Leipzig was an important pivot for German reunification. Being located in the former German Democratic Republic in 1989 especially the Monday demonstrations at Nikolai Church substantially contributed to the unification of Germany. Today Leipzig is part of the Central German Metropolitan Region and has 540,000 inhabitants.

Former Leipzig has already been an important centre of trade, education, arts and culture. In 1165 Leipzig received town rights and from then on developed quickly into a significant commercial centre. Its tradition as a fair city goes back even as far as 1190. At that time it was an international commercial centre for fur, which makes today’s fur fair is one of the oldest fairs in the world. Today the glass constructions of the trade fair grounds impress both international visitors and businessmen.

But Leipzig is also famous for books! Known for the letterpress, it hosts Germany’s second biggest book fair after Frankfurt a./Main. Further, one of the oldest German universities is in Leipzig as well as the oldest colleges for trade and also music. The concert hall Gewandhaus and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra are not only in Saxony quite famous.

Among international elite: Gewandhaus Orchestra

Music, arts and many museums - personalities like Johann Sebastian Bach and Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy left their indelible marks on Leipzig’s nice arts. Also Richard Wagner is one of Leipzig‘s most eminent persons. The Gewandhaus orchestra was founded as the oldest middle-class concert orchestra as early as 1781. Today it has reached international fame. The Gewandhaus orchestra has three performance sites: Gewandhaus, opera house Leipzig and Thomas' church. So if you have time to attend a concert, you should not miss this opportunity.   

Don’t miss the Allotment Holder's museum

An impressive number of museums vividly show the past as well as foreign cultures. In the Grassimuseum you will find the Museum of Music Instruments, the Museum of Applied Arts and the Museum for Ethnology. The Museum of Natural History stages varying exhibitions on natural history. Founded in 1864, the world-wide first allotment garden association runs the German Allotment Holder's museum. 

Worth knowing:

Another famous son of Leipzig is Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, philosopher, scientist, mathematician, physicist, lawyer and inventor of both the first efficient calculator and the binary code.

More information: http://english.leipzig.de/

Photo: Sergey Dzyuba/Shutterstock