Halle (Saale)
Aug. 1st, 2023 12:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lupestripeIt was another early start on Saturday, this time because I had booked a specific train to go to Halle (Saale), which is about fifty minutes from Magdeburg. I had done this on the train back from Quedlinberg as I realised advanced tickets were very cheap. Unfortunately, I had had an exceptionally poor night's sleep, with me believing Wolfie was pulling at my pillow. The night after, he thought I was poking him, which made me think that maybe our room was haunted. It was room 101 after all. Anyway, I did manage to drag myself out of bed but again with not enough time to get breakfast, so I had to snaffle the small pack of complementary Haribo Barchens in the hope that they would tide me over. I did, however, manage to find a Back Werk at Halle (Saale) station, so I had the healthy alternative of a sausage roll. Then I paid €1 for the privledge of having a shit.
Halle (Saale) is the biggest city in Sachsen-Anhalt, narrowly larger than the capital Magdeburg. The station is about 1km away from the city centre, so I decided to walk it, picking up another delicious Red Bull on the way. The interchange at Riebeckplatz, which was essentially a concrete circle with some flyovers over it, looked very much like some of the DLR stations in London but things definitely improved the closer to the centre one got. The impressive Leipziger Turm on the eastern edge of the city highlighted the age of the place, with the circular tower having been built in the middle of the 15th century. It was enhanced in 1573 with a French dome with four slate-clad portholes and a copper lantern in the Renaissance style, which is when I guess the clock face was added. It used to guard the entrance to the city but now guards an uninspiring ring road.
Leipziger Strasse is a standard collection of shops and eateries, but this deposits you into Marktplatz, which is where the main sights are. It's quite an odd mix of new styles (like the Rathaus) and old (such as Roter Turm and Marktkirche), with the statue of Georg Friedrich Händel in the centre. This is looking in a rather odd direction by modern standards, but you have to remember that at the time, he was looking out towards the churches which once stood here. This area has been renovated since. Handel assumes a large presence in Halle (Saale) as this was his hometown, being born and raised here. There is a fascinating museum in the place of his birth, in which I spent a good number of hours. It charted Handel's life, both in the German lands and then later when he moved to London, as well as some of the instruments which were invented during his lifetime. There were a lot of pianos and piano fortes, along with details about all other types of instrument including wind, strings and percussion. This was in the whole right wing of the museum, which was climate controlled and dedicated to musical instruments, with a focus on innovation. There were some very interesting examples of combined instruments such as the piano and harp. Standing pride of place was a restored organ, while we also got to discover the work of Franz Mesmer, from where the word mesmerize comes from, who used glass instruments to entrance his patients. The highlight of this museum for me, as well as discovering more about Handel's life, was the ability to just sit there and listen to some of his music. The main room where this took place detailed many of the most important concerts which were staged in his commemoration and I did find it all quite moving. Another contemporary composer around this time was Johann Sebastian Bach, who never actually met with Handel, even though he lived very close by. His son, Wilhelm Friedemann, became the organist of the Liebfrauenkirche and there is an exhibition to his life (and those of some other famed composers of the city) in the house where he used to live. This is just around the corner from Handel's home and is a museum too. You can buy a Kombiticket to take in both, which is what I did. To get into the WF Bach museum I had to ring a doorbell and be let in, where I was greeted by a rather stern man. As I was the only one in the museum it was a little unsettling, while unlike Handel's museum, everything was in German which made reading the exhibits hard. It was quite small though, so I could easily whizz through it, while there were other places I needed to be later in the day.
