Halle, city (1994 pop. 195,370), Saxony-Anhalt, central Germany,
on the Saale River. It is an industrial center and a major
transportation hub. Manufactures include chemicals, refined
sugar and other food products, machinery, rubber, cement, and
electrical and chemical products. Lignite and potash are mined
in the region. Industrialization has caused Halle and the region
surrounding it to become one of the most polluted areas in
Europe. Located on the site of Bronze Age and Iron Age
settlements, Halle was first mentioned in the 9th cent. In 968
it was given to the archbishops of Magdeburg, who frequently
resided there. The city was a member (1281–1478) of the
Hanseatic League and accepted (1544) the Reformation. Halle was
annexed by Brandenburg in 1648. The famous Univ. of Halle was
founded in 1694, and in 1817 it absorbed the Univ. of
Wittenberg. In Halle in 1695 the philanthropist A. H. Francke
founded a school for paupers, the first of the Francke
Institutes. The first Bible Society was founded at Halle in