Leipzig

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Altes Rathaus in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany

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Overview

'Hypezig!' cry the papers, 'the New Berlin', says just about everybody. Yes, Leipzig is Saxony's coolest city, a playground for nomadic young creatives who have been displaced by the fast-gentrifying German capital, but it's also a city of enormous history, a trade-fair centre and solidly in the sights of music lovers due to its intrinsic connection to the lives and work of Bach, Mendelssohn and Wagner.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Nikolaikirche

Leipzig

This church has Romanesque and Gothic roots, but since 1797 has sported a striking neoclassical interior with palm-like pillars and cream-coloured pews…

Museen im Grassi

Leipzig

The university-run Museen im Grassi harbours three fantastic collections that are often overlooked, despite being a five-minute walk from Augustusplatz…

Museum der Bildenden Künste

Leipzig

This imposing modernist glass cube is the home of Leipzig's fine art museum and its world-class collection of paintings from the 15th century to today,…

Augustusplatz

Leipzig

Massive Augustusplatz may look nondescript at best, and foreboding at worst, but it is actually flanked by some of Leipzig's most famous buildings,…

Südfriedhof

Leipzig

Leipzig's largest cemetery is a vast and beautiful park, filled with rosebay shrubs, populated by squirrels, rabbits and foxes and centred on a building…

Stasi Museum

Leipzig

In the GDR the walls had ears, as is chillingly documented in this exhibit in the former Leipzig headquarters of the East German secret police (the Stasi)…

Zeitgeschichtliches Forum

Leipzig

This fascinating, enormous and well-curated exhibit covers the political history of the GDR, from division and dictatorship to fall-of-the-Wall ecstasy…

Völkerschlachtdenkmal

Leipzig

Half a million soldiers fought – and one in five died – in the epic 1813 battle that led to the decisive victory of Prussian, Austrian and Russian forces…

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Planning Tools

Expert guidance to help you plan your trip

Best Things to Do

Saxony has the most distinctive identity of all of Germany's diverse regions. Here are the top things to do in this historic corner of eastern Germany.

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