We visited Leipzig in September, 2003 and found a large city with a peaceful and interesting old town center. We weren’t quite sure what to expect because it is such a major business center (it is the second largest city in what was the GDR (the German Democratic Republic) otherwise know as eastern Germany between 1945 and 1889. We were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the evening wandering through the old town.

One of the major sites in Leipzig is the train station, surprisingly. It is the largest terminal station in Europe with 23 platforms and was originally built in 1915. More recently (mid-1990s) it has been lavishly renovated and now features numerous shops and restaurants. Unusual for Germany, the shops are open from 8 to 22 (that’s 8 AM to 8 PM), every day of the week and every time we visited, it was bustling. The photo at right shows the entrance to the platforms (large arches at right) and one floor of shops below. There is yet another level of shops below that. It was clean and modern, while retaining the architectural features of the original building.

A pedestrian subway takes the visitor from the station, under the tram lines and road to the old part of town where many of the original buildings have recently been restored. Leipzig was not heavily bombed so it retains a lot of its original architecture. The highlight of the old town is the Old Town Hall (above) in the center of town. Built in 1556 in the Renaissance style, it is one of Germany’s most beautiful town halls. It sits on the Market Square where the daily market is held.

All around the Market Square are beautiful old buildings, each with their own style. Intermixed among these are some new, modern buildings which seem to add to the overall effect, rather than detract.  Of course, there are some pretty ugly communist-era buildings in the mix, but they are better left ignored, in our opinion, so you won’t find any photos of them here. The photo at right shows some of the older buildings on the square. We particularly liked the roof detail on the one in the center with all the little dormer windows in the roof (left).

Around the corner is the bank which had recently been restored and features a lovely golden lady sculpture on its wall.(below, right). Just off the square is the St. Thomas church (above, left) from 1212, with Johann Sebastian Bach’s tomb in in the choir room. Bach worked in Leipzig from 1723 till his death in 1750 and is honored by a statue outside the church as well as the Bach Window, a beautiful stained glass window in the church below,left, created in the late 1800s. One of the joys we found in Leipzig was to find all the passageways that wander in and through the buildings. Each is unique according to its location and building style. Some are simple straight passages while others open into big courtyards, while others wind through and around buildings. Above is a photo of Jim in one of the passageways, this one ornately decorated with wrought iron above. Each passage is like a mini-mall with small shops or cafes along its length. Many are almost hidden, but we found them everywhere.

Also in town is the St. Nicholas church which dates from 1165 with a very unique and ornate interior that was under renovation while we were there so we didn’t get to see a lot of it. Fortunately, they had finished with the very front of the church and we caught a glimpse of what we were missing. Above, at left is a portion of the ceiling detail atop two of the columns. Each column is topped with a leafy design leading into the flower motif on the multifaceted ceiling. This truly will be fantastic once it is completed.

As we were returning to our room that night, we happened upon a more whimsical structure, a series of rotating arms, gently twirling in the soft breeze. These are mounted on wither side of two modern buildings and provide an interesting counterpoint to the historic buildings around them.

We found Leipzig to be a delight and would recommend a visit if you are in that area of Germany.

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