Halle is considered to be Saxony-Anhalt's cultural capital, and rightly so: the well-preserved historic town centre and the town's landmark Red Tower attest to this claim.

Handel House

The global renaissance of George Frideric Handel music began in the composer's native town of Halle an der Saale in the early 19th century. This is the town where he was born in 1685 and received a lasting impression due to the town's atmosphere and a sound education. His most important pieces have been regularly performed here since 1803 in uninterrupted tradition. A monument was erected at the market square in his honour in 1895 and the first major Handel Festival was held in 1922. In the birthplace of Halle's most famous resident, the present-day Handel House, the town constructed a memorial and music museum that has staged the annual Handel Festival since 1952. The building is also home to the German Handel Society's home office (international coalition) and the editorial staff for Halle's Handel edition (Handel's complete works).

Opening hours:
Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm
Entry fee: 2.50 €

Francke Foundations

The Francke Foundations, founded in 1695, are amongst Europe's most important cultural and scientific foundations. Educational, scientific, social and cultural foundations meet at its 14-hectare areal in the town centre, including a historic library built in 1728, a four-century-old schoolhouse, Europe's longest half-timbered house (114 m) and the only art and artefacts chamber from the baroque period still in its original location. Today, lectures, concerts, tours and cultural and historical temporary and permanent exhibitions are held in the historic orphanage built in 1700. Together, the Foundations are currently listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site tentative list.

- Historic orphanage with art and artefacts, Francke cabinet, balcony
Opening hours:
Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm
Entry fees: adults: 3 €, reduced: 2 €, children: 1 €

- Historic library
Opening hours:
Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 12 pm, 2 to 4 pm
Entry fee: 1 €

www.francke-halle.de

Museum of Protohistoric Archaeology

Halle's state museum has become world famous as the home to the Nebra Sky Disk; it also lives up to its international reputation of housing important collections with a special exhibition on Martin Luther's life. Housing over 10 million objects, the first museum for prehistoric archaeology in Germany is home to one of the largest and most significant collections on Central Europe's prehistoric and protohistoric archaeology. Topics include the roots of European human history, including Central Germany's oldest known prehistoric man find. Exactly 50 years after its discovery, the Pfännerhall mammoth, the emblem of the former exhibition, can be seen once again. Visitors can experience 400,000 years of the exciting and often dangerous history of their hunter-gatherer ancestors while strolling past cave lions and mammoths, through settlement sites and hunting grounds.

Opening hours:
Tuesday: 9 am to 7.30 pm
Wednesday to Friday: 9 am to 5 pm
Friday to Sunday, holidays: 10 am to 6 pm

Entry fee:
Adults: 4 €
Reduced: 2 €
Children (6-14 years old): 2 €
Family card: 10 €

Moritzburg Foundation

The Moritzburg Foundation and its many collections is one of the leading museums in Saxony-Anhalt. Named after the structure in which it is located, the Late Mediaeval Moritzburg was built between 1484 and 1513 as a residence for the Archbishops of Magdeburg. Cardinal Albrecht von Brandenburg, Prince Elector, Archbishop of Magdeburg and Mainz, lived here for three centuries (1514 - 1541) as the highest prince of the church and sovereign prince. During his reign, the town of Halle became the one of the most important centres of the Early Renaissance in Germany with the Moritzburg as the residence of choice for many. Since 1904, the Moritzburg has housed the Municipal Museum of Fine and Applied Arts, founded in 1885, with its valuable collections from the Middle Ages to today.

Opening hours:
Tuesday 11 am to 8.30 pm
Wednesday to Sunday, holidays 10 am to 6 pm
Entry fees: Adults 4 €, reduced: 2 €

Giebichenstein Castle

King Heinrich I extended the Givich porphyry hilltop (from the Germanic Gott Givich, the giving one) into a fortress around the year 930. The Giebichenstein Castle served as a part of the border castle system to provide protection from attacks from the east. The Giebichenstein Castle became the main residence for the Archbishops of Magdeburg, the lords of Halle, in 1382. The stately castle became less important when the archbishops moved their residence to the Moritzburg, built in 1503. Today, the Burg Giebichenstein houses an art and design college.

Opening hours:
April to October
Tuesday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm
Saturday and Sunday, 9 am to 6.30 pm
Closed November to March.
Entry fees: Adults: 2.10 €, reduced: 1.30 €

Halloren Chocolate Factory

Friedrich David took over the confectionary from founder August Miethe in 1851 and was able to make substantial improvements. David first began producing chocolate himself in 1870 and the company was then founded as Firma David Söhne. 1880 represented a turning point for the company: David's Mignon Praline became so well known that it became a trademark for an entire product range starting in 1890. Motivated by their success, the Davids continued to expand. They built a new factory building in 1896 in the Delitzscher Street where the company's headquarters is still located today. Following extensive renovations, the factory building in the Delitzscher Street is again splendorous. Since 2001, it has housed the new Halloren confectionary, the Halloren factory outlet, chocolate production as well as the chocolate museum since 2002.

Opening hours:
Monday to Friday 9 am to 6.30 pm
Saturday 9 am to 4 pm
Sunday 10.30 am to 5.30 pm
Holidays 11 am to 5 pm
Closed: 25 and 26 December
No display production on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays
Sunday hourly tours: 11 am to 5 pm

Entry fees (with tour, chocolate and confectionary samples): Adults: 4 €, reduced: 2 €