Leipzig-Halle agglomeration
The Leipzig-Halle agglomeration is the geographic area around the two large cities of Leipzig and Halle (Saale) .
The polycentric agglomeration is spread over the two federal states of Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt and is located in the Leipzig lowland bay . Centrally located in the metropolitan region of Central Germany , the region is one of the economically strongest areas in Eastern Germany .
Other important cities besides Leipzig and Halle are the district town of the Saalekreis Merseburg and the large district towns Delitzsch , Markkleeberg and Schkeuditz . A total of around 1.2 million people live in this area, making it one of the most densely populated areas in the new federal states.
geography
The agglomeration of Leipzig-Halle is located in the Leipzig lowland bay , an old moraine that forms the southernmost part of the North German lowlands . The area is flat and is crossed by the Saale , Weißer Elster and Pleiße valleys. There are no noteworthy surveys. As a result of industrialization, urbanization and lignite mining, the forest population fell sharply. As a result of the lignite mining, mine holes have been and are being flooded and give the region a changed face. The largest lake created in the process is the Geiseltalsee near Müuellen (Geiseltal), but a new landscape is also emerging south of Leipzig under the name Leipziger Neuseenland .
structure
The metropolitan area is not officially clearly delimited, but the affiliation of many municipalities can still be clearly recognized. Leipzig flows smoothly into its neighboring cities of Markkleeberg, Schkeuditz and Taucha. A similarly cohesive group of cities stretches from Halle southward via Schkopau, Merseburg and Leuna to Bad Dürrenberg. These two areas can be seen as the core of the metropolitan area and are connected to each other via Markranstädt and the rather sparsely populated Kabelsketal . The remaining municipalities and cities form further important population centers or are adjacent to the respective large cities. For example, a relatively closed axis forms from Leipzig to Wurzen. The community of Wiedemar is located between Delitzsch and Halle and can therefore be assigned to the metropolitan area.
This results in the affiliation of the following cities and municipalities:
| City / municipality | circle | Population December 31, 2017 |
status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leipzig | circular | 581.980 | Upper center |
| Hall | circular | 239.173 | Upper center |
| Merseburg | Saalekreis | 34,197 | County seat |
| Grimma | District of Leipzig | 28,153 | Great county seat |
| Delitzsch | Northern Saxony district | 24,794 | Great county seat |
| Markkleeberg | District of Leipzig | 24,644 | Great county seat |
| Schkeuditz | Northern Saxony district | 17,905 | Great county seat |
| Spice up | District of Leipzig | 16,220 | Great county seat |
| Eilenburg | North Saxony | 15,607 | Great county seat |
| Markranstädt | District of Leipzig | 15,551 | city |
| Taucha | Northern Saxony district | 15,543 | city |
| Landsberg | Saalekreis | 15,032 | city |
| Leuna | Saalekreis | 13,947 | city |
| Teutschenthal | Saalekreis | 12,888 | local community |
| Bad Durrenberg | Saalekreis | 11,745 | city |
| Schkopau | Saalekreis | 10,840 | local community |
| Brandis | District of Leipzig | 9,626 | city |
| Zwenkau | District of Leipzig | 9.222 | city |
| Cable ketal | Saalekreis | 8,833 | local community |
| Naunhof | District of Leipzig | 8,728 | city |
| Lützen | Burgenland district | 8,557 | city |
| Borsdorf | District of Leipzig | 8,355 | local community |
| Makers | District of Leipzig | 6,727 | local community |
| Bohlen | District of Leipzig | 6,701 | city |
| Pegau | District of Leipzig | 6,279 | city |
| Großpösna | District of Leipzig | 5,285 | local community |
| Wiedemar | Northern Saxony district | 5,234 | local community |
| Rackwitz | Northern Saxony district | 4,985 | local community |
| Bennewitz | District of Leipzig | 4,948 | local community |
| Krostitz | Northern Saxony district | 3,891 | local community |
| Jesewitz | Northern Saxony district | 3,068 | local community |
| Total: 31 | 1,178,658 |
traffic
Road connection
Developed transport Technically, the metropolitan area is by the highway 
, 
, 
and 
. These form the (currently not yet closed) Central German Loop , which is a double ring around the cities of Leipzig and Halle. The central motorway junction is the Schkeuditzer Kreuz . By 2026 Leipzig is to be connected 
to Chemnitz via the planned one. Further facilities in the metropolitan area following the main roads 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
and 
.
Rail transport
Leipzig and Halle have been important hubs since the advent of the railroad. The main train station in the metropolitan area is Leipzig Central Station . It is a stop for important ICE and IC lines that connect the region with Berlin , Hamburg , Munich , Nuremberg , Cologne and Frankfurt am Main , among others . There are also connections to RE lines in the most important cities in Central Germany, such as Dresden , Chemnitz and Magdeburg . Various regional trains start in Leipzig and go to the surrounding area. The second important train station in the region is Halle Central Station with a connection to long-distance and regional transport. The region has another stop for long-distance trains at the Leipzig / Halle Airport train station .
The current S-Bahn network in the region has existed since December 2013 when the Leipzig City Tunnel went into operation and was expanded to nine lines (S1 - S9) by December 2017.
The high-speed routes Erfurt – Leipzig / Halle (since 2015) and Erfurt – Nuremberg (since 2017) shortened travel times in the direction of Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Stuttgart and Nuremberg considerably. The railway line from Leipzig and Halle to Berlin has already been expanded for high-speed operation, the expansion of the Leipzig – Dresden line for 200 km / h is still ongoing. One of the largest marshalling yards in Germany, the Halle-Nord train formation facility, went into operation in Halle in 2018 .
Local public transport (ÖPNV)
The entire metropolitan area belongs to the tariff area of the Central German Transport Association and thus has a uniform tariff system. In Leipzig, local public transport is mainly implemented by the Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe . In addition to a dense network of tram lines in Leipzig, it also operates regional trams to Markkleeberg, Schkeuditz and Taucha. In addition, the LVB subsidiary Leobus offers a large bus network. In addition to some city buses, this also includes intercity, express and night bus routes that run through Leipzig, the Leipzig district, the northern Saxony district and parts of Saxony-Anhalt. The HAVAG operates tram - and bus lines in Halle, Merseburg, Schkopau, Leuna and Bad Dürrenberg.
Leipzig / Halle Airport
The Leipzig / Halle airport is located halfway between the two cities and acts as an international commercial airport for the metropolitan area. In addition to domestic German flights, including to Frankfurt am Main and Munich, it also offers international flights. There are direct connections to London, Vienna, Zurich, Moscow and Istanbul, for example. There are also numerous flight connections to popular holiday destinations in Europe , Turkey and North Africa . The airport's annual passenger numbers are currently around 2.3 million.
With a cargo handling of more than 1.2 million t in 2018, Leipzig / Halle is now the second largest cargo airport in Germany and the fifth largest in Europe. The DHL Hub Leipzig and Aerologic , which is based at the airport, play a decisive role in this .
Industry and mining
The Halle-Leipzig area also forms one of the industrial regions in Germany. The most important branches of industry are primarily chemical production, coal mining and processing. In the last few decades the branches of mechanical engineering , electrical engineering and automobile manufacturing have increasingly been added.
Chemnitz | Dessau-Roßlau | Halle (Saale) | Jena | Gera | Leipzig | Zwickau
Coordinates: 51 ° 25 ' N , 12 ° 11' E