I’ve been missing out on Leipzig for four years. That is the only conclusion I could come to after my visit to this seriously underrated city. My Frommer’s guide to Germany says that if there are time constraints and a choice between Dresden and Leipzig, go to Dresden. It describes Leipzig as a mini-Berlin. I thought, “I’ve got the real Berlin right here, what do I need to go to a mini-Berlin for?” Well, maybe Leipzig is a little bit like a mini-Berlin, but what nobody says is that it is all the best parts of Berlin. It’s a big city, with beautiful buildings, both old and modern. It’s got shopping, diverse restaurants, and friendly people. Yes! Friendly people. I had pleasant interactions with everyone I encountered there. The only downside is that everything is under construction, but that should make for an even more beautiful city on the next visit.
Neues Rathaus (new town hall) with typical Leipzig streetcar
So my trip to Leipzig begins outside the new town hall with the Leipzig streetcars speeding by. The one pictured above is an older streetcar that Rainer says is very unique to Leipzig. They are slowly being replaced by spiffy modern streetcars, but I guess the city will keep some of the old ones running for the tourists. Berlin offers city tours of the east on old streetcars every once in a while.
The old town hall, built in 1556, was set to be demolished after the official opening of the new town hall in 1905, but the town councillors had a vote on whether to save it. It ended up being a tie broken by the extra vote of the chairman. The building now houses a museum dedicated to the history of the city (I didn’t have time to go inside).
Inside the Nikolaikirche
This oldest chuch in Leipzig was built around 1165. It was originally Romanesque, the beautiful interior dates from a restoration of the church done in 1797.
Specks Hof
Specks Hof was built in 1929 as an exhibit area for Leipzig’s annual trade fair. It could house 500 exhibitor’s and was considered to be one of the more beautiful of the exhibit areas.
Maedlerpassage
Leipzig’s most famous arcade, the Maedlerpassage was built in 1914. Leipzig is full of these wonderful indoor arcades filled with shops, bars and restaurants.
Auerbachs Keller (Auerbach’s cellar)
Auerbachs Keller, now in the cellar of the Maedlerpassage, was originally the cellar of Auerbachshof, which had stood on this site since the 1600′s. It was a favorite hangout of Goethe and is the first place that Mephisto takes Faust in Goethe’s famous play.
The Alte Boerse (old stock exchange) with statue of Goethe
The famous German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe studied in Leipzig. The old stock exchange was built in 1687.
The Bundesverwaltungsgericht (Federal Administrative Court)
This is one of the five Federal Supreme Courts of Germany. It handles cases involving administrative law disputes between citizens and the state. This building used the house the Rechtsgericht, or Imperial Court of Justice.
The Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church)
Building of the Thomaskirche took place from 1482 to 1496. Martin Luther preached here in the spring of 1539 and Johann Sebastian Bach was the choirmaster here from 1723 to 1750.
Renovating the Plattenbau
Plattenbau was a style of building used in East Germany that involved rapid construction of buildings using prefabricated pieces. Many of these buildings are now rundown and in dire need of rehabilitation. These depicted above are wrapped in colorful artwork while undergoing renovation.
After sightseeing, I met up with Rainer and we went to the Leipzig zoo, which houses the largest primate research center in the world, funded by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Our chimpanzee cousins were quite anally oriented during our visit. I never knew poop could be so interesting. And there is a nice kid-friendly poster describing the Bonobos, including their sexual habits. Can you imagine an American zoo doing this? They’d be protests and boycotts, and the Christian nuts would be dancing in the streets because rapture has come.
After the zoo, we headed over to Barfussgaesschen, where all the cool eateries are, and had an extremely delicious and very romantic dinner at Osteria Don Camillo & Peppone. I think this is perhaps the best Italian restaurant I’ve been in outside of Italy (and it’s better than some I’ve been to in Italy as well). We started with Vitello Tonato, which was perfect. The veal was top quality and the sauce wasn’t overpowered by either the tuna or the capers, as is often the case. I then got the Spaghetti Calabrese (spicy with broccoli and bacon) and Rainer got the pasta of the day (tomatoes, mushrooms and bacon), which were both scrumptious. And we finished off with coffee and tiramisu, which was incredible, the alcohol was not overpowering and the marscapone was whipped to just the right level of creaminess. The dishes at this restaurant were all prepared with top notch ingredients and the different competing flavors were balanced perfectly. As we waited for the bill, we groaned, “Oh boy, this is going to be about 60 euros,” but it ended up at 40 euros. Not cheap, but a lot less than you’d pay for a similar meal in other cities.
And with full, contented tummies, we made the long drive back to Potsdam.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
these pics are fabulous! did you take them yourself?
and to top our near encounter at st thomaskirche, kumi and i went to have some small dinner at the kildare pub in barfußgässchen after the service. though my favourite pub, killy willy, is located on the karli.
glad you enjoyed the city.
Small world! We probably spent quite a bit of time within a few hundred meters of each other that day. And I did take the photos myself (the beautiful weather helps).
I haven’t been to Leipzig since about 1990, so it has changed a lot! I remember visiting the War Museum (then full of Russian tanks and placards praising the Socialist saviors from the East) and the Hygene Museum.
@ vailiab: if i remember correctly, the hygene museum is in dresden. but then again, at that time there might have been another one here.
I have to disagree about Leipzig. I spent 4 miserable months there working. I was accustomed to Dresden which is only an hour by express train away. I thought “how different could Leipzig be?”… Well, it’s as different as night and day.
Dresden is oozing over with culture and beauty. The Elbe gently flows through the city and really makes Dresden a “port city”. So much of life there relates to the river.
On the Altstadt side of the river are the stunningly beautiful Baroque buildings. On the other side (the Neustadt side) is the beautiful hillside. This hillside is peppered with stunning Castles (accessible to everyone) and countless hiking trails for a good workout. In just minutes you can be “lost” on these trails and barely aware that you are in the city.
You can walk, drive, bike, or boat along the Elbe toward the Sächsische Schweiz (Saxon Switzerland) and the Czech Republic.
In short, Dresden is a paradise for athletic and physically active people.
I love the Neustadt area which is full of quirky shops and even more quirky people.
In my opinion, Leipzig is THE most boring city in Germany. It is flat as a pancake (think Wichita, Kansas). Without any hills, it’s impossible to get a real workout hiking or biking.
Sure, people in Leipzig are friendly… but no more so than Dresden.
The one thing I did like about Leipzig was the incredibly inexpensive area just south of the Neues Rathaus. Follow Karl-Liebknecht-Str south for 5 minutes (walking) and you will come across an area with many outdoor restaurants. There you will find pizzas and calzones for only 3 Euro. Other dishes like stir-fried Chinese noodles (in a BIG portion) go for as little as 2.5 Euros.
And if your idea of “culture” and a good time involves drinking heavily every night until you pass out, Leipzig is the city for you. There are lots of small pubs that stay open all night and the beers are cheap.
If you are athletic however (I come from Boulder, Colorado where we are an outdoor loving bunch) you will find Leipzig a wasteland.
Remember that river in Dresden I mentioned that is the center for cultural activities and athletic opportunities? Well, my friends in Leipzig often suggested going “to the canal”… It’s basically a sewer running through town and is about 10 feet wide… No comparison.
So I just don’t get those who rave about Leipzig. In my opinion, it is absolutely awful… And by the way, it is NO Berlin (which I love).