15] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317152800/http://www.sachsen-anhalt-wahl.de/das-land-sachsen-anhalt/religion-in-sachsen-anhalt.htm#more-15|date=17 March 2012}} – in fact, Saxony-Anhalt is the most irreligious state in Germany. Of the Saxon-Anhaltish, 15.2% adhered to the major denominations of Christianity (11.9% were members of the Protestant Church in Germany and 3.3% were Catholics),[https://www.ekd.de/ekd_de/ds_doc/Ber_Kirchenmitglieder_2018.pdf Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland – Kirchemitgliederzahlen Stand 31. Dezember 2018] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200219200647/https://www.ekd.de/ekd_de/ds_doc/Ber_Kirchenmitglieder_2018.pdf |date=19 February 2020 }} EKD, January 2020 2% were members of other religions (mostly Islam, Judaism, the New Apostolic Church and Mandeism). Of the citizens of Saxony-Anhalt, 82.8% were religiously unaffiliated. 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.

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).{{Cite web |url=http://www.statistikportal.de/de/bevoelkerung/auslaendische-bevoelkerung |title=Ausländische Bevölkerung |website=statistikportal.de |date=2019-07-17 |language=de |access-date=2020-05-04 |archive-date=22 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022145250/https://www.statistikportal.de/de/bevoelkerung/auslaendische-bevoelkerung |url-status=live }}

The largest foreign resident groups by 31 December 2022 were:{{Cite web |url=https://statistik.sachsen-anhalt.de/themen/bevoelkerung-erwerbstaetigenrechnung-mikrozensus-evs/bevoelkerung/bevoelkerungsstand/ |title=1/3 der Ausländerinnen und Ausländer im Rahmen der EU-Freizügigkeit in Sachsen-Anhalt |website=statistik.sachsen-anhalt.de |date=2020-04-08 |language=de |access-date=2020-05-04 |archive-date=6 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406142019/https://statistik.sachsen-anhalt.de/themen/bevoelkerung-erwerbstaetigenrechnung-mikrozensus-evs/bevoelkerung/bevoelkerungsstand/ |url-status=dead}}

{{Main|Politics of Saxony-Anhalt}}

{{main|List of minister-presidents of Saxony-Anhalt}}

{{main|Ministry of Finance (Saxony-Anhalt)}}

{{main|Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt}}

{{See also|2021 Saxony-Anhalt state election}}

{{Election results

|image = File:2021 Saxony-Anhalt state election - composition chart.svg

|firstround = Constituency

|secondround = Party list

|party1 = Christian Democratic Union (CDU)

|votes1 = 362333

|sw1 = +4.58

|seats1 = 40

|votes1_2 = 394808

|sw1_2 = +7.37

|seats1_2 = 0

|totseats1 = 40

|sc1 = +10

|party2 = Alternative for Germany (AfD)

|votes2 = 231875

|sw2 = –1.28

|seats2 = 1

|votes2_2 = 221498

|sw2_2 = –3.45

|seats2_2 = 22

|totseats2 = 23

|sc2 = –2

|party3 = The Left (LINKE)

|votes3 = 135419

|sw3 = –5.91

|seats3 = 0

|votes3_2 = 116902

|sw3_2 = –5.33

|seats3_2 = 12

|totseats3 = 12

|sc3 = –4

|party4 = Social Democratic Party (SPD)

|votes4 = 116453

|sw4 = –3.32

|seats4 = 0

|votes4_2 = 89475

|sw4_2 = –2.22

|seats4_2 = 9

|totseats4 = 9

|sc4 = –2

|party5 = Free Democratic Party (FDP)

|votes5 = 70725

|sw5 = +1.19

|seats5 = 0

|votes5_2 = 68305

|sw5_2 = +1.56

|seats5_2 = 7

|totseats5 = 7

|sc5 = +7

|party6 = Alliance 90/The Greens (GRÜNE)

