CinX's Travels 2014

CinX · January 24, 2017, 12:46:30 AM

Coburg by cinxxx, on Flickr

CinX · January 24, 2017, 12:47:04 AM

Coburg by cinxxx, on Flickr

CinX · January 24, 2017, 11:21:28 PM

Leipzig (/ˈlaɪptsɪɡ/; German pronunciation: [ˈlaɪ̯pt͡sɪç]) is a city in the federal state of Saxony, Germany. It has a population of 551,871 inhabitants (1,001,220 residents in the larger urban zone). Leipzig is located about 150 kilometers (93 miles) south of Berlin at the confluence of the White Elster, Pleisse, and Parthe rivers at the southerly end of the North German Plain.

Leipzig has been a trade city since at least the time of the Holy Roman Empire. The city sits at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important Medieval trade routes. Leipzig was once one of the major European centers of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing. Leipzig became a major urban center within the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) after World War II, but its cultural and economic importance declined despite East Germany being the richest economy in the Soviet Bloc.

Leipzig later played a significant role in instigating the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, through events which took place in and around St. Nicholas Church. Since the reunification of Germany, Leipzig has undergone significant change with the restoration of some historical buildings, the demolition of others, and the development of a modern transport infrastructure. Leipzig today is an economic center, the most livable city in Germany, according to the GfK marketing research institution and has a prominent opera house and one of the most modern zoos in Europe. Leipzig is currently listed as Gamma World City.

Main sights

St. Thomas Church (Thomaskirche): Most famous as the place where Johann Sebastian Bach worked as a cantor and home to the renowned boys choir Thomanerchor
Monument to Felix Mendelssohn in front of this church. Destroyed by the Nazis in 1936, it was rebuilt on 18 October 2008.
St. Nicholas Church (Nikolaikirche), for which Bach was also responsible. The weekly Montagsgebet (Monday prayer) held here became in the 1980s the starting point of peaceful Monday demonstrations against the DDR regime.
Monument to the Battle of the Nations (Völkerschlachtdenkmal) (Battle of the Nations Monument): one of the largest monuments in Europe, built to commemorate the victorious battle against Napoleonic troops
Gewandhaus: home to the famous Gewandhaus Orchestra, it is the third building of that name
Old City Hall: the old city hall was built in 1556 and houses a museum of the city's history
New City Hall: the city's new administrative building was built upon the remains of the Pleissenburg, a castle that was the site of the 1519 debate between Johann Eck and Martin Luther
City-Hochhaus Leipzig: built in 1972, the city's tallest building is one of the top 20 tallest buildings in Germany.
Auerbach's Cellar: a young Goethe ate and drank in this basement-level restaurant while studying in Leipzig; it is the venue of a scene from his play Faust
Bundesverwaltungsgericht: Germany's federal administrative court was the site of the Reichsgericht, the highest state court between 1888 and 1945
The Leipzig Botanical Garden is the oldest botanical garden in Germany

Among Leipzig's noteworthy institutions are the Leipzig Opera and the Leipzig Zoological Garden, the latter of which houses the world's largest zoological facilities for primates (monkey house). Leipzig's international trade fair center in the north of the city is home to the world's largest levitated glass hall.