Leipzig, the City of Superlatives

Categories: Family and Kids, Sightseeing, Cultural and History, Shopping

Leipzig Train station

[ source: Wikipedia]

Venice and Amsterdam are well-known because of their many bridges, but Leipzig (Leipzig vacation rentals | Leipzig travel guide), the largest city in the federal state of Saxony, has much more in store for you. Follow the network of passages and alleys, leading through romantic courtyards and connecting the various parts of the inner city. Most famous are the Mädler Passage, Strohsack Passage and the Specks Hof. Shopping and sight seeing has never been so easy and when you need a coffee break, make sure to visit Germany's oldest Coffee-House, Zum Arabischen Coffe-Baum, which was already the favorite of Napoleon, Wagner, Schumann, Liszt and Goethe.

In Winter, don't miss the biggest attraction of the Leipzig's Christmas Fair! It is here where the, with 857 square meters world largest, free-standing Advent calendar is on display. From the 1st to the 24th of December, each day a window of the size 3 x 2 meters will be opened to the young and the young at heart.

Leipzig in Saxony, is clearly the town of superlatives. It has not only Germany's largest city-square, the Augustusplatz, with 40,000 square meters, but also the oldest exhibition center with its roots dating back to the 15th century. Leipzig also has the only underground exhibition house in the world, which was established in 1924 because of the lack of space above ground.

For those who are interested in the railway system, Leipzig has the largest terminal station in Europe! It is also not so widely known that Leipzig was Germany's starting point of the development of the inter-urban rail services. The terminal station was built in 1915 and now, after a complete renovation, presents itself with a huge hall, which is 267 meters long, 32 meters wide and 18 meters high and holds a total of 30,000 square meters of shopping area.

While Leipzig's importance is known when it comes to music and print media, you might be surprised to find Europe's largest monument also in Leipzig. It was built in 1913 at the historical site of the battle of the nations, which took place 100 years earlier. The 300,000 tons stone colossus rests on 61 columns. Take the time and climb up 364 stairs and have a great view of the surroundings from 91 meters above.

Traditions are still alive in Germany's oldest Coffee-House Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum, where not only coffee and tea is served. It is in operation since 1720 but was already mentioned in local documents in 1556. Coffee, tea, liqueur, beer and small snacks were on offer first, but already since around 1800 a full menu was available. This was the meeting place for famous poets and thinkers, composers and university lecturers. Nowadays the Coffee-House is home to an Arabian- Vienna- and French- Cafe, 3 Restaurants, Schumann-Zimmer, Lehmann-Stube and Lusatia and a coffee museum.

Germany is famous for its Christmas Fairs and Leipzig is no exception. The world-famous Leipziger Thomanerchor will traditionally perform at the annual opening of this beautiful, festive market and lots of attractions, highlights and shopping opportunities will delight the hearts of all visitors. The main area around the market-square will display a 20 meter high Saxony spruce and a big stage is the place for a special Christmas program. Visitors value the fact that the Leipziger Christmas Fair holds a lot of activities for children, such as the enchanted forest in the Böttcher-Alley or the historical children carousels. The city of Leipzig is a great destination for the whole family with many more superlatives, left to be discovered by you!

Location, Map, and Driving Directions

Opening Hours

Christmas Fair in the city center of Leipzig from the 24th of November - 22nd December 2009

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About this Article

This travel guide has been written by Monika Petra.

In her own words: When children are born they receive certain gifts to put them to good use or not. In my cradle there must have been at least music and the curiosity for the world we live in. Luckily I could combine those gifts eventually. My live as a jazz vocalist guided me to see and experience many places in Germany and far beyond. As in my music I like to dive in the historical background of given facts, simply to understand the present. During my travel, my circles got wider and wider and since many years I am now living in Thailand, very interesting to say the least. I grew up in Paderborn, lived and studied Jazz in Cologne's Musikhochschule and worked a while in Bayreuth and Kulmbach. My travels throughout Germany took me to all major cities and small towns. It was the people and local differences, be it language, food, traditions and customs, which made it a lot of fun. When finally the wall came down, I was one of those in Berlin posing on the rests of it for the camera. Off course I took the first opportunity to rediscover the new but old states of Germany and finally understood the impact the wall had on all Germans and in regards to the worst part in German history. Being a German living abroad, I discovered in years what I value most about Germany. Rest assured it is a country of rich cultural background still alive today. I visit my home country regularly and stay in touch with my friends, even those back from school. Another thing I always felt passionate about is writing and sharing my experience and thoughts. The internet provides us all with a great opportunity to connect, tell stories, read and learn from others and grow as a global community.

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