|votes6 = 60521

|sw6 = +0.42

|seats6 = 0

|votes6_2 = 63148

|sw6_2 = +0.76

|seats6_2 = 6

|totseats6 = 6

|sc6 = +1

|party7 = Free Voters

|votes7 = 57536

|sw7 = +3.35

|seats7 = 0

|votes7_2 = 33288

|sw7_2 = +0.97

|seats7_2 = 0

|totseats7 = 0

|sc7 = ±0

|party8 = dieBasis

|votes8 = 7564

|sw8 = New

|seats8 = 0

|votes8_2 = 15621

|sw8_2 = New

|seats8_2 = 0

|totseats8 = 0

|sc8 = ±0

|party9 = Human Environment Animal Protection

|votes9 = 1056

|sw9 = +0.10

|seats9 = 0

|votes9_2 = 15274

|sw9_2 = –0.04

|seats9_2 = 0

|totseats9 = 0

|sc9 = ±0

|party10 = Garden Party

|votes10 = 3216

|sw10 = +0.08

|seats10 = 0

|votes10_2 = 8577

|sw10_2 = +0.38

|seats10_2 = 0

|totseats10 = 0

|sc10 = ±0

|party11 = Die PARTEI

|votes11 = 3909

|sw11 = +0.26

|seats11 = 0

|votes11_2 = 7770

|sw11_2 = +0.20

|seats11_2 = 0

|totseats11 = 0

|sc11 = ±0

|party12 = Animal Protection Here!