Anyway, I have digressed again. The first thing I saw upon reaching the Marktplatz was none of this, but instead some sand sculptures. These were part of the Halle am Meer festivities and were nice foreground shots with the church and tower behind. There was an actual castle too, which fit in well with the square in general. After this, I wandered over to the free-standing Roter Turm, which had a pink advertisement on it declaring something about beef. The tower is Gothic in style with a copper helmet roof adorned with a gold-plated ball knob with "246 spikes". The tower's construction began in 1418 and was not finished until 1506, however it burnt down in April 1945 due to American bombing raids. It was restored after the war. There is a green clock on the sides of the square tower which chimes, with the whole tower holding its own against the larger Marktkirche. This evangelical church has four towers, with the two major ones connected by a wooden bridge (which used to be stone). One of the towers were open from 10am to 3pm, so I initially decided to climb it, but I couldn't quite work out where to pay. I came back later and spoke to a nice man who told me the cashier was halfway up the tower, so I climbed up. In the middle of the two towers at a lower height to the bridge there is a stone room and this was where you paid, as well as found out more about the church itself. Then, it was a long climb up spiral staircases which got increasingly narrow the further up you went. Passing those coming the other way was a challenge but I did manage it, while at the top, the views over the city were stunning. However, the ledge was narrow and it was quite windy, with the protective fence not being the highest, so I did feel a little antsy up there. Still, I took some pictures, squeezed past a professional photographer who wouldn't budge and then headed back down. I did learn about life was a watchman though, with this profession taking place here for hundreds of years, well into the 20th century. It was rather fascinating. Inside the churck itself was equally fascinating, with the aisles being coloured blue and white at the bottom and gold and white at the top. It was simple, but gave it a regal medieval feel, while the silver organ was wonderous in its incorporation. The alter had some basic pictures of saints, while there was an interesting crucifix which had Jesus stepping down from it as if He were made from barbed wire. Oddly, there was also an escape room in one of the apses, based around the events of 1989 when the DDR collapsed. There has been a church here since the 11th century but it has been remodelled quite extensively through the years. There was also a nice baptismal font in gold and green, which I think was the one Handel was baptised in. On the outside there is a small black and gold clock, which is far smaller than the one on the Roter Turm, which makes it look weird as the church is the bigger building. There is also a really cool dragon fountain here as well. As I walked around the church, there was a guy drinking Sternberg Export giving me really dodgy looks, which was a little disconcerting.
On the other side of the church, there is another cobbled square with a delightful fountain. Here there was a small funfair, which didn't seem overly popular but then it was still rather early. There was also an interesting plaque here which said that people congregated here in protest against the Nazis on 30 January 1933, which is when I think they assumed control. Haale (Saale) is still quite a left-wing city, with Die Linke having the mayoralty. After this, I tried to get a sandwich at Edeka but there were none, as well as looking at a few interesting statues along the way. After this, I took a slight detour to see the blocky Moritzkirche before doubling back and discovering Dom zu Halle and the Neue Residenz. The Dom is a squat white building with no church tower, which was of particular interest to local artists. The inside is cavernous, with a standard alter but incracately carved pulpit containing Biblical scenes in blue and red pastel shades. I could have come back for a 2pm tour of the church but I decided against it, thinking it would probably be all in German and thus I'd struggle with it. Instead, I left the church and sat on one of the benches on the courtyard outside, resting my feet and watching the world. I even saw a puppy. It was after then that I went to the two aforementioned music museums and climbed the church tower, getting to 3pm very easily.
It was at this point that I decided to go to the Halloren chocolate factory, which was on the other side of the city. Not fancying a 3.5km walk, and not really having time, I hopped on the number 7 tram. This took me past the station, where I called in at Back Werk to enjoy a ham and mustard sandwich, something I don't think I have found in their Spandau branch. I also grabbed some more Red Bull from another concession and sat in the station concourse. Once I had eaten my lunch, I jumped on another number 7 and travelled the two stops to the factory, which was in basically an industrial part of town.
