Leipzig, the most populous city in the German state of Saxony, is located about 160 km southwest of Berlin, at the southern end of the North German plain known as Leipzig Bay, at the confluence of the White Elster River and its two tributaries, the Pleiss and the Parthe.
Leipzig has been a trading city since the days of the Holy Roman Empire. The city is located at the intersection of Via Regia and Via Imperi, two important trade routes of the Middle Ages. Together with Halle (Saale), the city forms the polycentric city of Leipzig-Halle. Leipzig/Halle Airport is located between the two cities.
Leipzig was a major European center of learning and culture in areas such as music and publishing. Also Leipzig is an important center famous for its book trade. Conditions like these make Leipzig one of the most popular tourist destinations in East Germany, while regularly ranking as one of the most livable cities in Europe. So read this list to know about the best attractions in Leipzig, where you can visit the great museums, see a concert in its churches, enjoy pastries with delicious coffee, visit famous places, etc.
Attractions and things to do in Leipzig
- Museum of Fine Arts
- Coffe Baum Coffee Museum
- Grassi Museum
- Markt and Old City Hall
- Leipzig Zoo
- The Music at St. Thomas Church
- St. Nicholas Church and the Leipzig Monument
- Battle of the Nations Monument
- Neues Gewandhaus
- Forum of Contemporary History (Zeitgeschichtliches Forum)
- Mädlerpassage and Naschmarkt
- Mendelssohn House
- The Karl-Heine Canal and Weisse Elster
- Torgau and Hartenfels Castle
- Leipzig Botanical Garden
01) Museum of Fine Arts
The Museum of Fine Arts in Leipzig (Museum der bildenden Künste) was founded in 1837 and was established in 2004 in one of Leipzig’s newest architectural marvels. This building is designed in the form of a 36 meter high glass cube. This museum is a very important national cultural institution in Germany.
More than 400 Dutch paintings from the 17th century are displayed here. Along with works by German and Italian masters, the gallery exhibits more than 3,500 different paintings from the Middle Ages to the present day. Among them is a unique collection of 18 works by the museum’s “big name” Old Masters, works by Franz Hals and both Lucas Cranach.
| Address | Leipzig Museum of Fine Arts, Catherinestrasse, 10 04109 Leipzig, Deutschland |
| Contact | +49 (0) 341 216990 |
| Website | Leipzig Museum of Fine Arts |
| Timing to visit | Closed on Mondays Closed on December 24th and 31st Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm Wednesday: 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm Public Holidays : 10:00 am – 6:00 pm |
| Tickets | For adults : 10.00 € Evening ticket (from 1 hour to closing): 5.00 € |
02) Arabischen Coffe Baum Museum
Coffe Baum in Leipzig first opened its doors in 1717 and is among Europe’s oldest coffee businesses still in operation today. Coffee Baum pays tribute to this tradition by filling 15 upper floor chambers of the ancient structure with a coffee museum. In Saxony, where many think the German love of coffee houses began, more than 500 items show the growth of the coffee house tradition as well as the heritage of coffee.
Displays include roasters, various coffee brewing equipment and processes, vintage packaging and advertisements, antique porcelain coffee cups as well as the leather cases used to keep them safe.
| Address | The Arabian Coffe Tree, Kleine Fleischergasse 4, 04109 Leipzig, Deutschland |
| Contact | +49 (0) 341 9651340 |
| Website | Arabischen Coffe Baum |
03) Grassi Museum
Although housed in the current building in 1929, the Grassi Museum was founded in 1895. The museum is named in memory of Franz Dominique Grassi, who donated his fortune.
The iron frame construction in New Objectivist style is decorated with Art Deco elements and gets its special character through red porphyry from Rochlitz, about sixty kilometers away.
Gracimuseum is a collection of three museums. They are as follows,
- Museum für Völkerkunde zu Leipzig (Museum of Ethnology)
- Museum für Angewandte Kunst (Museum of Applied Arts
- Musikusetrumente Museum (Museum of Musical Instruments)
| Address | Grassi Museum Leipzig, Johannisplatz 5-11, 04103, Leipzig |
| Website | Grassi Museum Leipzig |
| Tickets | normal – 6 € reduced – 4,50 € under 17 – free groups (10 persons and more) – 5,50 € |
04) Markt and Old City Hall
In the heart of Leipzig, there lies a historic structure called the Old Town Hall. On the market square, this municipal landmark is situated. One of the finest specimens of German Renaissance architecture is the Old Town Hall, which Hieronymus Lotter constructed in 1556 and 1557.
