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Saxony-Anhalt is one of the sixteen Bundesländer
States of Germany

Germany is a federation consisting of sixteen states, known in German language as L?nder . Since Land is the literal German word for "country", the term Bundesl?nder is commonly used colloquially, as it is more specific, though technically incorrect within the corpus of German law....
 (federal states) that make up the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of , and a population of 2.45 million (more than 2.8 million in 1990). Its capital is Magdeburg
Magdeburg

Magdeburg , the Capital of the States of Germany of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, lies on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
.

ny-Anhalt is one of 16 states in the Federal Republic of Germany. It covers a total area of 20,445 km² (12,676 sq. miles). By size, it is the 8th largest state in Germany, and by population, the 10th largest.






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Saxony-Anhalt is one of the sixteen Bundesländer
States of Germany

Germany is a federation consisting of sixteen states, known in German language as L?nder . Since Land is the literal German word for "country", the term Bundesl?nder is commonly used colloquially, as it is more specific, though technically incorrect within the corpus of German law....
 (federal states) that make up the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of , and a population of 2.45 million (more than 2.8 million in 1990). Its capital is Magdeburg
Magdeburg

Magdeburg , the Capital of the States of Germany of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, lies on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
.

Geography

Saxony-Anhalt is one of 16 states in the Federal Republic of Germany. It covers a total area of 20,445 km² (12,676 sq. miles). By size, it is the 8th largest state in Germany, and by population, the 10th largest. It borders the states of Brandenburg
Brandenburg

Brandenburg is one of the sixteen states of Germany of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany....
, Saxony
Saxony

The Free State of Saxony is a States of Germany of Germany. Located in the southeastern part of present-day Germany. It is the tenth-largest German state in area and the sixth largest in population , of Germany's sixteen states....
, Thuringia
Thuringia

The Free State of Thuringia is located in central Germany. It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen States of Germany ....
 and Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony lies in northern Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen States of Germany of Germany. In rural areas Low German is still spoken, but the number of speakers is declining....
.

The capital of Saxony-Anhalt is Magdeburg. It is the second largest city in the state, after Halle. Nearby is the city of Dessau
Dessau

Dessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the States of Germany of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Ro?lau....
, where the "Bauhaus" is located. The Bauhaus
Bauhaus

' is the common term for the ', a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught....
 provided a basis for the field of architecture and fine arts in the area. Dessau is also home to the opulent Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm
Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm

The Dessau-W?rlitz Garden Realm, also known as the English Grounds of W?rlitz, is one of the first and largest English parks in Germany and continental Europe....
. The city’s main attraction is the Wörlitzer Park which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The landscape of Saxony-Anhalt is quite varied. From the region of Altmark
Altmark

The Altmark is a region in Germany, between Hamburg and Magdeburg, comprising the northern third of Saxony-Anhalt . The region is rural and widely covered with forests....
 in the north, the state extends from the Magdeburg region, a vast lowland, through the Harz
Harz

The Harz is a mountain range in central Germany. It is the highest mountain chain in northern Germany occupying parts of the German states of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia....
, a low mountain range, until one comes to Thuringia. The highest mountain in the vicinity is Brocken, with an elevation of 1,141 meters (3,735 ft). Below the summit, the National Park Harz forms an extensive wildlife sanctuary.

See also List of places in Saxony-Anhalt
List of places in Saxony-Anhalt

This is a list of geographical features in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany....
.

Administrative subdivision


From 1994 to 2003, Saxony-Anhalt was divided into 21 districts ("Landkreise"). Above this level, there were three governmental districts (Regierungsbezirk
Regierungsbezirk

A Regierungsbezirk is a type of government region of Germany, a subdivision of certain federal states . It is responsible for the districts , either List of German rural districts or urban districts: cities which constitute a district in their own right ....
e): Dessau
Dessau (region)

Dessau was one of the three Regierungsbezirke of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, located in the east of the country. Founded in 1990 from parts of Halle , the Dessau government region was disbanded on January 1 2004 ....
, Halle
Halle (region)

Halle was one of the three Regierungsbezirke of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, located in the south of the country. It was founded in 1952 while part of East Germany....
 and Magdeburg
Magdeburg (region)

Magdeburg was one of the three Regierungsbezirke of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, located in the north of the country.The region was formed in 1815 as a subdivision of the Kingdom of Prussia's Province of Saxony, becoming part of Saxony-Anhalt after World War II....
. On January 1, 2004 these three governmental districts were abolished.

