Köthen
| Köthen  | |
|---|---|
| Skyline | |
| Location of Köthen  within Anhalt-Bitterfeld   district | |
| Coordinates: 51°45′04″N 11°58′25″E / 51.75111°N 11.97361°E | |
| Country | Germany | 
| State | Saxony-Anhalt | 
| District | Anhalt-Bitterfeld | 
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2023–30) | Christina Buchheim (Left) | 
| Area | |
|  • Total | 78.42 km2 (30.28 sq mi) | 
| Elevation | 80 m (260 ft) | 
| Population  (2024-12-31) | |
|  • Total | 24,110 | 
| • Density | 310/km2 (800/sq mi) | 
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) | 
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) | 
| Postal codes | 06366 | 
| Dialling codes | 03496 | 
| Vehicle registration | ABI, AZE, BTF, KÖT, ZE | 
| Website | koethen-anhalt | 
Köthen ([ˈkøːtn̩] ⓘ) is a town in Germany. It is the capital of the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld in Saxony-Anhalt, about 30 km (19 mi) north of Halle.
Köthen is the location of the main campus and the administrative centre of the regional university, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences/Hochschule Anhalt which is especially strong in information technology. The city is conveniently located at the hub of the Magdeburg–Leipzig, Dessau–Köthen and Köthen–Aschersleben railways.
Köthen is situated in a fertile area with rich black soil suitable to the cultivation of sugar-beets. Industry includes high-tech engineering, manufacture of cranes, as well as chemicals, printing, and foodstuffs.
In English, the name of the city is often spelt anachronistically as Cöthen, a practice that has become standard in the literature relating to the life and work of Johann Sebastian Bach, who resided and worked there from 1717 to 1723.