Leipzig

Leipzig carries two distinct legacies: it is the "City of Music," where Johann Sebastian Bach worked as cantor of the Thomanerchor boys' choir at the Thomaskirche for 27 years until his death in 1750, and where Mendelssohn and Wagner also left their mark; and it is the "City of Heroes," where the Nikolaikirche's Monday "prayers for peace" grew into the mass, non-violent protests of autumn 1989 that helped bring down the East German regime. On the city's outskirts, the 91-metre Völkerschlachtdenkmal commemorates the 1813 Battle of the Nations, the largest battle of the Napoleonic Wars and the one that finally defeated Napoleon.

Leipzig is a transportation hub in Saxony and offers fast connections by rail, road and air throughout Germany. Important east-west and north-south routes have crossed here for a long time and they still do today.

By car

Leipzig can easily be reached by car, as it is very well connected with the Autobahn system. The nearest Autobahns are A14 (North, Northeast), A9 (West) and A38 (South).

By bus

See also: Intercity buses in Germany

Intercity bus station .

 

Long distance buses connect Leipzig with several major German cities. Buses stop at a bus terminal next to the Central Station's east exit and/or at the airport railway station. Bus operators include Flixbus .

By train

Leipzig Hauptbahnhof .

Leipzig was one of the most important rail travel hubs in Germany as early as the 1830s when the first long distance railway in continental Europe linking it to Dresden was built and it has regained this position after German reunification. Since December 2017, Leipzig has been one of the most important hubs for German high speed rail with the main North-South trunk line linking Munich and Berlin (via Erfurt and Nuremberg ) passing through town. Leipzig Hauptbahnhof, at over 83,000 square metres, is Europe's largest railway station by floor area.

The city centre is compact and walkable; trams and buses connect it to outlying districts.

The Thomaskirche, where Bach worked and is buried, and the Nikolaikirche, Leipzig's oldest church and the starting point of the 1989 peaceful-revolution protests, are the two central landmarks of the old town. On the city's southeastern edge, the Völkerschlachtdenkmal commemorates the 1813 Battle of the Nations; visitors who climb its roughly 500 steps are rewarded with a panorama over the city.

Concerts by the Thomanerchor at the Thomaskirche and performances by the Gewandhaus Orchestra are the city's signature musical experiences; the Bach Museum and the Museum der Bildenden Künste are the main indoor draws.

• Berlin — Germany's capital city, reachable by regional train
• Nearby towns in Sachsen — explore the surrounding region