Magdeburg

Magdeburg is the capital of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. About 230,000 people live in Magdeburg. This makes the city one of the 40 largest cities in Germany and the second largest city in Saxony-Anhalt after Halle an der Saale. Magdeburg is located on the Elbe River.

Magdeburg was founded in the early Middle Ages and ruled by an archbishop. Like Hamburg, Bremen or Lübeck, Magdeburg was a member of the Hanseatic League, an important alliance for trade. In the late Middle Ages, Magdeburg was one of the first cities to be reformed, that is, to change from Catholic to Protestant Christianity. The further Reformation in Germany started to a large extent from here.

Magdeburg was severely destroyed during the Thirty Years' War and the Second World War. After 1945 the city belonged to the German Democratic Republic. Since 1990 it has been the capital of Saxony-Anhalt and part of the Federal Republic of Germany. Because Magdeburg is located on the Elbe River and near two major canals, it now has an important port and is a major city for industrial