2_0_DiscoverGermany_June 2015_Issue27:Scan Magazine 1
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Page 74
Special Theme
Best of Saxony-Anhalt
Welcome to Saxony-Anhalt The German state of Saxony-Anhalt is a place with many attractions including beautiful landscaped gardens and modern architecture. Historically important places are plenty and the state is well-known for its sights of international standing. TEXT: DARIA KOCHER | PHOTOS: PRESS IMAGES
Being one of Germany’s sixteen federal states that comprise the country of Germany, Saxony-Anhalt is the eighth largest and is located in the East of the country. It is bordered by Brandenburg to the northeast, the states of Saxony and Thuringia to the south and Lower Saxony to the northwest. Four UNESCO World Heritage sites include the small town of Quedlinburg, which is located in the north of the Harz Mountains and famous for its stunning cathedral that can be seen from far away. The historic town centre with its cobbled streets boasts 2,000 half-timbered houses. Secondly, there are the Luther memorials in Eisleben and Wittenberg. Back in 1517, the reformist Martin Luther nailed his famous Ninety-Five Theses on the church door in Wittenberg attacking the sale of papal abuses and indulgences. Today, the city is
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proud of its history and attracts visitors from all over the world, who want to see the bronze statue of Luther. The third UNESCO World Heritage is the Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz: it reflects the mindset of the Dessau court with its unique concentration of historic monuments. The fourth site is a heaven not only for architects. as the famous Bauhaus school and master houses in Dessau shaped the world of design as well as architecture forever. Saxony-Anhalt was also the birth place for great and well known personalities such as the great artists of classical music of the Baroque period Georg Philipp Telemann and George Frederic Handel. It also has a history of mining with strip mining sites that have been turned into a tourist attraction named Ferropolis or the City of Iron. Since 2005 it is a museum and event venue, where rock concerts and hip hop festivals
take place. The calendar of cultural events in Saxony-Anhalt includes the Handel Festival in Halle (Saale), Luther's Wedding Festival in Wittenberg, the Emperor Otto Festival in Magdeburg, the Kurt Weill Festival in Dessau and much more.
Top left: Timbered houses in Quedlinburg, Harz. Photo: Sachsen-Anhalt.de/ Ines Berger Top right: Wörlitz Castle. Photo: Sachsen-Anhalt.de /Jens Klapputh Above: Martin Luther memorial in Wittenberg. Photo: © Sachsen-Anhalt.de / Ines Berger