SIGHTS

Sights of Leipzig

Leipzig offers a large amount of places worth visiting for the sightseer. We have gathered together here the most important and most interesting, along with any corresponding links.

  • Monument of the Battle of Nations, the symbol of the city, and with an overall height of 91 metres, one of Leipzigs highest buildings too.
  • St. Nikolai Church, the starting point for the peaceful political upheavals of Autumn 1989
  • Main Railway Station, the most modern railway station in Germany and one of the largest in Europe.
  • Bach-Museum and Bach-Monument.
  • New Trade-Fair Centre, the most modern exhibition site in Germany.
  • Mädler Passage and Auerbachskeller, famous because of Goethe`s “Faust”.
  • Augustusplatz with Opera and the concert hall Gewandhaus
  • St. Thomas Church, home of the well known Thomaner Choir.
  • Leipzig Zoo, one of the biggest in Europe
  • Gohliser Schlößchen
  • Schiller House
  • Old City Hall and New City Hall, architecturally impressive buildings.

More detailed descriptions and information about the above, as well as other places to visit, can be found on the home pages of the Leipzig Tourist Marketing.

Leipzig is moreover a “green city”, streaked by large parks, the unique nature reserve Auenwald as well as a veritable maze of waterways. A large lake in the west of the city (Kulkwitzer See) and the Cospudener See in the south offer a large choice of watersports such as diving, surfing and sailing.

Just outside of Leipzig, in the north and south, you will also find large lake areas which are well worth exploring.

Even right in the city there are countless possibilities. With a canoe or a rowing boat, you can also explore the rivers and canals of the westerly city districts of Plagwitz, Schleußig and Lindenau. The greenery intermingles with run-down factory sites, ruined buildings, nobly renovated houses, massive stone built warehouses and cafes with their own landing points to moor your boat. Definitely our secret tip!

Nearly 30 museums you can find in the city. Very special and unique are the Museum in the “Round Corner” and The Leipzig Contemporary History Forum, which inform about repression and resistance in the former German Democratic Republic in unforgettable presentations. Well known too are the Bach Museum and the museum at the Monument of the Battle of Nations.

  • Museum in the “Round Corner”
  • Bach-Museum
  • Grassi Museum
  • Museum of Printing
  • Technical Centre
  • Monument of the Battle of Nations
  • Archiv of Leipzig Citizen´s Movement
  • Mendelssohn House
  • Leipzig Contemporary History Forum
  • Galery of Contemporary Arts
  • Museum of Fine Arts
  • Saxon Pharmacy Museum
  • German Books and Writings Museum

Leipzig is also a city for the bicyclist. The countless bicycle paths will take you all through the inner city and the parks, right out to the suburbs.

An extra city map has even been made, just for bicyclists. Also, in conjunction with the Expo 2000, a particularly idyllic cycle path was constructed, stretching along the Heine canal for several kilometres.

Inline skaters can also have their fun among the relatively traffic free zones in the city, at the Cospudener See, the Kulkwitzer See and at the exhibition site of the New Trade Fair Center. Please note though, that the bicycle paths are not always suitable for skating.

Many visitors to Leipzig also head for the city’s Zoological Gardens, grounded in 1878, and world famous for its successful lion breeding. On a site of 22.5 hectares, you will find almost 1000 different species of animals. The Zoo is also easily accessible by foot from the inner city.