Etymology
Name
The name Leipzig is derived from the Slavic word ', which means "settlement where the linden trees (British English: lime trees; U.S. English: basswood trees) stand". An older spelling of the name in English is . TheHistory
Origins
Leipzig was first documented in 1015 in the chronicles of Bishop19th century
The Leipzig region was the arena of the 1813 Battle of Leipzig between Napoleonic France and an allied coalition of20th century
With the opening of a fifth production hall in 1907, the Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei became the largest21st century
Nowadays, Leipzig is an important economic centre in Germany. Since the 2010s, the city has been celebrated by the media as a hip urban centre with a very high quality of living. It is often called "The new Berlin". Leipzig is also Germany's fastest growing city. Leipzig was the German candidate for the 2012 Summer Olympics, but was unsuccessful. After ten years of construction, theGeography
Location
Leipzig lies at the confluence of the riversSubdivision
Since 1992 Leipzig has been divided administratively into ten ''Stadtbezirke'' (boroughs), which in turn contain a total of 63 ''Ortsteile'' (localities). Some of these correspond to outlying villages which have been annexed by Leipzig.Neighbouring communities
Climate
Like many cities in Eastern Germany, Leipzig has an oceanic climate (Politics
Mayor
The first freely elected mayor after German reunification was Hinrich Lehmann-Grube of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), who served from 1990 to 1998. The mayor was originally chosen by the city council, but since 1994 has been directly elected.City council
The most recent city council election was held on 26 May 2019, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Die Linke) , 171,423 , 21.4 , 2.8 , 15 , 3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) , 165,683 , 20.7 , 5.7 , 15 , 4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , 140,585 , 17.5 , 7.5 , 13 , 6 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alternative for Germany (AfD) , 119,616 , 14.9 , 8.5 , 11 , 7 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Social Democratic Party (SPD) , 99,022 , 12.4 , 5.9 , 9 , 4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Democratic Party (FDP) , 38,481 , 4.8 , 1.9 , 3 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,Bundestag
Leipzig is represented in the Bundestag by threeDemographics
Leipzig has a population of about 600,000. In 1930, the population reached its historical peak of over 700,000. It decreased steadily from 1950 to about 530,000 in 1989. In the 1990s, the population decreased rather rapidly to 437,000 in 1998. This reduction was mostly due to outward migration and suburbanisation. After almost doubling the city area by incorporation of surrounding towns in 1999, the number stabilised and started to rise again, with an increase of 1,000 in 2000. , Leipzig is the fastest-growing city in Germany with over 500,000 inhabitants. The growth of the past 10–15 years has mostly been due to inward migration. In recent years, inward migration accelerated, reaching an increase of 12,917 in 2014. In the years following German reunification, many people of working age took the opportunity to move to the states of the former West Germany to seek employment opportunities. This was a contributory factor to falling birth rates. Births dropped from 7,000 in 1988 to less than 3,000 in 1994. However, the number of children born in Leipzig has risen since the late 1990s. In 2011, it reached 5,490 births resulting in a RNI of −17.7 (−393.7 in 1995). The unemployment rate decreased from 18.2% in 2003 to 9.8% in 2014 and 7.6% in June 2017. The percentage of the population from an immigrant background is low compared with other German cities. , only 5.6% of the population were foreigners, compared to the German national average of 7.7%. The number of people with an immigrant background (immigrants and their children) grew from 49,323 in 2012 to 77,559 in 2016, making them 13.3% of the city's population (Leipzig's population 579,530 in 2016). The largest minorities (first and second generation) in Leipzig by country of origin as of 31.12.2018 are:Culture, sights and cityscape
In the last decade, Leipzig has become known for its numerous cultural and nightlife institutions, earning the nickname ''Hypezig'', earning the city comparisons to 1990s and early 2000s Berlin. The affordability, diversity and openness of the city have attracted many young people from across Europe, leading to a trendsetting alternative atmosphere, resulting in an innovative music, dance and art scene that has developed in the 2010s. Young people, musicians,Architecture
