a town in the Prussian province of Saxony, government of Magdeburg, and capital of a circle of the same name, on the Holzemme, a tributary of the Bode, 29 miles S.W. of Magdeburg, with which it communicates by railway. This is a very ancient town, and was the seat of a bishop as early as 814. The cathedral is a remarkable edifice, chiefly in the pointed Gothic style, erected between 1235 and 1491, except the lower part or the west front, which is older. It contains some valuable paintings and antiquities; and the collection of episcopal and priestly robes, from the twelfth to the sixteenth century, is perhaps the finest in northern Europe. The church of Our Lady is a building in the Byzantine style, dating from the beginning of the eleventh century, and has recently been restored. The town proper is surrounded by walls, outside of which are several suburbs. It has in general an antique appearance, and contains some old curiously ornamented timber-framed houses. Halberstadt is the seat of a superior court of justice, and has a gymnasium, normal school, school of obstetrics, deaf-mute institution, orphan asylum, public library, theatre, &c. It carries on a considerable trade, and has manufactures of woollen cloths, gloves, carpets, leather, starch, tobacco, and beer. Pop. (1849) 19,840.