Leipzig is Europe’s famous shopping center in Germany, with many attractions and an extensive tradition that is at least eight hundred years old. Various fairs worth billions of euros are regularly held here, which brings together the main German manufacturers. Leipzig is home to a famous university that has given the world many great scientists, lawyers, and politicians. The city has been the economic and cultural center of all of Central Germany for centuries.
Top 14 Sights of Leipzig
We offer you a brief description of the sights of Leipzig in Germany with information and photos and hope that you will definitely visit this magnificent city in person. What is there to see in Leipzig?
Old Town Hall
The mansion of this ancient town hall was erected in the 16th century in the style of the Renaissance. It is located in the center of the city and stands on Market Square, where along with the trade used to be held tournaments of knights and executions of criminals.
Over four centuries, this mansion has been rebuilt and restored several times, changing the architectural style. Every Sunday the town anthem is played in the town hall by a group of trumpet players.
Museum of the History of the GDR
There is a large collection of exhibits that tell the story of Leipzig as part of the GDR, which ended with the fall of the Berlin state. You can see more than 3,000 documents, photos, and media articles from those times.
Obviously, everything about Soviet Germany is exposed in a propagandistic, negative way, although it is known that many older Germans miss those times. But it’s a must-see museum in Leipzig.
New Town Hall
This mansion was built at the beginning of the last century, previously on the site was a medieval castle from the 13th century. The New Town Hall is a mix of ancient Gothic, sublime Renaissance, and elegant Art Nouveau.
The facade of the town hall is decorated with bas-reliefs, sculptures in the ancient Greek style, etc. In the central part of the town hall there is a tower more than 100 meters high. The opening of this important administrative building took place in the presence of the King of Saxony.
Golize Palace
This palace was built in the 18th century for the town clerk Richter, later inherited by his wife, who remarried. Thanks to the former official’s new husband, the palace has undergone a beautiful interior renovation.
In the last years of the 18th century, the Golize Palace was frequented by major German writers, poets, and musicians, and as a result it quickly became the local cultural center. After the death of his mistress, the palace became the property of Leipzig.
Monument to the Battle of Nations
This giant monument was erected to commemorate the historic battle between Napoleon’s army and the armies of Russia, Prussia, and other European nations, which for more than 100 years was the largest in European history.
This monument was unveiled before World War I with the leaders of all the nations that participated in the Battle of the Nations against Napoleon. It took a huge amount of concrete and granite to build the monument at that time.
Church of St. Nicholas
It is one of the oldest temples in Leipzig, which was erected in the 12th century. Within the walls of this temple the great I.S. Bach premiered his brilliant music on the organ.
The church is also famous for being the site of a group of activists who rallied within its walls to call for the destruction of the Berlin Wall. Today it is a functioning Lutheran church where services are held every day.
Museum of Fine Arts
The collection of paintings and sculptures of this museum began in the mid-19th century. The initiators were local businessmen and bankers, who gave part of their own collections to the city museum.
Since then, the museum’s overall collection has only grown each year. The first museum building was bombed during the war. At the beginning of the 21st century, a new, modern building was built in the shape of the now fashionable glass cube.
Temple of Russian Glory
This temple was erected in honor of the Russian soldiers who laid down their heads in the famous Battle of the Nations with the armies of Napoleon. It was built at the same time as the monument to this battle exactly one hundred years later, on the eve of World War I.
It is an Orthodox church, built as a hipped roof, of which there were many in Russia in the 17th century. The interior paintings and icons are also done in the style of that century. Today the church is in excellent condition, thanks to regular restorations.
Bach Museum
The great German composer lived in this house in the 17th century until his death, and today it is a museum. Visitors to the museum can see sheet music with scores written by Bach himself, his personal and family belongings, etc. in the house.
Of particular interest to visitors is always the personal organ of Bach himself. Tourists are not allowed to play on it, but you can touch it with your hand. Ten years ago, the museum was transferred to the local university.
Mendelssohn Museum
And in this house, for several years before his death, lived the famous composer Mendelssohn, known to every newlywed couple by his “Wedding March. In his later years, he led the Leipzig Symphony Orchestra.
This house is interesting in that almost all of its interior has been preserved in its unchanged, original form, there is not a single reconstruction. You can see the sheet music, furniture, personal belongings that the composer himself touched, letters written by his hand.
Gewandhaus
This is the concert hall of Leipzig, where the local symphony orchestra is located and performs. This musical group has a very old and rich history, it was organized in the 18th century, and great musicians have performed in it.
The first room of the Gewandhaus was bombed during the war, and a new building was built in the 1980s. Today, the best symphony orchestras from all over the world perform here with the classical music repertoire.
Railway station
The building of the city station was erected at the beginning of the last century, since then a hundred years have passed, but Leipzig station today is one of the largest in the world and the largest in Europe. The length of its front part is about 300 meters.
During the war, part of the station was destroyed by bombing, but in the 1960s it was completely rebuilt. After the reunification of the GDR and the FRG, the station was overhauled.
Leipzig Zoo
This zoo was founded in Leipzig in the 1970s. At first it was just a menagerie organized by the local fashionable restaurant, but gradually it began to expand and soon occupied an area of about 30 hectares.
Today the zoo is home to more than 800 species of fauna (over 10,000 specimens). In the large aquarium lives more than 2 500 fish, grows a huge number of rare and exotic plants, all counted with the traditional German accuracy.
St. Thomas Church
This is another medieval temple built in the 13th century. It has been standing for more than seven hundred years, and during that time there have been several major renovations. Today it is a building in the late Gothic architectural style.
The church of St. Thomas is famous for being the place where Martin Luther preached his Protestant sermons and Bach served as a cantor. Today, the church is open to tourists and tours are regularly held there.
Leipzig sightseeing video
Bach, Mendelssohn, Wagner and other greats lived and worked here. They gave the city a musical tradition whose continuators still live in Leipzig today. Goethe, who made a great contribution to German and world literature, studied at the local university.
