Location and landscape
Bernburg (Saale) lies on the Saale in Saxony-Anhalt. The municipal area includes Gröna, a district directly on the Saale, which has been an administrative district of Bernburg since 1 January 2010. Important natural areas include the Saale floodplain and the Wipper lowland.
Climate and geology
The city is located on the eastern edge of the Central German dry region, in the rain shadow of the Harz and in the climate region of the eastern Harz foreland. The annual precipitation is about 469 millimetres, and the sunshine duration is 1,500 to 1,600 hours. The average annual temperature is 9.1 °C.
The area includes the Saale valley and adjacent floodplain landscapes. In Gröna, the settlement lies at about 69 metres above sea level. North of the sandstone formation bank at the Schlossberg, the Saale reaches the Lower Muschelkalk; the flat geological structure continues towards Nienburg.
Viticulture on the Saale
Between Rothenburg and Calbe, viticulture has been carried out historically along the Saale, including in Bernburg. The Unteres Saaletal nature park documents medieval viticulture in Bernburg and in other northern parts of the park; the historical concentration of vineyards was further south in the area around the Mansfelder Seen-frei.
The revival of the Bernburg wine tradition is associated with the local grape varieties Blauer Bernburger and Roter Aderstedter. A teaching and experimental vineyard at the Hochschule Anhalt investigates viticulture under the conditions of ongoing climate change.
Saale-Unstrut
The protected designation of origin Saale-Unstrut also includes the cadastral district of Gröna in the Salzland district. Within its scope, direct training, steep slopes and terraced sites are documented. Drahtrahmen training predominates; because of limited mechanisation, terraced vineyards may require manual cultivation.