|votes12 = 0

|sw12 = New

|seats12 = 0

|votes12_2 = 6239

|sw12_2 = New

|seats12_2 = 0

|totseats12 = 0

|sc12 = ±0

|party13 = Animal Protection Alliance

|votes13 = 4517

|sw13 = +0.19

|seats13 = 0

|votes13_2 = 5108

|sw13_2 = –0.56

|seats13_2 = 0

|totseats13 = 0

|sc13 = ±0

|party14 = Party for Health Research

|color14 = #000000

|votes14 = 0

|sw14 = New

|seats14 = 0

|votes14_2 = 3947

|sw14_2 = New

|seats14_2 = 0

|totseats14 = 0

|sc14 = ±0

|party15 = Pirate Party Germany

|votes15 = 0

|sw15 = New

|seats15 = 0

|votes15_2 = 3814

|sw15_2 = New

|seats15_2 = 0

|totseats15 = 0

|sc15 = ±0

|party16 = National Democratic Party

|votes16 = 160

|sw16 = +0.02

|seats16 = 0

|votes16_2 = 2897

|sw16_2 = –1.62

|seats16_2 = 0

|totseats16 = 0

|sc16 = ±0

|party17 = WiR2020

|votes17 = 0

|sw17 = New

|seats17 = 0

|votes17_2 = 1649

|sw17_2 = New

|seats17_2 = 0

|totseats17 = 0

|sc17 = ±0

|party18 = Free Citizens of Central Germany

|votes18 = 2932

|sw18 = –0.16

|seats18 = 0

|votes18_2 = 1603

|sw18_2 = –0.22

|seats18_2 = 0

|totseats18 = 0

|sc18 = ±0

|party19 = The Humanists

|color19 = #110077

|votes19 = 0

|sw19 = New

|seats19 = 0

|votes19_2 = 1409

|sw19_2 = New

|seats19_2 = 0

|totseats19 = 0

|sc19 = ±0

|party20 = Ecological Democratic Party

|votes20 = 145

|sw20 = New

|seats20 = 0

|votes20_2 = 1062

|sw20_2 = New

|seats20_2 = 0

|totseats20 = 0

|sc20 = ±0

|party21 = Climate List Saxony-Anhalt

|votes21 = 0

|sw21 = New

|seats21 = 0

|votes21_2 = 827

|sw21_2 = New

|seats21_2 = 0

|totseats21 = 0

|sc21 = ±0

|party22 = Liberal Conservative Reformers

|votes22 = 0

|sw22 = ±0.00

|seats22 = 0

|votes22_2 = 473

|sw22_2 = –0.83

|seats22_2 = 0

|totseats22 = 0

|sc22 = ±0

|party23 = Independents

|votes23 = 3153

|sw23 = –0.10

|seats23 = 0

|votes23_2 = 0

|sw23_2 = 0

|seats23_2 = 0

|totseats23 = 0

|sc23 = ±0

|validsw =

|validsw2 =

|invalidsw =

|invalidsw2 =

|turnoutsw = –0.78

|turnoutsw2 = –0.78

|invalid = 17773

|electorate = 1788955

|invalid2 = 15593

|electorate2 = 1788955

|source = [https://wahlergebnisse.sachsen-anhalt.de/wahlen/lt21/erg/kreis/lt.15.ergtab.php State Returning Officer]

}}

{{bar box

| title = Popular vote

| float =

| titlebar = #ddd

| width = 500px

| barwidth = 400px

| bars =

{{bar percent|CDU|{{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}|37.12}}

{{bar percent|AfD|{{party color|Alternative for Germany}}|20.82}}

{{bar percent|LINKE|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|10.99}}

{{bar percent|SPD|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}|8.41}}

{{bar percent|FDP|{{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}|6.42}}

{{bar percent|GRÜNE|{{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}|5.94}}

{{bar percent|FW|{{party color|Free Voters}}|3.13}}

{{bar percent|Other|#777777|7.17}}}}

{{bar box

| title = Landtag seats

| float =

| titlebar = #ddd

| width = 500px

| barwidth = 400px

| bars =

{{bar percent|CDU|{{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}|41.24}}

{{bar percent|AfD|{{party color|Alternative for Germany}}|23.71}}

{{bar percent|LINKE|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|12.37}}

{{bar percent|SPD|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}|9.28}}

{{bar percent|FDP|{{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}|7.22}}

{{bar percent|GRÜNE|{{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}|6.19}}}}

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.

{{Update|section|reason=Outdated Data|talk=Outdated economic data needs an update|date=January 2023}}

The gross domestic product (GDP) of the state was 62.7 billion euros in 2018, which accounts for 1.9% of Germany's total economic output and ranks 13th among the 16 German states. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 26,000 euros or 86% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 88% of the EU average. The GDP per capita was the second lowest of all German states.{{Cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10474907/1-05032020-AP-EN.pdf/81807e19-e4c8-2e53-c98a-933f5bf30f58 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10474907/1-05032020-AP-EN.pdf/81807e19-e4c8-2e53-c98a-933f5bf30f58 |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title=Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018 |website=Eurostat}}

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.{{Cite web |title=Germany GDP: Sachsen Anhalt {{!}} Economic Indicators {{!}} CEIC |url=https://www.ceicdata.com/en/germany/esa-2010-gdp-by-region/gdp-sachsen-anhalt |access-date=2023-09-18 |website=www.ceicdata.com}}

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%.{{cite web |author=Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt |url=http://www.statistik.sachsen-anhalt.de/Internet/Home/Daten_und_Fakten/1/13/132/13211/Arbeitsmarktdaten_im_Land_Sachsen_Anhalt.html |title=Statistical Office of the State of Saxony-Anhalt (2010) |publisher=Statistik.sachsen-anhalt.de |date=29 January 2014 |access-date=16 August 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819125542/http://www.statistik.sachsen-anhalt.de/Internet/Home/Daten_und_Fakten/1/13/132/13211/Arbeitsmarktdaten_im_Land_Sachsen_Anhalt.html |archive-date=19 August 2014}}

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.[http://www.halle.ihk.de/webKreator/upload/temp_dokumente/1034285159/Regionalstatistik%202010.pdf Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Halle-Dessau (2010), p. 14]{{dead link|date=August 2014}} Meanwhile, the unemployment rate has fallen considerably.{{cite web |url=http://www.ihk-berlin.de/linkableblob/818034/.23./data/Fakten_Arbeitsmarkt-data.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.ihk-berlin.de/linkableblob/818034/.23./data/Fakten_Arbeitsmarkt-data.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title=Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Berlin (2011), p. 2 |language=de |access-date=16 August 2014}} By 2010 the GDP of Saxony-Anhalt was almost two and a half times higher than it was in 1991.{{cite web |url=http://www.fdiatlas.com/area/Europe/Germany/region/Saxony-Anhalt |title=(2010) |publisher=fDi Atlas |access-date=16 August 2014 |archive-date=4 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404155856/http://www.fdiatlas.com/area/Europe/Germany/region/Saxony-Anhalt |url-status=live }}

