Neues Rathaus (New City Hall), Leipzig

In the 1870s, Leipzig was outgrowing its Town Hall. It was fast becoming a big city. Several expansion plans for a new Town Hall had been discarded when the city acquired the gargantuan Pleissenburg Castle from the Kingdom of Saxony. A competition was held for architectural designs with a specification that the tower of Pleissenburg Castle is retained. Architect Hugo Licht and sculptor Georg Wrba worked on the design and construction.

The New City Hall is located on the southwest edge of the inner city ring road, not far from the Palace of Justice (Reichsgericht). The central tower of the new City Hall is 377 feet high. It is the tallest city hall tower in Germany and one of Leipzig's most important landmarks.

The cornerstone was laid in October 1899. The Hall opened officially in October 1905. An annex to the new City Hall designed by Hugo Licht opened in 1912. It sits across the Lotter Street (Lotterstrasse), named after Mayor Hieronymus Lotter. The two buildings are connected by a two-story bridge called the "civil service path."

The entire complex of buildings was made using Franconian shell limestone. On the southwest facade stands the statues Crafts, Justice, Book Art, Science, and Music. The town hall clock bears the inscription in Latin, "Death is certain, the hour is uncertain."

In the basement is located the Ratskeller Leipzig, a restaurant, and a public canteen. The paternoster lifts, non-stop elevators are used throughout. Guided tours of the tower are available.