Hardly any other German city can boast as great and vibrant a cultural history as Leipzig. In 2019, the city will celebrate important anniversaries of events that had significant effects on the development of Germany. The Festival of Lights Leipzig will celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution, commemorating the fall of the Berlin Wall. 2019 is all about the 200^th anniversary of Clara Schumann. The city will organise a jubilee year. Together with other German cities Leipzig will commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the founding of the Bauhaus school of architecture. In 2019, the Bachfest Leipzig will bring the composer to life under the motto “Bach, Court Compositeur”, staging a varied programme in the very places where he once worked. Two new exhibitions at the Kunstkraftwerk and the Panometer will offer stunning presentations of artists of the High Renaissance and views of a microcosm garden.

History up close – 30 years of the Peaceful Revolution

In 2019 Leipzig will celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution. The decisive Monday demonstration on 9 October 1989 attracted more than 70,000 people, who protested for freedom and democracy. Proclaiming “We are the people” and “No violence”, they gathered to march peacefully along Leipzig’s central ring road. Their non-violent protest paved the way for the fall of the Berlin Wall and German unity. The Festival of Lights is held each year to commemorate the events of autumn 1989. This event is the emotional highlight of the many commemorative events, attracting thousands of visitors to the historic locations each year. www.lichtfest.leipziger-freiheit.de

CLARA19 – A year of celebrations for Clara Schumann’s 200^th birthday

Clara Schumann, Leipzig’s most famous female composer and celebrated pianist, spent the first 25 years of her life in the city. At the age of nine, she made her concert debut in Leipzig’s Gewandhaus. In 1840, she married Robert Schumann in Leipzig. 2019 is the 200^th anniversary of her birth. The city of Leipzig will celebrate Clara Schumann all year long with a project called CLARA19. Guests will have the chance to walk in Clara’s footsteps at original locations, including the Schumann House where she once lived. Her compositions will be performed at music venues recently awarded the European Heritage Label. In addition, the festival year aims to consider from a modern perspective the eventful life of this pianist and composer, a woman who shaped the 19^th century like almost none other. CLARA19 will open on 26 January 2019 with a ceremony at the University of Music and Theatre “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy”. The highlight of the year will be the Schumann Festival Week from 12 to 29 September 2019, which coincide with the musician’s birthday and wedding day. In the “Great Concert”, the pianist Lauma Skride and the Gewandhaus orchestra – conducted by music director Andris Nelsons – will perform Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto Op. 7. www.leipzig.travel/de/kultur/musik/leipziger-komponisten/clara-schumann/

100 years of Bauhaus

2019 Leipzig celebrates the 100^th anniversary of the founding of the Bauhaus school of architecture. In Leipzig many architectural masterpieces of the 1920s and 1930s can be found like “Versöhnungskirche”, “Krochhaus”, “Konsumzentrale” and “Nibelungensiedlung”. At the same time various exhibitions are organised: from 18/04- 29/09 "Bauhaus_Sachsen" at GRASSI Museum of Applied Arts and from 30/06- 27/10 "Art of Printing 1919" at Museum of Printing Arts. www.bauhaus100.de

Bachfest Leipzig 2019 – Johann Sebastian Bach as “Court Compositeur”

The popular Bachfest Leipzig takes place every year in honour of one of the city’s most famous composers, Johann Sebastian Bach. In 2019, the ‘courtly’ side of Bach’s oeuvre will be made audible under the motto “Bach, Court Compositeur”. His work at various royal courts motivated him to write many and above all varied compositions. He created glorious festive music, virtuosic instrumental works in different styles and genres, and innovative church music. The works of Bach as “Court Compositeur” stand out because of their extremely broad spectrum of forms. Johann Sebastian Bach was not only the cantor at St. Thomas’ Church in Leipzig, repeatedly creating immortal works to the glory of God and the city. He also spent 15 years of his career working at various courts: he was organist and director of music in Weimar, kapellmeister in Köthen and “Royal Polish and Electoral Saxon Court Composer”. Bachfest Leipzig 2019 will take place from 14 – 23 June 2019 in Leipzig. www.bachfestleipzig.de/en/bachfest

A new perspective on Old Masters in the Kunstkraftwerk

Marvel at Michelangelo’s frescoes from the Sistine Chapel, stand before da Vinci’s Last Supper, and look Raphael’s Madonnas in the eyes – visitors to the Kunstkraftwerk Leipzig will be able to experience all this in 2019. Shown for the first time in Germany from 19 January 2019, “Giants of the Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci – Raphael – Michelangelo” is an innovative video and sound installation which delivers a captivating portrayal of the most important works and places of these three polymaths of the High Renaissance, offering a completely new perspective on the Old Masters. Across 7,000 square metres, audiences can immerse themselves digitally and interactively in the world-famous works of art. The converted power plant is regarded as an important centre for contemporary art and culture and regularly organises exhibitions, art projects, multimedia shows, symposia and workshops in western Leipzig. www.kunstkraftwerk-leipzig.com

New attraction for families at the Panometer – Carola’s Garden

In 2019, visitors to the new exhibition at the Panometer, CAROLA’S GARDEN – A PARADISE ON EARTH, can experience the mysterious and largely hidden world of the very smallest organisms. The new circular picture is the first microcosm panorama made by Yadegar Asisi and looks out on a Leipzig garden, enlarged like never before, from the perspective of a grain of pollen. Visitors can, for example, observe a bee 20 metres in size as it pollinates the blossom, and get to know the diversity of the region’s fauna and flora anew. As with the previous panoramas, CAROLA’S GARDEN also features matching background noises and Asisi’s characteristic day and night light simulation to create a realistic atmosphere in the panorama image. The panorama will put its guests’ view of the world into perspective and open their eyes to the small beauties of life. www.panometer.de

Source: Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH

Photo: Evening atmosphere with skyline, © Michael Bader