It served as the location of the Leipzig municipal council until the turn of the 20th century. The Museum of City History has been housed in the structure since 1909. A visit of the Leipzig Notenspur will reveal numerous priceless artifacts from Leipzig’s musical past that are kept in the City Hall.
| Address | Old City Hall, Markt 1, 04109 Leipzig, Deutschland |
| Contact | +49 0341 / 965134 – 0 |
| Website | Markt and Old City Hall |
05) Leipzig Zoo
Leipzig Zoo is a unique zoo. Because the animals here live in an open environment similar to their native land. About 850 different animal species live here.
Here you can see alligators, penguins, elephants swim through an underground glass wall and meet black howler monkeys. You can find shy koalas relaxing with their own eucalyptus forest.
meet Germany’s only Komodo dragon, a three-meter-long reptile that lives in tropical habitats; A motorboat ride through a rainforest that is home to 100 unusual animal species; walk in the forest; Or climb the trees for a bird’s-eye view of the beautiful green canopy. A tropical environment has been created with more than 24,000 plants, where you can also observe a garden with 60 unusual fruits and spices.
Observe Amur tigers or see living fossils. Enjoy the expansive savannah view from the balcony of Kiwara Lodge as giraffes graze on the leaves and zebras pass by flamingos, oryxes, gazelles and ostriches.
The zoo’s snow leopards and red pandas, added in 2017, live high in the Himalayas, while griffon vultures are housed in a reconstructed walking aviary. One of the largest aquariums in Germany, it features a vibrant underwater environment with real coral reefs and swimming reef sharks and other special guests.
| Address | Zoo Leipzig GmbH, Pfaffendorfer Straße 29, 04105 Leipzig, Germany |
| Website | Leipzig Zoo |
| Contact | +49 341 5933-385 |
| Tickets | Prices & tickets |
06) The Music at St. Thomas Church
One of Leipzig’s two places of worship, St. Thomas Church is significant from a spiritual and tourist perspective. According to legend, Johann Sebastian Bach, cantor of St. Thomas, is buried in the church in the center of the city. His grave is under the bronze plate in front of the altar.
Come here to enjoy the church’s organ shows and musical performances. Don’t forget to climb the Steeple tower where you can enjoy a great view of Leipzig as a whole. From the top of this tower you can also see the 500 year old Gothic roof lantern.
| Address | Thomaskirchhof 18, 04109 Leipzig, Germany |
| Contact | +49-341222240 |
| Timing to visit | Open daily – 10am -6pm (11am – 4pm from Monday to Thursday in January, February, March and November) |
| Tickets | Guided group tours -1€ / person Tour to Steeple – 2€/ person children (under 12years) – free Fees for restroom – 70€ |
07) St. Nicholas Church and the Leipzig Monument
The interior of the Church of St. Nicholas (Nikolaikirche), which was constructed in the 12th century, was decorated in the Neoclassical style in the 1700s. The entire interior is white, with fluted columns ascending to capitals that support the groined ceiling with palm fronds.
Johann Sebastian Bach, the St. Thomas Church’s director of music, premiered several of his compositions here, and the church’s organ is thought to be among the best in all of Europe.
| Address | St. Nicholas Church Leipzig, Nikolaikirchhof 3, 04109 Leipzig, Deutschland |
| Contact | +49 (0) 341 1245380 |
| Website | St. Nicholas Church |
08) Battle of the Nations Monument
The Battle of the Nations Memorial, also known as the Volkerschlachdenkmal, is one of Germany’s most significant structures and a wonderful example of the Wilhelmine school of architecture. It was finished in 1913 to mark the commemoration of Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle of the Nations at Leipzig, which took place in 1813, and is now known as Europe’s largest war memorial.
The landmark and its interior chamber are surrounded by 12-meter-tall heroic statues, and the observation deck 91 meters above provides a breathtaking perspective.
| Address | Straße des 18 Oktober 100, 04299 Leipzig, Germany |
| Timing to visit | Daily from 10:00 am – 06:00 pm |
| Contact | +49-3412416870 |
| Ticket | 6 EUR per person |
09) Neues Gewandhaus
The Gewandhaus Orchestra gets its name from its original location, the hall utilized starting in 1781 above the Gewandhaus’ cloth floor on the historic Neumarkt.
