The center essentially comprises Leipzig's Old Town, once encircled by a city wall.
The center essentially comprises Leipzig's Old Town, once encircled by a city wall. Today, the Inner City Ring, with Tröndlinring, Georgiring, Augustusplatz, Martin-Luther-Ring, and Dittrichring, forms its boundary; beyond it lies the Promenadenring. Characteristic features are the trade fair buildings, which arose with the sample fairs from 1895, and the passages and courtyards, which run parallel to the streets like a second, car-free network of paths. Specks Hof is considered the city's oldest preserved shopping arcade, Barthels Hof the only preserved 18th-century passage courtyard.You can stroll from the market, with the Old Town Hall, through the passages to Augustusplatz, home to the Opera, Gewandhaus concert hall, and the University's Paulinum, and visit the Mendelssohn House on Goldschmidtstraße. In the evening, head to Drallewatsch, the vibrant pub mile around Barfußgäßchen. All tram lines serve the Inner City Ring; in the City Tunnel, S-Bahn trains stop at the underground stations Hauptbahnhof, Markt, and Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz.
The compact Old Town within the inner city ring is best explored on foot. Between Markt and Augustusplatz, passages and trade fair courtyards such as Specks Hof and the Mädler-Passage link the streets, while Augustusplatz is home to the Opera House, Gewandhaus, and Paulinum. Evenings, people meet in the pubs around Barfußgäßchen. S-Bahn and trams stop directly at Markt and the Ring.
Sights in Center
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Shopping Mall
1Specks Hof
Leipzig's oldest surviving shopping arcade was built in three stages between 1908 and 1929, connecting Reichsstraße and Nikolaistraße. In its three glass-roofed atriums, you will find terracotta panels by Peter Makolies, a wall frieze by Moritz Götze made from over 20,000 ceramic tiles, and enamel medallions by Johannes Grützke.
The Baroque building on Naschmarkt, next to the Old Town Hall, was erected starting in May 1678 and served as a meeting place for merchants from 1679. After the 1943 fire, its exterior was restored by 1962; today, it hosts readings, concerts, and exhibitions.
On Augustusplatz, the University Church St. Pauli was blown up on May 30, 1968, for political reasons. The new building by architect Erick van Egeraat, inaugurated in December 2017, combines an auditorium and university church. The chancel features around 30 rescued epitaphs and the late Gothic Pauliner Altar. Services are held on Sundays and public holidays at 11 AM.
The Opera House on Augustusplatz, directly opposite the Gewandhaus, was opened on October 8, 1960, and offers 1,264 seats since its 2007 renovation. The city's opera tradition reaches back to Singspiel performances starting in 1693.
In diesem Haus in der Goldschmidtstraße lebte Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy ab 1845 mit seiner Familie und starb hier am 4. November 1847. Seit 1997 ist es Museum, im Erdgeschoss dirigierst du interaktiv ein virtuelles Orchester, und sonntags gibt es Matineekonzerte im Musiksalon.