The historic central area of Leipzig features a Renaissance-style ensemble of buildings from the sixteenth century, including the old city hall in the marketplace. There are also several baroque period trading houses and former residences of rich merchants. As Leipzig grew considerably during the economic boom of the late-nineteenth century, the town has many buildings in the historicist style representative of the ''Tallest buildings and structures
The tallest structure in Leipzig is the chimney of the Stahl- und Hartgusswerk Bösdorf GmbH with a height of . With . The tallest building in Leipzig is theMuseums and the arts
One of the highlights of the city's contemporary arts was the Neo Rauch retrospective opening in April 2010 at the Leipzig Museum of Fine Arts. This is a show devoted to the father of theMain sights
* Leipzig Zoological Garden is one of the most modern zoos in Europe, with approximately 850 different animal species. It houses the world's largest zoological facilities forChurches
* St. Thomas's Church (Thomaskirche): Most famous as the place whereParks and lakes
Leipzig is well known for its large parks. The ''Leipziger Auwald'' (Music
Annual events
*Auto Mobil International (AMI)Food and drink
*An all-season local dish isSports
More than 300 sport clubs in the city represent 78 different disciplines. Over 400 athletic facilities are available to citizens and club members.Football
The German Football Association (DFB) was founded in Leipzig in 1900. The city was the venue for theIce hockey
Since the beginning of the 20th century,Handball
SC DHfK Leipzig is the men's handball club in Leipzig and were six times (1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1965 and 1966) the champion of East Germany handball league and was winner ofAmerican football
Other sports
From 1950 to 1990 Leipzig was host of the Deutsche Hochschule für Körperkultur (DHfK, German College of Physical Culture), the national sports college of the GDR. Leipzig also hosted theEducation
University
Visual arts and theatre
The Academy of Visual Arts ('' Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst'') was established in 1764. Its 600 students () are enrolled in courses in painting and graphics, book design/graphic design, photography and media art. The school also houses an Institute for Theory. The University of Music and Theatre offers a broad range of subjects ranging from training in orchestral instruments, voice, interpretation, coaching, piano chamber music, orchestral conducting, choir conducting and musical composition to acting and scriptwriting.University of Applied Science
TheLeipzig Graduate School
The private Leipzig Graduate School of Management, (in German ''Handelshochschule Leipzig (HHL)''), is the oldest business school in Germany. According toResearch institutes
Leipzig is currently the home of twelve research institutes and the Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Max Planck Society:Others
Leipzig is home to one of the world's oldest schools, ''Economy
The city is a location for automobile manufacturing by BMW and Porsche in large plants north of the city. In 2011 and 2012 DHL transferred the bulk of its European air operations from Brussels Airport to Leipzig/Halle Airport. Kirow Ardelt AG, the world market leader in breakdown cranes, is based in Leipzig. The city also houses theSocio-ecological infrastructure
Leipzig has a dense network of socio-ecological infrastructures. Worth mentioning in the food sector are the ''Fairteiler'' of foodsharing and the numerousMedia
* MDR, one of Germany's public broadcasters, has its headquarters and main television studios in the city. It provides programmes to various TV and radio networks and has its own symphony orchestra, choir and a ballet. *''Leipziger Volkszeitung'' (''LVZ'') is the city's only daily newspaper. Founded in 1894, it has published under several different forms of government. The monthly magazine ''Kreuzer'' specializes in culture, festivities and the arts in Leipzig. Leipzig was also home to the world's first daily newspaper in modern times. The "Einkommende Zeitungen" were first published in 1650. *Leipzig has one daily or semi-daily English-language publication, ''The Leipzig Glocal''. It is an online-based magazine and blog that caters to an international as well as local audience. Besides publishing pages on jobs, doctors and movies available in English and other languages, the site's team of authors writes articles about lifestyle, arts & culture, politics, entertainment, Leipzig events, etc. *Once known for its large number of publishing houses, Leipzig had been called ''Buch-Stadt'' (book city), the most notable of them being branches of Brockhaus andQuality of life
