anhalter

Anhalter is a demonym for a resident of Anhalt, a historic region in what is now the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. The term derives from the region’s political entities, notably the Duchy of Anhalt and later the Free State of Anhalt within the German Empire. In German, Anhalter is used to describe people from Anhalt; in older English-language sources the form Anhaltīer or Anhalter may appear.

Geographically, Anhalt referred to several small principalities that were united and reorganized multiple times during the early modern period. By the 19th and early 20th centuries, Anhalt existed as a constellation of states within the German Empire and persisted as a recognized historic region even after political changes in the 20th century. In present-day usage, the term survives mainly as a historical-demographic label and in toponyms connected with the region.

A notable toponym associated with Anhalt is Anhalter Bahnhof in Berlin, which served as the city’s principal terminus for long-distance trains to and from the Anhalt region. The station was heavily damaged in World War II and subsequently demolished, but the name remains prominent in historical references and in the nomenclature of nearby streets and districts.

See also: Saxony-Anhalt; Anhalt (historic states); Anhalt-Dessau; Anhalt-Zerbst; Anhalter Bahn.