Leipzig

With a population of almost 550,000 people, Leipzig is the biggest city in the German federal state of Saxony. It is the region’s economic heart, renowned as Germany’s “Boomtown,” as well as a significant cultural center, with attractive sites, shopping opportunities, and a vibrant nightlife. According to Anthony Sheridan, Oper Leipzig is one of Germany’s most important opera theaters, and Leipzig Zoological Garden is one of Europe’s most advanced zoos, ranking first in Germany and second in Europe. The Neuseenland district, located outside of Leipzig, has a large lake area.

Leipzig, first mentioned in 1015 and bestowed with city and market rights in 1165, has substantially affected the history of Saxony and Germany. It was established at the crossroads of two historic trade routes, the Via Regia and the Via Imperii. Leipzig has traditionally been regarded as a commercial center, and the city still boasts enormous trade fairs and exhibition halls known as the Leipzig Messe, which are situated to the north of the city. Prior to the establishment of a dedicated venue for trade fairs, they were held in the city itself. As a result, many of the historical buildings, as well as Leipzig’s distinctive system of arcades and courtyards, were built by merchants.

Other types of commerce quickly followed the trading of products. The Institution of Leipzig (Latin: Alma mater lipsiensis) was established in 1409, making it Germany’s second-oldest university. The university facilities are dispersed around the city, with the core campus at Augustusplatz standing out. Leipzig earned the moniker “Klein Paris” (“Little Paris”) in the 18th century, when it became a focal point of a classical literary movement led chiefly by the German scholar and writer Johann Christoph Gottsched.

The city is also home to the Nikolaikirche (Church of St. Nicholas), which served as the beginning point for nonviolent protests against the communist dictatorship that ultimately to German reunification. The fall of communism hurt Leipzig’s economy hard (as did communism itself), but after more than two decades of recovery, it has emerged as one of the success stories of the “New German States.”

Traces of Leipzig’s history can be found everywhere: the ring of streets around the city center marking the former course of the city wall, city trade houses, abandoned and repurposed industrial buildings in Plagwitz, small town structures on the outskirts where surrounding towns were incorporated during periods of rapid growth, Napoleonic war battlefields in the city’s south and southeast, and much, much more.

TOURIST INFORMATION

• Tourist Information, Katharinenstraße 8 (near Markt in the city center), +49 341-71 04-260 or -265, fax: +49 341 71 04-271 or -276, e-mail: info@ltm-leipzig.de.

Leipzig has an oceanic climate (Köppen climatic classification Cfb). Winters are moderate to chilly, with an average temperature of roughly 1 °C (34 °F). Summers are often warm, with average temperatures of 19 °C (66 °F) and daytime temperatures of 24 °C (75 °F). Winter precipitation is almost twice as low as summer precipitation; nonetheless, winters are not dry. The quantity of sunlight varies greatly between winter and summer, with an average of 51 hours of sunshine in December (1.7 hours per day) and 229 hours of sunshine in July (7.4 hours a day).

Leipzig is located in the Leipzig Bay, at the junction of the rivers White Elster, Pleisse, and Parthe, on the most southern portion of the North German Plain, which is part of the North European Plain in Germany. The land is characterized by marshy regions, such as the Leipzig Riverside Forest, with some limestone sections to the north of the city. The terrain is largely flat, however there is some evidence of moraine and drumlins.

Despite the presence of a few forest parks inside the city boundaries, the land around Leipzig remains generally unforested. There were many open-cast mines in the area throughout the twentieth century, several of which have been converted to use as lakes.

Leipzig is also at the crossroads of the ancient routes known as the Via Regia (King’s Highway), which ran east-west across Germanic regions, and the Via Imperii (Imperial Highway), which ran north-south.

In the Middle Ages, Leipzig was a walled city, and the modern “ring” road that around the city’s historic core corresponds to the original city walls.

BMW and Porsche have substantial operations in the city’s northwestern outskirts, where they manufacture automobiles. DHL relocated the majority of its European aviation operations from Brussels Airport to Leipzig/Halle Airport in 2011 and 2012. Kirow Ardelt AG, the global leader in breakdown cranes, is headquartered in Leipzig. The European Energy Exchange, the main energy exchange in Central Europe, is also located in the city.

Outside of industry, some of the area’s top employers include software businesses such as Spreadshirt and Unister (de), as well as the several colleges and institutions in and around the Leipzig/Halle region. The University of Leipzig receives millions of dollars in investment each year and is now undergoing a large building and redevelopment project to commemorate its 600th anniversary.

Leipzig also has world-class medical research (the Leipzig Heart Centre) and a thriving biotechnology business.

Many of the downtown taverns, restaurants, and boutiques are frequented by German and international travelers. The Leipzig Hauptbahnhof is home to a retail center. Leipzig is one of the most visited cities in Germany, with over 2.7 million overnight stays in 2013.

The New York Times named Leipzig one of the top ten places to visit in 2010, and it was placed 39th internationally out of 289 cities for innovation in the 4th Innovation Cities Index issued by Australian firm 2thinknow.

Leipzig was ranked third among the 30 major German cities in terms of future prospects in 2015.

Leipzig has been dubbed the “Boomtown of Eastern Germany” or “Hypezig.”