Leipzig Introduction Walking Tour (Self Guided), Leipzig

The name "Leipzig" may be derived from the Slavic word "Lipsk", meaning "linden trees place." The Nazi government renamed the city "Reichsmessestadt Leipzig" ("Reich Fair Trade City Leipzig"). In 1989, with the fall of communism, the city was "Hero City" - in recognition of the role that the Monday demonstrations there played in the fall of the East German regime. The nickname today is "Boomtown of eastern Germany."

The city was granted market status in 1165 by Otto II, Margrave of Meissen. The Leipzig Trade Fair dates back to 1190 AD and is the oldest international trade fair in the world. Leipzig was also a center of publishing and the arts. Internationally famed composers Johann Sebastian Bach, Richard Wagner, Robert Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn, Gustav Mahler, and others established the city's great musical traditions.

During World War II bombings, the wartime pogroms, and the ravages of the succeeding communist regime, Leipzig became depleted, impoverished, and polluted. After reunification, especially since 2000, the decline has been reversed, and the "Boomtown" has arrived.

The old center of the city is marked by Renaissance-style buildings, mainly from the 16th century. There are also Baroque trading houses and residences. The New City Hall, built in 1905, is Historicist. A notable exception is the 624-foot skyscraper, Hochhaus Leipzig.

Young Johann Goethe liked to drink at the Auerbach's Cellar, a locale he used in his play. Faust. St Thomas Church was where Bach served as cantor. It is home to the Boys Choir of Leipzig. Bach also worked at St Nicholas Church, later the home of the Monday night marchers of 1989.

Banners appeared among the ruins after wartime bombings. Some read, "Our walls are broken, but our hearts are strong." Leipzig, the city of strong hearts and spirits, is back. Come to the city where Schiller wrote "Ode to Joy" and feel the rebirth of Germany.