From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leuna is a town in the district Saalekreis, in Saxony-Anhalt, eastern Germany. It is the center of the German synthetic chemical industry. During World War II, the town and its surrounding chemical industry were repeatedly the target of heavy aerial bombardments.
The Leuna Factory of the I.G.Farbenindustrie A.G. near Merseburg is the biggest heavy chemical plant in Germany and produces a very wide range of products, mainly based on hydrogen or hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Its principal products are ammonia, synthetic petrol derived from the hydrogenation of brown coal, and synthetic alcohols made from hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The factory was the largest synthetic oil factory for the German war effort in WWII and bombing raids caused it to be repeatedly repaired by replacing parts with manpower. Because of its importance to the Nazi war effort, the area was heavily defended by antiaircraft guns and became one of the most dreaded flak zones in Europe.
In 1960, the town's population was nearly 10,000, but poor living conditions, including pollution from nearby industries, has caused significant outward migration.
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Towns and municipalities in the district of Saalekreis |
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Germany
