Leipzig walking tour & city guide
A city of music, arcades and peaceful revolution.
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Leipzig, in Saxony, is a city with a long tradition of trade fairs, books and music. Johann Sebastian Bach worked here for 27 years, and in 1989 its Monday demonstrations helped bring down the Berlin Wall. Today it is one of Germany's fastest-growing and most creative cities.
The old town and the passages
The Market Square is dominated by the Old Town Hall, one of the finest Renaissance buildings in Germany. Leipzig's center is crossed by covered shopping arcades and passages, such as the elegant Mädler Passage, home of Auerbachs Keller, a historic cellar featured in Goethe's Faust.
St Thomas Church, where Bach was cantor and is buried, still has its famous boys' choir. St Nicholas Church was the starting point of the peaceful protests of autumn 1989.
Monuments and creative districts
The huge Monument to the Battle of the Nations, completed in 1913, commemorates the defeat of Napoleon in 1813, and its viewing platform looks out over the city. The Gewandhaus orchestra and the opera house face each other across Augustusplatz.
To the west, the Plagwitz district, with old factories and canals, has become a center for artists and galleries, especially the Spinnerei, a former cotton mill. Lakes created from former mines south of the city are now popular for swimming and sailing.
Visiting tips
Leipzig is just over an hour by train from Berlin and about the same from Dresden. The Bach Festival in June fills the city with music, and the Christmas market is one of the oldest in Germany.
Top sights in Leipzig
- 1
Market Square and Old Town Hall
A Renaissance town hall at the heart of the city.
- 2
St Thomas Church
Bach's church and burial place.
- 3
St Nicholas Church
Where the 1989 protests began.
- 4
Mädler Passage
An elegant shopping arcade.
- 5
Monument to the Battle of the Nations
A colossal memorial with a viewing platform.
- 6
Spinnerei
A cotton mill turned into art studios.
Food markets & where to eat in Leipzig
Drallewatsch
The old town's lively pub and restaurant quarter.
Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse
A long street of cafés, bars and international food.
Market Square weekly market
Fresh local produce in the center.
Plagwitz
Cafés in old industrial buildings by the canals.
Food to try in Leipzig
Leipziger Lerche
A shortcrust pastry with marzipan and a cherry inside.
Leipziger Allerlei
A mixed vegetable dish, traditionally with crayfish.
Gose
A slightly sour, salty beer brewed in Leipzig.
Coffee
Leipzig has some of Germany's oldest coffee houses.
Opening hours and prices change often. Please check with each place before you visit.
Plan your trip to Leipzig
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- Hotels in LeipzigCompare places to stay and prices.
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