The walk to the chocolate factory wasn't arduous and soon I entered a vast warehouse where they sold their various produce. The Halloren Kugeln are the most famous brand from the factory, invented in the 1950s. I found this out at the chocolate museum, which is part of the complex and was the reason why I was there. It detailed the history of chocolate, from the early Central American indigenous peoples through the Spanish colonisation, the growth of exotic goods in Western Europe up to the present day. It then also dealt with the history of the company, which I found particularly fascinating. Halloren is the oldest chocolate manufacturer still operating in Germany and so has had to adapt to changing tastes as well as political conditions. It had to change its name from David and Son during the Nazi period as it sounded 'too Jewish' and then it was bought by the state in Communist times and amalgamated with another factory. Once reunification happened in the early 1990s, confectionary from Western Germany flooded the market and was more desirable. Meanwhile, few bidders were interested in buying the company during the privatisations at the time, but there was one investor who bought it in 1992. Back then, the factory machinery was decrepid - as evidenced by old pictures of it which are placed on the wall opposite the window where you can observe the modern facility they installed in the mid-Nineties. This is the only place where you can't take photos. It wasn't operational as it was a Saturday, while the heavy rain from outside rattling the corregated iron roof added to the atmosphere, but it was fascinating to learn about the chocolate making process. I have been to Cadbury World in Birmingham and the Halloren factory seemed more grounded and serious, while I did get a few free Kugeln as part of my trip.
There were frivellous aspects to the trip too. As part of their publicity campaigns in the 2000s, they built the world's largest truffle (certified by the Guinness Book of World Records), while there was a whole section dedicated to sculptures in chocolate. They had a whole 19th century office made out of chocolate, as well as replicas of the church in the city and a map of Halle (Saale) too. There was a brown chocolate frog character to help engage children, while some of the historical aspects I found particularly fascinating. Outside there is a Trabant painted in the red colours of the company, and this featured on their advertising in the 1990s which said 'two halves that belong together', referring to German reunification. The company has expanded recently and this history was also detailed, as was the process for their hand-made chocolate. I also discovered the industrial processes involved in making hollow chocolate shells (including the iron maiden like rabbit moulds on display), chocolate bars, truffles and even drinking chocolate. Sadly, by the time I had finished my tour, the cafe was closed but I did have time to look around the shop and take a number of their free samples. I was also given more when I bought a selection box for Wolfie as a gift. They have many different flavoured chocolates and truffles these days and I thought it was worth trying them all.
It was 5:30pm by the time I was done, and with a booked train just after 7pm, I had time to kill. Sadly, there was no time to go back into town so I ended up back at the railway station, drinking in a bar on the first floor. They served standard Spaten beer and had a picture of weird jars on the wall containing exotic animals such as snakes, but at least the WiFi worked. I then boarded the train to meet with Wolfie, who had had another challenging day with his 'nuggets' and wanted food. We ended up going to Wenzel, the Czech-themed restaurant around the corner from the Maritim. We had gone here in 2010 with a group of about ten furs, as well as on other occasions, and fortunately the food was as good as I remember it. I had Pilsner goulasch while Wolfie had the ribs. The only difference for me was the bread was standard white bread, I seem to recall I had something stodgier last time. I was also encouraged to get a side of sauerkraut and this proved wise, with its tanginess complementing the thick bread and unctuous stew well. The beer too was nice, standard Czech stuff, but certainly no complaints from me.
We struggled with what to do next as we were both tired, but we decided to hop on a tram and head ten minutes to the south of the city. This was where the only craft beer bar was in Magdeburg, at least the only one I could find and the barman at the place confirmed this was the case. It was in a rather well-to-do neighbourhood and it was great sitting outside trying some of their own-brewed beer, some of which was brewed on site. We were sat in the shadow of a giant church before it got a little too cold and we had a final drink indoors. The initial plan had been to get the midnight tram back, but this extended to 00:30am and then 01:00am, which is when we did call it a night. The clientelle were really friendly, as was the barman, who told us a lot about the history of the brewery. The Brewckau brewery was founded in 2015 and, although they served predominently German styles, some of them were really strong examples. We also were given a free shot as a nightcap - Wolfie going for the spicy Mexikaner and I going for something more sweet which tasted a little like amaretto. Wolfie tried to turn the conversation towards politics, particularly at the tram stop as we waited for our tram back, but I didn't want to have an argument so I shut that down, much to his consternation. We had had a nice night though, and Wolfie lamented on the train back to Spandau on Sunday evening that this was the only fun thing he had done all weekend. It was certainly good and I was surprised by just how busy the tram was on the way back. It seemed everyone was going out, which was good to see. It's amazing what can happen when you have decent public transport - take a note Leeds. Anyway, we got back to the Maritim at about 1:30am and ended up crashing pretty quickly, as we had to be up early again on Sunday to check out.