The New Gewandhaus, designed by Martin Gropius and Heinrich Schmieden, was completed on December 11, 1884, and opened opposite the university library in the music area. It quickly gained notoriety and respect for its superb acoustics and impressive architecture.
| Address | Augustusplatz 8, 04109 Leipzig |
| Contact | +49 341 1270 280 |
| Website | Neues Gewandhaus |
| Extra | accessible for wheelchair users |
10) Forum of Contemporary History
Visit the Zeitgeschichtliches forum’s permanent display to take a look at the history of the GDR.
The Contemporary History Forum chronicles the history of Germany from the end of World War II in 1945 through the nonviolent revolution of 1989 and subsequent German reunification through hundreds of objects, photographs, documentary evidence, films and artifacts.
Visitors are encouraged to immerse themselves in the historic environment through a range of audio-visual stations and interactive technology, making history interesting for young and old alike.
| Address | Grimmaische Straße 6, 04109 Leipzig, Deutschland |
| Contact | +49 0341 / 2220 – 0 |
| Website | The Contemporary History Forum |
| Timing to visit | Monday closed. Open daily. |
11) Mädlerpassage and Naschmarkt
The entrance to the Madlerpassage, one of the charming ancient shopping arcades, a tunnel under the buildings of the old town centre, is at one end of the old town hall. It connects to two other corridors, Königshofpassage and Messehofpassage.
Originally used to connect merchants’ homes and shops during trade fair days and eventually sheltering merchants from the weather, these walkways evolved into the magnificent arcades we see today. This covered street has interesting stores, cafes, and restaurants.
12) Mendelssohn House
The only genuinely surviving home of the great composer Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy is the Mendelssohn House in Leipzig. The house was erected in 1844 and lived in by the composer and his family starting in 1845.
It has been renovated using the original blueprints and is decorated in the late Biedermeier style that was prevalent at the time. Mendelssohn’s personal items, sheet music, and watercolor paintings are displayed in his study and music salon with papers and exhibits on his life and career.
| Address | Goldschmidtstrasse 12, Leipzig, Germany |
| Contact | +49 341 962 8820 |
| Website | Mendelssohn House |
| Timing to visit | All days from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm |
13) The Karl-Heine Canal and Weisse Elster
The Karl-Heine Canal travels from the Weisse Elster River through the historic Plagwitz industrial area, through lovely brick buildings and under banks planted with trees. The canal, Weisse Elster, and other waterways combine to create an intricate network of natural rivers and canals that offers numerous possibilities to explore Leipzig from a different angle. Walking and cycling trails encircle some rivers and the canal, which pass through rural, urban, and industrial areas.
The exquisite brick Buntgarnwerke Leipzig, Europe’s largest architecture complex in the Wilhelminian style, was completed in 1875 and is one of the waterside landmarks.
14) Torgau and Hartenfels Castle
The Schloss Hartenfels, a castle from the Saxon Dynasty, is a masterpiece of architecture. This location, which is prominently displayed on SchlossStrasse, draws lots of visitors looking to immerse themselves in history.
Most people who visit the location are interested in architecture and history and want to explore and learn more. The Schloss Hartenfels is bordered by a modest chapel, rich green gardens that may be rented out for special occasions, a bear pit that is home to three local bears who are regarded as the castle’s mascots, and a medieval castle ditch.
| Address | Schlossstrasse 27, Torgau, Germany. |
| Contact | +49 3421 70 1423 |
| Website | Torgau and Hartenfels Castle |
| Timing to visit | Apr to Oct – Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 am to 06:00 pm Nov to Mar – Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 am to 04:00 pm |
15) Leipzig Botanical Garden
As a medical garden dating back to 1542, Leipzig Botanical Gardens has a lengthy history. People visit the Botanical Gardens, which are a part of Leipzig University, to relax, learn about new species, or just to take in the incredible variety of plants that are all neatly placed as per their ecological category. Despite the small size of the grounds, they are definitely worth seeing because admission is free and the butterfly house is a major draw (admission fee applicable).
| Address | Linnestrasse 1, Leipzig, Germany. |
| Contact | +49 341 973 6850 |
| Website | Leipzig Botanical Garden |
| Timing to visit | Open daily from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm |
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