rural-agrarian districts can be clearly distinguished as separate parts within the town limits the transition between Halle and Künsebeck is flowing. Oldendorf and Gartnisch have been entirely merged into Halle itself, Eggeberg and Ascheloh are only minor settlements. This segmentation is not regulated in the main statutes of Halle, no differentiation between the settlement areas is made there. The following table gives an overview over the population in the parts of the town: Climate Halle lies in the temperate zone of central Europe. It is located in an area of subatlantic oceanic climate. Due to the atlantic influence winters are mild and summers moderately warm. The average temperature is 8–8,5 °C, where towards the north in elevated and/ or leeward microclimates temperatures can fall substantially short of that. In certain areas the blooming period can begin two to four weeks later than further south. Due to its location in the subatlantic oceanic climate a year-round humid climate with uniformly distributed precipitation prevails. At the weather station Brockhagen (belonging to Steinhagen (Westphalia)), situated just south of Halle, a yearly total of 775 mm precipitation is recorded on long-term average. Hence more precipitation than on German average is recorded, but considerably less than in a northern direction towards Halle. Due to the rain catching effect of the Teutoburg Forest orographic rainfall can amount to 1,200 mm per year. History Halle is located in the Ravensberg Land or more specifically in the County of Ravensberg, deducted from the Burg Ravensberg located in the neighbouring community of Borgholzhausen. The vicissitudes of history were predominantly influenced by the bishops of Osnabrück, Napoleon and German emperors. The area of the town and the former district of Halle formerly belonged to the Holy Roman Empire's County of Ravensberg. The latter was surrounded by the principalities of Osnabrück, Münster, Paderborn and Minden and was neighbouring the Principality of Lippe. In contrast to these principalities Ravensberg always has been secular estate, which at first belonged to the Counts of Ravensberg and later to their Jülich heirs. After this nobility also became extinct the county, along with others, came into possession of the house of Kleve-Mark and about a century later, via the Margraviate of Brandenburg, part of the kingdom of Prussia. In the year 1246 bishop Engelbert of Osnabrück swapped the church "tor Halle", situated on the southern edge of his diocese, with all rights and duties with the