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 city-state of Berlin (12.7%), the city-state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (11.3%) and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (11%).{{cite web |url=http://m.ihk-berlin.de/linkableblob/818034/.28./data/Fakten_Arbeitsmarkt-data.pdf;jsessionid=DDE8292A29242A352F72A9D35E869F0F.repl1 |title=Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Berlin |page=2 |date=2011 |access-date=16 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201204441/http://m.ihk-berlin.de/linkableblob/818034/.28./data/Fakten_Arbeitsmarkt-data.pdf;jsessionid=DDE8292A29242A352F72A9D35E869F0F.repl1 |archive-date=1 February 2014}}

The unemployment began to fall under 10% in 2016, and stood at 7.1% in October 2018.{{Cite web |url=https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/36651/umfrage/arbeitslosenquote-in-deutschland-nach-bundeslaendern/ |title=Arbeitslosenquote nach Bundesländern in Deutschland 2018 {{!}} Statista |website=Statista |language=de |access-date=13 November 2018 |archive-date=27 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627171657/https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/36651/umfrage/arbeitslosenquote-in-deutschland-nach-bundeslaendern/ |url-status=live }}

• The chemical industry is quite important, with almost 25,500 employees across 214 plants in 2010.[http://www.fdiatlas.com/area/Europe/Germany/region/Saxony-Anhalt/sectorstrengths fDi Atlas] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404155917/http://www.fdiatlas.com/area/Europe/Germany/region/Saxony-Anhalt/sectorstrengths |date=4 April 2012 }} (2010) 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. Some of the best known products are Baumkuchen from Salzwedel and Halloren chocolate globes from Germany's oldest chocolate factory in Halle.

{{See also|List of World Heritage Sites in Germany}}

Saxony-Anhalt has seven World Heritage Sites, the highest number of all states in Germany.{{Cite web |url=https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/1026842/umfrage/denkmaeler-in-der-unesco-liste-des-welterbes-in-deutschland-nach-bundesland/ |title=Denkmäler in der UNESCO Liste des Welterbes in Deutschland nach Bundesland 2019 |website=Statista |language=de |access-date=2020-05-19 |archive-date=23 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200323140232/https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/1026842/umfrage/denkmaeler-in-der-unesco-liste-des-welterbes-in-deutschland-nach-bundesland/ |url-status=live }}

File:Quedlinburg asv2018-10 img03 Castle.jpg|Collegiate church, castle, and the old town of Quedlinburg

File:Wittenberg,Luthers Hochzeit.jpg|Luther memorials in Wittenberg

File:Lutherstadt Eisleben Markt.jpg|Luther memorials in Eisleben

File:Dessau Bauhaus-Gebäude asv2024-06 img1.jpg|Bauhaus Dessau

File:WörlitzAmaliengrotte.JPG|Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm

File:Naumburger Dom 3.jpg|Naumburg Cathedral

Image:Blick auf die Otto-von-Guericke Universität Magdeburg.JPG

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

• "Lied für Sachsen-Anhalt" ("Song for Saxony-Anhalt")
• Motto: "Land of the Early Risers"

{{Portal|Germany}}

• Duchy of Anhalt
• Outline of Germany

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category}}

{{Wikivoyage}}

• [https://ea.sachsen-anhalt.de/english-version Official governmental portal]
• [https://saxony-anhalt-tourism.com/ Official website for tourists]
• [https://www.mein-takt.de/en/timetable/line-network Official Directory]
• {{Osmrelation-inline|62607}}

{{States of the Federal Republic of Germany}}

{{Germany districts Saxony-Anhalt}}

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Category:1990 establishments in Germany

Category:NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union

Category:States and territories established in 1990

Category:States of Germany