Halle (Saale) is the biggest city in Sachsen-Anhalt, narrowly larger than the capital Magdeburg. The station is about 1km away from the city centre, so I decided to walk it, picking up another delicious Red Bull on the way. The interchange at Riebeckplatz, which was essentially a concrete circle with some flyovers over it, looked very much like some of the DLR stations in London but things definitely improved the closer to the centre one got. The impressive Leipziger Turm on the eastern edge of the city highlighted the age of the place, with the circular tower having been built in the middle of the 15th century. It was enhanced in 1573 with a French dome with four slate-clad portholes and a copper lantern in the Renaissance style, which is when I guess the clock face was added. It used to guard the entrance to the city but now guards an uninspiring ring road.
Leipziger Strasse is a standard collection of shops and eateries, but this deposits you into Marktplatz, which is where the main sights are. It's quite an odd mix of new styles (like the Rathaus) and old (such as Roter Turm and Marktkirche), with the statue of Georg Friedrich Händel in the centre. This is looking in a rather odd direction by modern standards, but you have to remember that at the time, he was looking out towards the churches which once stood here. This area has been renovated since. Handel assumes a large presence in Halle (Saale) as this was his hometown, being born and raised here. There is a fascinating museum in the place of his birth, in which I spent a good number of hours. It charted Handel's life, both in the German lands and then later when he moved to London, as well as some of the instruments which were invented during his lifetime. There were a lot of pianos and piano fortes, along with details about all other types of instrument including wind, strings and percussion. This was in the whole right wing of the museum, which was climate controlled and dedicated to musical instruments, with a focus on innovation. There were some very interesting examples of combined instruments such as the piano and harp. Standing pride of place was a restored organ, while we also got to discover the work of Franz Mesmer, from where the word mesmerize comes from, who used glass instruments to entrance his patients. The highlight of this museum for me, as well as discovering more about Handel's life, was the ability to just sit there and listen to some of his music. The main room where this took place detailed many of the most important concerts which were staged in his commemoration and I did find it all quite moving. Another contemporary composer around this time was Johann Sebastian Bach, who never actually met with Handel, even though he lived very close by. His son, Wilhelm Friedemann, became the organist of the Liebfrauenkirche and there is an exhibition to his life (and those of some other famed composers of the city) in the house where he used to live. This is just around the corner from Handel's home and is a museum too. You can buy a Kombiticket to take in both, which is what I did. To get into the WF Bach museum I had to ring a doorbell and be let in, where I was greeted by a rather stern man. As I was the only one in the museum it was a little unsettling, while unlike Handel's museum, everything was in German which made reading the exhibits hard. It was quite small though, so I could easily whizz through it, while there were other places I needed to be later in the day.