A further reform
Kreisreform Sachsen-Anhalt 2007

Kreisreform Sachsen-Anhalt 2007 is a law in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, coming into effect on July 1, 2007, which outlines a reform of the districts of Germany of Saxony-Anhalt....
, effective from July 2007, reduced the 21 districts to 11 districts (Landkreise):

  • Altmarkkreis Salzwedel
    Altmarkkreis Salzwedel

    Altmarkkreis Salzwedel is a district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is bounded by the districts Gifhorn , Uelzen , L?chow-Dannenberg in Lower Saxony, and the districts of Stendal and Ohrekreis....
  • Anhalt-Bitterfeld
    Anhalt-Bitterfeld

    Anhalt-Bitterfeld is a district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Its capital is K?then ....
  • Börde
    Börde

    B?rde is a district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is mostly known because of the former Repository for radioactive waste Morsleben. The disposal of waste into the facility was ended in 1998....
  • Burgenlandkreis
    Burgenlandkreis

    The Burgenlandkreis was a district in the south of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Neighboring districts are Merseburg-Querfurt, Wei?enfels , Leipziger Land, Aschersleben-Sta?furt, Altenburger Land, Greiz , district-free Gera, Saale-Holzland, Weimarer Land, S?mmerda and the Kyffh?userkreis....
  • Harz
    Harz (district)

    Harz is a district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany....
  • Jerichower Land
    Jerichower Land

    Jerichower Land is a district in the north-east of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Neighboring districts are Anhalt-Bitterfeld, Salzlandkreis, the district-free city Magdeburg, B?rde, Stendal , and the districts Havelland and Potsdam-Mittelmark in Brandenburg....
  • Mansfeld-Südharz
    Mansfeld-Südharz

    Mansfeld-S?dharz is a district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany....
  • Saalekreis
    Saalekreis

    Saalekreis is a district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany....
  • Salzlandkreis
    Salzlandkreis

    Salzland is a Districts of Germany in the middle of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is bounded by the districts Harz , B?rde, Magdeburg, Jerichower Land, Anhalt-Bitterfeld, Mansfeld-S?dharz and Saalekreis....
  • Stendal
    Stendal (district)

    Stendal is a district in the north-east of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Neighboring districts are Jerichower Land, B?rde, Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, the district L?chow-Dannenberg in Lower Saxony, and the districts Prignitz, Ostprignitz-Ruppin and Havelland in Brandenburg....
  • Wittenberg
    Wittenberg (district)

    Wittenberg is a district in the east of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Neighboring districts are Anhalt-Bitterfeld, the district-free city of Dessau-Ro?lau, the districts of Potsdam-Mittelmark, Teltow-Fl?ming and Elbe-Elster in Brandenburg, and the district of Nordsachsen in the Free State of Saxony....


and three urban districts (Stadtkreise):

  • Dessau-Roßlau
    Dessau-Roßlau

    is a district-free town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Elbe and Mulde. The town was formed by merger of the towns Dessau and Ro?lau on 1 July 2007....
  • Halle (Saale)
    Halle, Saxony-Anhalt

    Halle is the largest city in the Germany States of Germany of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia in North Rhine-Westphalia....
  • Magdeburg
    Magdeburg

    Magdeburg , the Capital of the States of Germany of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, lies on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....