In December 2013, according to a study by GfK, Leipzig was ranked as the most livable city in Germany. In 2015/2016, Leipzig was named by the consumer portal verbraucherzentrale.de as the second-best city for students in Germany (afterTransport
Founded at the crossing ofRailways
Opened in 1915,Suburban trains
Leipzig is the core of the S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland line network. Together with the tram, six of the ten lines form the backbone of local public transport and an important link to the region and the neighbouring Halle. The main line of the S-Bahn consists of the underground S-Bahn stations Hauptbahnhof, Markt, Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz and Bayerischer Bahnhof leading through the City Tunnel as well as the above-ground station Leipzig MDR. There are a total of 30 S-Bahn stations in the Leipzig city area. Endpoints of the S-Bahn lines include Wurzen, Zwickau, Dessau and Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Two lines run to Halle, one of them via Leipzig/Halle Airport. With the timetable change in December 2004, the networks of Leipzig and Halle were combined to form the Leipzig-Halle S-Bahn. However, this network only served as a transitional solution and was replaced by the S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland on 15 December 2013. At the same time, the main line tunnel, marketed as the Leipzig City Tunnel, went into operation. The tunnel, which is almost four kilometres long, crosses the entire city centre from the main railway station to the Bavarian railway station. The S-Bahn stations are up to 22 metres underground. This construction was the first to create a continuous north–south axis, which had not existed until now due to the north-facing terminus station. The connection to the south of the city and the federal state will thus be greatly improved.Tramway and buses
The Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe, existing since 1 January 1917, operate a total of 15 tram lines and 47 bus lines in the city. The total length of the tram network is , making it the largest in Saxony ahead ofBicycle
Like most German cities, Leipzig has a traffic layout designed to be bicycle-friendly. There is an extensive cycle network. In most of the one-way central streets, cyclists are explicitly allowed to cycle both ways. A few cycle paths have been built or declared since 1990. Since 2004 there is a bicycle-sharing system. Bikes can be borrowed and returned via smartphone app or by telephone. Since 2018, the system has enabled flexible borrowing and returning of bicycles in the inner city; in this zone, bicycles can be handed in and borrowed from almost any street corner. Outside these zones, there are stations where the bikes are waiting. The current locations of the bikes can be seen via the app. There are cooperation offers with the Leipzig public transport companies and car sharing in order to offer as complete a mobility chain as possible.Road
Several federal motorways pass by Leipzig: the Bundesautobahn 14, A 14 in the north, the Bundesautobahn 9, A 9 in the west and the Bundesautobahn 38, A 38 in the south. The three motorways form a triangular partial ring of the double ring Mitteldeutsche Schleife around Halle and Leipzig. To the south towards Chemnitz, the Bundesautobahn 72, A 72 is also partly under construction. The Bundesstraße, federal roads Bundesstraße 2, B 2, Bundesstraße 6, B 6, Bundesstraße 87, B 87, Bundesstraße 181, B 181 and Bundesstraße 184, B 184 lead through the city area. The ring road (Innenstadtring), which corresponds to the course of the old city fortification, surrounds the city centre of Leipzig, which today is largely traffic-calmed. Leipzig has a dense network of carsharing stations. Additionally, since 2018 there is also a stationless car sharing system in Leipzig. Here the cars can be parked and booked anywhere in the inner city without having to define a specific car or period in advance. Finding and booking is done via a smartphone app. Leipzig is one of the few cities in Germany with vehicle for hire services that can be booked via a mobile app. In contrast to taxicab services, the start and destination must be defined beforehand and other passengers can be taken along at the same time if they share a route.Long-distance buses
Since March 2018 there has been a central bus station directly east of Leipzig Central Station. In addition to a large number of national lines, several international lines also serve Leipzig. The cities of Bregenz, Budapest, Milan, Prague, Sofia and Zurich, among others, can be reached without having to change trains. Around 30,000 journeys and 1.5 million passengers a year are expected at the new bus station. Some lines also use Leipzig/Halle Airport, located at the A 9/A 14 motorway junction, and Leipziger Messe for a stop. Passengers can take the S-Bahn from there to the city centre.Air
