a river in the German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany (the upper reaches), a left tributary of the Elbe. Length, 427 km; basin area, about 24,000 sq km. It rises in the spurs of the Fichtel Gebirge and flows in a deep forested valley along the Thuringian Plain and, below Naumburg, along the lowlands. Average discharge at Naumburg is 60 cu m per sec, and at the mouth, 100 cu m per sec. The high water levels are in winter and spring. It is navigable 175 km upstream from Naumburg. A system of canals (approximately 20 sluices) begins at Halle. There are a number of hydroelectric stations (at Hohenwarte, Bleiloch, and elsewhere). The cities of Saalfeld, Rudolstadt, Jena, Naumburg, Halle, Bernburg, and Kalbe are situated on the Saale (the GDR).