History

Saxony-Anhalt was formed as a province of Prussia
Prussia

Prussia was, most recently, a historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. This state had for centuries substantial influence on Germany and European history....
 in 1945, from the territories of the former Prussian Province of Saxony
Province of Saxony

The Province of Saxony was a Provinces of Prussia of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1945. Its capital was Magdeburg....
 (except the Regierungsbezirk Erfurt), the Free State of Anhalt
Free State of Anhalt

The Free State of Anhalt was formed after Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt abdicated on 12 November 1918, ending the Duchy of Anhalt. It was a state of Germany during the time of the Weimar Republic....
, the Free State of Brunswick
Free State of Brunswick

The Free State of Brunswick was a republic formed after the abolition of the Duchy of Brunswick at the end of World War I. It was a member state of Germany during the time of the Weimar Republic....
 (Calvörde
Calvörde

Calv?rde is a Municipalities in Germany in the B?rde Districts of Germany in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated approx. 15 km northwest from Haldensleben between the Ohre river and the Midland Canal....
 and the eastern part of the former Blankenburg
Blankenburg am Harz

Blankenburg am Harz is a town and health resort in the Harz , in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, at the north foot of the Harz Mountains, southwest of Halberstadt....
 district) and the formerly Thuringia
Thuringia

The Free State of Thuringia is located in central Germany. It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen States of Germany ....
n town Allstedt
Allstedt

Allstedt is a town the district of Mansfeld-S?dharz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated approximatively 10 km southeast of Sangerhausen. Allstedt is part of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Allstedt-Kaltenborn....
. See the respective articles for the history of the area before 1945.

When Prussia was disbanded in 1947, the province became the state Saxony-Anhalt. It became part of the German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic

The German Democratic Republic was a self-declared socialist state created in the Soviet Zone of occupied Germany and the East Berlin of Allied Occupation Zones in Germany....
 (East Germany) in 1949. From 1952 to 1990 Saxony-Anhalt was divided into the East German districts of Halle
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt

Halle is the largest city in the Germany States of Germany of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia in North Rhine-Westphalia....
 and Magdeburg
Magdeburg

Magdeburg , the Capital of the States of Germany of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, lies on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
. In 1990, in the course of German reunification
German reunification

German reunification took place twice after 1945: first in 1957, the Saarland was permitted to join the Federal Republic of Germany, and again on 3 October 1990, when the five re-established states of the German Democratic Republic joined the Germany , and Berlin was united into a single city-state....
, the districts were reintegrated as a state.

Politics


List of minister presidents of Saxony-Anhalt


1945–1952
  1. 1945–1949: Erhard Hübener
    Erhard Hübener

    Dr. Erhard H?bener was an East Germany politician and member of the Liberal Democratic Party of Germany.H?bener was born in Tacken , Province of Brandenburg....
     (LDPD
    Liberal Democratic Party of Germany

    The Liberal Democratic Party of Germany was a political party in East Germany. Like the other allied parties of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany in the National Front it had 52 representatives in the Volkskammer....
    )
  2. 1949–1952: Werner Bruschke
    Werner Bruschke

    Werner Bruschke was an East Germany politician and member of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. He was Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt from August 13 1949 until the state was abolished on July 23 1952....
     (SED
    Socialist Unity Party of Germany

    The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990....
    )


1990 to date
  1. 1990–1991: Gerd Gies
    Gerd Gies

    Dr. Gerd Gies is a Germany politician . He was the first Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt after its creation following the German reunification Gies held office from October 1990 to July 4 1991, when he was forced to resign after he was accused of having collaborated with the Stasi....
     (CDU)
  2. 1991–1993: Werner Münch
    Werner Münch

    File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F089255-0009, Werner M?nch.jpgDr. Werner M?nch is a Germany politician from Bottrop. He was Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt from July 4 1991 to November 28 1993, when he resigned after criticism over alleged overpayments....
     (CDU)
  3. 1993–1994: Christoph Bergner
    Christoph Bergner

    Christoph Bergner is a Germany politician and member of the Christian Democratic Union .Bergner was from 1993-1994 Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt....
     (CDU)
  4. 1994–2002: Reinhard Höppner
    Reinhard Höppner

    File:Reinhard.Hoeppner.2.jpgReinhard H?ppner is a Germany politician .He was Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt from July 1994 until May 16, 2002, when he was succeeded by Wolfgang B?hmer....
     (SPD
    Social Democratic Party of Germany

