Leipzig is the largest city in the federal state of Saxony, located in the east of Germany. Every year it hosts many bazaars and open-air markets, which is why it was given the name Messestadt, which means “city of fairs”. According to populationmonster, Leipzig is one of the largest cities in Germany.

Goethe wrote many key scenes of Faust in Leipzig. Bach, Schumann, Wagner, Mendelssohn once lived here. Leipzig is known throughout Germany for first-class operas and classical music concerts. It also became famous as a city of heroes for its leading role during the democratic revolution in 1989.

For 500 years, from the XIV century. until 1940, Leipzig was the center of printing in Germany and one of the major economic and cultural centers.

How to get to Leipzig

Leipzig is one of the largest cities in the eastern part of Germany. The city has an airport that receives flights from Germany, Austria, Russia. And the railway station serves dozens of trains daily from Berlin, Dresden and Nuremberg.

Transport in Leipzig

Public transport in Leipzig is managed by LVB. Its information office is located on Willy Brandt Square, where the central tram station is also located. The S-Bahn connects Leipzig with the suburbs. A ticket costs 2-4 EUR for a short trip and 5-7 EUR for a long one. A day pass will cost from 7 EUR, depending on the zone.

The main taxi service providers Funktaxi and Löwen Taxi charge 2-4 EUR per call plus about 1.70-2.50 EUR for each kilometer travelled.

Bicycles can be rented at Zweirad Eckhardt (address: Leipzig, Kurt-Schumacher-Str. 40), for 8-25 EUR per day (plus a deposit for the bike is required – usually this rental amount multiplied by 4). The point is open from Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 20:00 and on Saturday from 9:00 to 18:00. More information about the conditions can be found on the bike rental website.

Shopping and stores

• In the last week of November, the Weinachtsmarkt Christmas market opens in Leipzig.
• On Saturdays, the city has a gastronomic market Agra event grounds on Bonaisestrasse, not far from the central stadium.
• On the last weekend of each month, the Antik-Trödelmarkt flea and antique market is open near the railway station.

Large shopping centers: Paunsdorf Center, Nova Eventis and Hauptbahnhof at the station.

Cuisine and restaurants in Leipzig

Be sure to try the Lerchen cakes made from sweet dough, the Quarkkeulchen (syrniki) curd dough balls, the Reformationsbrötchen buns, which are sold only in October, and the vegetable dish Leipziger Allerlei, which translates as “Leipzig Stuff”. Traditional Saxon cuisine can be enjoyed at the Apels Garten restaurants or at Barthel’s Hof at Heinstraße 1.

Entertainment and attractions of Leipzig

Of the sights of Leipzig, one can single out the Church of St. Thomas (Thomaskirche), built in the 14th century. in the Gothic style and the world-famous boys’ choir, which was led by Johann Sebastian Bach for 27 years. In front of the church you can see the monument to Bach and the museum dedicated to the great composer. At 12 Goldschmitstrasse is the house where the composer Felix Mendelssohn lived, and at 18 Inselstrasse is the home of Robert Schumann.

Of historical interest is the Church of St. Nicholas, the largest and oldest church in Leipzig; the renaissance building of the old town hall, built in the 16th century, within the walls of which the museum of the history of the city is now located. Behind the town hall is the building of the Old Stock Exchange in the Baroque style. Leipzig also has the famous Auerbach cellar thanks to Goethe.

The tourist center is located in the city center at Katarinenstraße 8.

The Leipziger Zoo is the largest aquarium in Europe.

Battle of the Nations

One of the symbols of the city is the monument to the Battle of Nations. This is the largest monument of its kind in Europe, built to commemorate the famous battle of October 16-19, 1813, when Napoleon I Bonaparte was defeated by the allied armies of Russia, Austria, Prussia and Sweden. The monument is a hundred-meter monument, on top of which there is an observation deck with a panoramic view of Leipzig and its surroundings.

Museums

Art lovers will be interested in the numerous museums of Leipzig – these are the Grassi Museum, the Museum of Modern Art (Galerie für zeitgenössische Kunst) and the Museum of Fine Arts (Museum Der Bildenden Kunste).

Notable is the Naturkundemuseum nature museum. There are also such unusual museums in Leipzig as the Museum of the History of Psychiatry (Sächsisches Psychiatriemuseum) and the Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum coffee museum.

The most important events in Leipzig: The Leipziger Messe International Fair, one of the oldest fairs in the world. The Wave-Gotik-Treffen gothic music and art festival is the largest in Europe.

Festivals in Leipzig

• Leipzig Fair(various events at different times of the year)

In addition to numerous gastronomic fairs and temporary markets, Leipzig annually hosts one of the oldest fairs in the world, dating back to the 12th century. At the end of the 19th century instead of goods at the Leipzig fair, only samples began to be exhibited, and it became known as Mustermesse – “exhibition of samples”. These two letters “M” in the name were used in the logo, reminiscent of a duplicate sign of the Moscow metro – one M above the other. The logo turned 100 years old in 2017. After the Second World War, two economies “met” on Leipzig – socialist and capitalist.

• Bach Festival(summer)

The music of the great composer is played at several venues in the city. The history of the festival has more than 100 years (since 1904). The theme of the events (and there are about a hundred of them each time) changes every year. In 2018, Bachfest will take place from 8 to 17 June.

• International Documentary and Animation Film Festival(October-November)

It traces its history since 1955. At various times, such famous directors as Nikita Mikhalkov, Krzysztof Zanussi, Fedor Khitruk became its laureates.

• Wave Gothic meeting

This is the largest festival of gothic music and art, which attracts goths from all over the world. It is much younger – it has been held since 1987. The dates change every year, since they are tied to the Day of the Holy Trinity, and it comes at different times. If you come to Leipzig during this festival, there will most likely be no available hotel rooms.

Weather in Leipzig

The climate is continental and fairly stable throughout the year. Summers are warm and winters are cool. The best time to visit Leipzig is from May to September.