Leipzig/Halle Airport is the international commercial airport of the region. It is located at the Schkeuditzer Kreuz junction northwest of Leipzig, halfway between the two major cities. The easternmost section of the new Erfurt-Leipzig/Halle line under construction gave the airport a long-distance railway station, which was also integrated into the ICE network when the railway line was completed in 2015. Passenger flights are operated to the major German hub airports, European metropolises and holiday destinations, especially in the Mediterranean region and North Africa. The airport is of international importance in the cargo sector. In Germany, it ranks second behind Frankfurt am Main, fifth in Europe and 26th worldwide (as of 2011). DHL uses the airport as its central European hub. It is also the home base of the freight airlines Aerologic and European Air Transport Leipzig. The former military airport near Altenburg,Water
In the first half of the 20th century, the construction of the Elster-Saale canal,Quotations
''Mein Leipzig lob' ich mir! Es ist ein klein Paris und bildet seine Leute.'' (I praise my Leipzig! It is a small Paris and educates its people.) – Frosch, a university student in Goethe's ''Goethe's Faust, Faust, Part One'' ''Ich komme nach Leipzig, an den Ort, wo man die ganze Welt im Kleinen sehen kann.'' (I'm coming to Leipzig, to the place where one can see the whole world in miniature.) – Gotthold Ephraim Lessing ''Extra Lipsiam vivere est miserrime vivere.'' (To live outside Leipzig is to live miserably.) – Carpzov, Benedikt Carpzov the Younger ''Das angenehme Pleis-Athen, Behält den Ruhm vor allen, Auch allen zu gefallen, Denn es ist wunderschön.'' (The pleasurable Pleiss-Athens, earns its fame above all, appealing to every one, too, for it is mightily beauteous.) – Johann Sigismund ScholzeTwin towns – sister cities
Leipzig is Sister city, twinned with: * Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (2004) * Birmingham, United Kingdom (1992) * Bologna, Italy (1962, renewed in 1997) * Brno, Czech Republic (1973, renewed in 1999) *Notable people
Politicians
*Nikolaus Krell (1551–1601), chancellor of the Electorate of Saxony, elector of Saxony. *Friedrich Karl Biedermann (1812–1901), a professor, politician, and publisher. *Louise Otto-Peters (1819–1895), suffragette, founded the German Women's Association *August Bebel (1840–1913), socialist politician, co-founder of Germany's SDP. *Philosophers and Theologians
*Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716), philosopher and scientist, mathematician, diplomat. *Johann Friedrich Mayer (theologian), Johann Friedrich Mayer (1650–1712), Lutheran theologian *Christian Thomasius (1655–1728), a jurist and philosopher. *Wilhelm Abraham Teller (1734–1804), a Protestant theologian with a rational approach. *Franz Delitzsch (1813–1890), a Lutheran theologian and Hebraist. *Christian Daniel Beck (1757–1832), a philologist, historian, theologian and antiquarian. *Georg Benedikt Winer (1789–1858), a Protestant theologian, known for linguistic studies of the New Testament. *Christian Hermann Weisse (1801–1866), Protestant theologian and philosopher.Writing & Arts
*Johann Albert Fabricius (1668–1736), a classical scholar and bibliographer. *Science & Business
*Michael Ettmüller (1644–1683), a physician. *Augustus Quirinus Rivinus (1652–1723), physician and botanist *Carl Gustav Carus (1789–1869), doctor, painter and natural philosopher. *Wilhelm Hofmeister (1824–1877), a biologist and botanist. *Paul Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1841–1880), chemist *Karl Wittgenstein (1847–1913), entrepreneur *Sibylle Kemmler-Sack (1934-1999), chemistWar figures
*Elfriede Rinkel (1922–2018), warden of a concentration camp during the Nazi dictatorship *Karl Eberhard Schöngarth (1903–1946), SS officer and war criminal, executed in Hamelin *Wilhelm Souchon (1864–1946), admiral in World War ISport
*Marvin Kirchhöfer (born 1994), racing driver *René Müller (born 1959), footballer *Kristin Otto (born 1966), swimmer, six-time Olympic gold medalist, sports journalist *Rita Wilden (born 1947), sprinterSee also
*Battle of Breitenfeld (1642) *Hugo Schneider AG *Leipzig Human Rights Award *Leipzig Jewish community *Leipzig University Library *List of mayors of Leipzig *Ubiquity Theatre Company – English speaking theatre projects in LeipzigReferences
Further reading
External links