Anyway, I have digressed again. The first thing I saw upon reaching the Marktplatz was none of this, but instead some sand sculptures. These were part of the Halle am Meer festivities and were nice foreground shots with the church and tower behind. There was an actual castle too, which fit in well with the square in general. After this, I wandered over to the free-standing Roter Turm, which had a pink advertisement on it declaring something about beef. The tower is Gothic in style with a copper helmet roof adorned with a gold-plated ball knob with "246 spikes". The tower's construction began in 1418 and was not finished until 1506, however it burnt down in April 1945 due to American bombing raids. It was restored after the war. There is a green clock on the sides of the square tower which chimes, with the whole tower holding its own against the larger Marktkirche. This evangelical church has four towers, with the two major ones connected by a wooden bridge (which used to be stone). One of the towers were open from 10am to 3pm, so I initially decided to climb it, but I couldn't quite work out where to pay. I came back later and spoke to a nice man who told me the cashier was halfway up the tower, so I climbed up. In the middle of the two towers at a lower height to the bridge there is a stone room and this was where you paid, as well as found out more about the church itself. Then, it was a long climb up spiral staircases which got increasingly narrow the further up you went. Passing those coming the other way was a challenge but I did manage it, while at the top, the views over the city were stunning. However, the ledge was narrow and it was quite windy, with the protective fence not being the highest, so I did feel a little antsy up there. Still, I took some pictures, squeezed past a professional photographer who wouldn't budge and then headed back down. I did learn about life was a watchman though, with this profession taking place here for hundreds of years, well into the 20th century. It was rather fascinating. Inside the churck itself was equally fascinating, with the aisles being coloured blue and white at the bottom and gold and white at the top. It was simple, but gave it a regal medieval feel, while the silver organ was wonderous in its incorporation. The alter had some basic pictures of saints, while there was an interesting crucifix which had Jesus stepping down from it as if He were made from barbed wire. Oddly, there was also an escape room in one of the apses, based around the events of 1989 when the DDR collapsed. There has been a church here since the 11th century but it has been remodelled quite extensively through the years. There was also a nice baptismal font in gold and green, which I think was the one Handel was baptised in. On the outside there is a small black and gold clock, which is far smaller than the one on the Roter Turm, which makes it look weird as the church is the bigger building. There is also a really cool dragon fountain here as well. As I walked around the church, there was a guy drinking Sternberg Export giving me really dodgy looks, which was a little disconcerting.
On the other side of the church, there is another cobbled square with a delightful fountain. Here there was a small funfair, which didn't seem overly popular but then it was still rather early. There was also an interesting plaque here which said that people congregated here in protest against the Nazis on 30 January 1933, which is when I think they assumed control. Haale (Saale) is still quite a left-wing city, with Die Linke having the mayoralty. After this, I tried to get a sandwich at Edeka but there were none, as well as looking at a few interesting statues along the way. After this, I took a slight detour to see the blocky Moritzkirche before doubling back and discovering Dom zu Halle and the Neue Residenz. The Dom is a squat white building with no church tower, which was of particular interest to local artists. The inside is cavernous, with a standard alter but incracately carved pulpit containing Biblical scenes in blue and red pastel shades. I could have come back for a 2pm tour of the church but I decided against it, thinking it would probably be all in German and thus I'd struggle with it. Instead, I left the church and sat on one of the benches on the courtyard outside, resting my feet and watching the world. I even saw a puppy. It was after then that I went to the two aforementioned music museums and climbed the church tower, getting to 3pm very easily.
It was at this point that I decided to go to the Halloren chocolate factory, which was on the other side of the city. Not fancying a 3.5km walk, and not really having time, I hopped on the number 7 tram. This took me past the station, where I called in at Back Werk to enjoy a ham and mustard sandwich, something I don't think I have found in their Spandau branch. I also grabbed some more Red Bull from another concession and sat in the station concourse. Once I had eaten my lunch, I jumped on another number 7 and travelled the two stops to the factory, which was in basically an industrial part of town.
The walk to the chocolate factory wasn't arduous and soon I entered a vast warehouse where they sold their various produce. The Halloren Kugeln are the most famous brand from the factory, invented in the 1950s. I found this out at the chocolate museum, which is part of the complex and was the reason why I was there. It detailed the history of chocolate, from the early Central American indigenous peoples through the Spanish colonisation, the growth of exotic goods in Western Europe up to the present day. It then also dealt with the history of the company, which I found particularly fascinating. Halloren is the oldest chocolate manufacturer still operating in Germany and so has had to adapt to changing tastes as well as political conditions. It had to change its name from David and Son during the Nazi period as it sounded 'too Jewish' and then it was bought by the state in Communist times and amalgamated with another factory. Once reunification happened in the early 1990s, confectionary from Western Germany flooded the market and was more desirable. Meanwhile, few bidders were interested in buying the company during the privatisations at the time, but there was one investor who bought it in 1992. Back then, the factory machinery was decrepid - as evidenced by old pictures of it which are placed on the wall opposite the window where you can observe the modern facility they installed in the mid-Nineties. This is the only place where you can't take photos. It wasn't operational as it was a Saturday, while the heavy rain from outside rattling the corregated iron roof added to the atmosphere, but it was fascinating to learn about the chocolate making process. I have been to Cadbury World in Birmingham and the Halloren factory seemed more grounded and serious, while I did get a few free Kugeln as part of my trip.
