Leipzig, a trade-fair and publishing center, was the first East German city to rise up against the German Democratic Republic in 1989, ushering in the reunification of west and east. It also has a long-standing musical heritage. Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church), where Bach served as cantor for 27 years, is also home to the famous Thomaner Choir—they perform Bach cantatas in the church every Saturday. Near the church is the Bach Museum and Research Center. The Renaissance-style Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) has an excellent city historical museum. Fans of Goethe should dine at nearby Auerbachs Keller, a cellar restaurant mentioned in
Faust. The Opernhaus and the Neues Gewandhaus (concert hall) face each other on Augustusplatz.
The city also has several fine museums, including ones focusing on Egyptology, arts and crafts, natural science, sports, musical instruments (almost 3,000 on display), fine arts (with excellent graphics collections) and ethnology (featuring exhibits from Asia, Africa, the Americas and the South Seas). Leipzig is also a great city just to walk around. It has several old passagen (arcaded shopping malls). Don't miss the Haus Coffe-Baum, one of Europe's oldest coffee houses, licensed in 1694 and still operating.
Leipzig hosts a number of trade fairs. The dramatic new fairgrounds are located 3 mi/5 km north of Hauptbahnhof—take Tram 16. Be warned, however, that it is very difficult to get a hotel room during trade fairs, which take place year-round. Leipzig can be seen in one full day.
A bit northwest of Leipzig, the rather scruffy old town of Halle is where you'll find the home of composer Georg Friedrich Handel, composer of the Messiah. Be sure to visit his monument and then spend time walking around the outdoor shopping mall. Also in the area is Naumburg, best known for the magnificent sculptures crafted by an anonymous 13th-century artist. Known as the Master of Naumburg, his greatest work is The Statue of the Founders, located in the cathedral. Naumberg can be seen as a brief stop while traveling between Leipzig and Weimar or as a day trip from Leipzig.
At the close of World War II, U.S. soldiers fighting from the west and Soviet soldiers fighting from the east came together for the first time in the city of Torgau, on the Elbe River. There's a memorial marking the spot on the road between Leipzig and Wittenberg. And Wittenberg is where Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door in 1517. He's buried under the pulpit in the Schlosskirche (palace church). Also visit Luther Hall, his house, and the Stadtkirche St. Marien (church). A full day could be spent in Wittenberg; at the very least, stop for lunch if you're traveling between Leipzig and Berlin. Nearby Worlitzer Park, a garden monument of German Enlightenment, is also well worth seeing. Leipzig is 120 mi/195 km southwest of Berlin.