    The Social Democratic Party of Germany is Germany's oldest political party. After World War II, under the leadership of Kurt Schumacher, the SPD reestablished itself as an ideological party, representing the interests of the working class and the trade unions....
    )
  5. since 2002: Wolfgang Böhmer
    Wolfgang Böhmer

    Prof. Dr. Wolfgang B?hmer is a Germany politician and Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt since May 16 2002. He served as President of the German Bundesrat of the Bundesrat of Germany in 2002/03....
     (CDU)


March 26, 2006 state election

See also: Saxony-Anhalt state election, 2006
Saxony-Anhalt state election, 2006

The Saxony-Anhalt state election, 2006, was conducted on March 26, 2006, to elect members to the Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt....


Minister-president Wolfgang Böhmer
Wolfgang Böhmer

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang B?hmer is a Germany politician and Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt since May 16 2002. He served as President of the German Bundesrat of the Bundesrat of Germany in 2002/03....
 (CDU) could not continue his coalition with the FDP and negotiated a grand coalition
Grand coalition

A grand coalition is a coalition government in a multi-party parliamentary system where the two largest political party unite in a coalition. The term is most commonly used in countries where there are two dominant parties with different ideological orientations, and a number of smaller parties which are large enough to secure representation...
 with the SPD instead.

Party Party List votes Vote percentage Total Seats Seat percentage
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) 326,712 36.2% 40 41.2%
The Left Party
Left Party (Germany)

The Party of Democratic Socialism was a socialism political party active in Germany from 1989 to 2007. It was the legal successor to the Socialist Unity Party of Germany , which ruled the German Democratic Republic until 1990....
 (Die LINKE(PDS/WASG))		 217,285 24.1% 26 26.8%
Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party of Germany

The Social Democratic Party of Germany is Germany's oldest political party. After World War II, under the leadership of Kurt Schumacher, the SPD reestablished itself as an ideological party, representing the interests of the working class and the trade unions....
 (SPD)		 192,754 21.4% 24 24.7%
Free Democratic Party
Free Democratic Party (Germany)

The Free Democratic Party is a centre-right Liberalism political party in Germany. The party's ideology combines beliefs in individual liberty, in a state or government "that is as limited as possible and as extensive as necessary" ....
 (FDP)		 60,207 6.7% 7 7.2%
Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens

The Alliance '90/The Greens is a political party in Germany which originated from the merger of the party "The Greens" and Alliance 90....
 32,118 3.6% 0 0.0%
German People's Union
German People's Union

The German People's Union is a nationalist political party in Germany. It was founded by publisher Gerhard Frey as an informal association in 1971 and established as a party in 1987....
 (DVU)		 26,894 3.0% 0 0.0%
All Others 46,235 5.0% 0 0.0%
Totals 902,205 100.0% 97 100.0%



Economy

Saxony Anhalt is famous for its good soil. The "Magdeburger Börde" contains the best soil in all of Germany and some of the best of Europe. The food industry has an important role in this state. Some of the best known products are "Baumkuchen" from Salzwedel (Altmark) or "Hallorenkugeln
Halloren Chocolate Factory

The Halloren Chocolate Factory is the oldest Germany chocolate factory. The first mention of the firm is recorded in 1804. The firm was founded in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt where its headquarters are today....
" from Halle
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt

Halle is the largest city in the Germany States of Germany of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia in North Rhine-Westphalia....
.

In the industrial sector the chemical industry is quite important. One of the biggest chemical producing areas can be found around the cities of Wolfen and Bitterfeld. Because of the chemical industry, Saxony Anhalt is the largest receiver of FDIs (Foreign Direct Investments) in all of eastern Germany.

Saxony Anhalt is also the location of numerous "wind farms" throughout the state producing wind-turbine energy. See http://www.wsb.de/home_leistungen_referenzen.html.

Anthem

  • Lied für Sachsen-Anhalt
    Lied für Sachsen-Anhalt

    The Lied f?r Sachsen-Anhalt is a regional anthem of the Germany land of Saxony-Anhalt. The use of this anthem was encouraged by the first minister-president of the country to strengthen the feeling of cultural identity in the new-founded land....
     ("Song for Saxony-Anhalt")


External links