Dessau-Roßlau

 Dessau-Roßlau  is an independent city (kreisfreie Stadt) and urban district in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Elbe and Mulde. The town was formed by merger of the independent city of Dessau with the town of Roßlau in the course of the "Kreisreform Sachsen-Anhalt" (Sachsen-Ahalt Regional Boundary Reforms) on 1 July 2007. The reform involved a reduction in the number of rural districts in Sachsen-Anhalt to 11 (from 21) and reflected an expected continuation of the significant population decline being experienced.

Dessau-Roßlau is the third largest town of Saxony-Anhalt by population, after Magdeburg and Halle.

Dessau

Dessau is the largest population centre within Dessau-Roßlau, with approximately 77,000 inhabitants (2006). Most of the town is located on the left bank of the Mulde, south of its confluence with the Elbe. Dessau was first mentioned in 1213, and became the capital of a small state (Anhalt-Dessau) in the 14th century. Between 1863 and 1918, it was the capital of Anhalt. Since the second half of the 19th century, Dessau is an industrial city. With the famous art and architecture school Bauhaus, located in Dessau between 1925 and 1932, and the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm the city features two UNESCO World Heritage Sites.