Köthen is a city in Germany. It is the capital of the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld in Saxony-Anhalt, about 30 km north of Halle.
Köthen is the location of the main campus and the administrative centre of the regional university, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences/Hochschule Anhalt which is especially strong in information technology. The city is conveniently located at the hub of the Magdeburg–Leipzig, Dessau–Köthen and Köthen–Aschersleben railways.
Köthen is situated in a fertile area with rich black soil suitable to the cultivation of sugar-beets. Industry includes high-tech engineering, manufacture of cranes, as well as chemicals, printing, and foodstuffs.
In English, the name of the city is often spelt anachronistically as Cöthen, a practice that has become standard in the literature relating to the life and work of Johann Sebastian Bach, who resided and worked there from 1717 to 1723.