There were frivellous aspects to the trip too. As part of their publicity campaigns in the 2000s, they built the world's largest truffle (certified by the Guinness Book of World Records), while there was a whole section dedicated to sculptures in chocolate. They had a whole 19th century office made out of chocolate, as well as replicas of the church in the city and a map of Halle (Saale) too. There was a brown chocolate frog character to help engage children, while some of the historical aspects I found particularly fascinating. Outside there is a Trabant painted in the red colours of the company, and this featured on their advertising in the 1990s which said 'two halves that belong together', referring to German reunification. The company has expanded recently and this history was also detailed, as was the process for their hand-made chocolate. I also discovered the industrial processes involved in making hollow chocolate shells (including the iron maiden like rabbit moulds on display), chocolate bars, truffles and even drinking chocolate. Sadly, by the time I had finished my tour, the cafe was closed but I did have time to look around the shop and take a number of their free samples. I was also given more when I bought a selection box for Wolfie as a gift. They have many different flavoured chocolates and truffles these days and I thought it was worth trying them all.
It was 5:30pm by the time I was done, and with a booked train just after 7pm, I had time to kill. Sadly, there was no time to go back into town so I ended up back at the railway station, drinking in a bar on the first floor. They served standard Spaten beer and had a picture of weird jars on the wall containing exotic animals such as snakes, but at least the WiFi worked. I then boarded the train to meet with Wolfie, who had had another challenging day with his 'nuggets' and wanted food. We ended up going to Wenzel, the Czech-themed restaurant around the corner from the Maritim. We had gone here in 2010 with a group of about ten furs, as well as on other occasions, and fortunately the food was as good as I remember it. I had Pilsner goulasch while Wolfie had the ribs. The only difference for me was the bread was standard white bread, I seem to recall I had something stodgier last time. I was also encouraged to get a side of sauerkraut and this proved wise, with its tanginess complementing the thick bread and unctuous stew well. The beer too was nice, standard Czech stuff, but certainly no complaints from me.
We struggled with what to do next as we were both tired, but we decided to hop on a tram and head ten minutes to the south of the city. This was where the only craft beer bar was in Magdeburg, at least the only one I could find and the barman at the place confirmed this was the case. It was in a rather well-to-do neighbourhood and it was great sitting outside trying some of their own-brewed beer, some of which was brewed on site. We were sat in the shadow of a giant church before it got a little too cold and we had a final drink indoors. The initial plan had been to get the midnight tram back, but this extended to 00:30am and then 01:00am, which is when we did call it a night. The clientelle were really friendly, as was the barman, who told us a lot about the history of the brewery. The Brewckau brewery was founded in 2015 and, although they served predominently German styles, some of them were really strong examples. We also were given a free shot as a nightcap - Wolfie going for the spicy Mexikaner and I going for something more sweet which tasted a little like amaretto. Wolfie tried to turn the conversation towards politics, particularly at the tram stop as we waited for our tram back, but I didn't want to have an argument so I shut that down, much to his consternation. We had had a nice night though, and Wolfie lamented on the train back to Spandau on Sunday evening that this was the only fun thing he had done all weekend. It was certainly good and I was surprised by just how busy the tram was on the way back. It seemed everyone was going out, which was good to see. It's amazing what can happen when you have decent public transport - take a note Leeds. Anyway, we got back to the Maritim at about 1:30am and ended up crashing pretty quickly, as we had to be up early again on Sunday to check out.
