Köthen

Köthen
Skyline
Location of Köthen within Anhalt-Bitterfeld district
Köthen
Köthen
Coordinates: 51°45′04″N 11°58′25″E / 51.75111°N 11.97361°E / 51.75111; 11.97361
CountryGermany
StateSaxony-Anhalt
DistrictAnhalt-Bitterfeld
Government
  Mayor (202330) Christina Buchheim (Left)
Area
  Total
78.42 km2 (30.28 sq mi)
Elevation
80 m (260 ft)
Population
 (2024-12-31)
  Total
24,110
  Density310/km2 (800/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
06366
Dialling codes03496
Vehicle registrationABI, AZE, BTF, KÖT, ZE
Websitekoethen-anhalt.de

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.