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Alte Messe Leipzig (Old trade fair of Leipzig) is the circa site in the southeastern part of Leipzig's district
Mitte Mitte () is the first and most central borough of Berlin. The borough consists of six sub-entities: Mitte proper, Gesundbrunnen, Hansaviertel, Moabit, Tiergarten and Wedding. It is one of the two boroughs (the other being Friedrichshain-Kreuz ...
, where from 1920 until 1991 the technical exhibitions of the
Leipzig Trade Fair The Leipzig Trade Fair () is a major trade fair, which traces its roots back for nearly a millennium. After the Second World War, Leipzig fell within the territory of East Germany, whereupon the Leipzig Trade Fair became one of the most importan ...
took place, as well as the buildings that stand on it – but not the
trade fair A trade show, also known as trade fair, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific Industry (economics), industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest Product (business), products and se ...
itself, which found a new home at a new site in the northern part of Leipzig. Since 1996 there has been no trade fair activity on the old site.


Location

The old site is about three kilometres (two miles) from the city centre in the southeast. It is bordered in the north by Deutscher Platz and Philipp-Rosenthal-Straße, in the east by Prager Straße and the
Leipzig Hbf–Leipzig-Connewitz railway The Leipzig Hauptbahnhof–Leipzig-Connewitz railway is a double track electrified main line in the German state of Saxony. It used to be a short link line from Leipzig Hauptbahnhof (Central Station) to Connewitz station, where it connects with th ...
line, in the south by Richard-Lehmann-Straße and in the west by Zwickauer Straße. The old site belongs to the district Zentrum-Südost (Centre-Southeast). The adjacent boroughs are Reudnitz-Thonberg, Stötteritz, Marienbrunn and Südvorstadt. A straight line between the tall tower of the New Town Hall of Leipzig and the tall
Monument to the Battle of the Nations The Monument to the Battle of the Nations () is a monument in Leipzig, Germany, to the 1813 Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations. Paid for mostly by donations and the city of Leipzig, it was completed in 1913 for the 100th a ...
– the so-called axis of the 18 October – goes through the old site. The axis is marked by the Street of 18 October (''Straße des 18. Oktober'') which is crossed at the old site orthogonally by a street named ''Alte Messe''. Coming from today's point of intersection of both these streets, the old site was developed from 1913.


History

In 1913 an International Architecture Exhibition (
Internationale Bauausstellung An Internationale Bauausstellung (IBA) or International Architecture Exhibition is a German device for urban engineering and architecture, in order to show new concepts in terms of social, cultural and ecologic ideas. History * The first one d ...
), opened in Leipzig in the presence of the last
King of Saxony This article lists dukes, electors, and kings ruling over different territories named Saxony from the beginning of the Saxon Duchy in the 6th century to the end of the German monarchies in 1918. The electors of Saxony from John the Steadfast ...
. For this, a new exhibition site was created behind the Thonberg manor on what had been farmland. This exhibition was followed in 1914 by an International Exhibition for Book Manufacturing and Art Work (Internationale Ausstellung für Buchgewerbe und Graphik, or Bugra) with 2.3 million visitors. In 1920, in three of the
exhibition hall A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...
s was held the Technical Trade and Construction Fair, which had taken place elsewhere in Leipzig from 1918. The economic development of the 1920s led to an enormous extension by the erection of further exhibition halls on the site. In 1928, there were 17 exhibition halls and several smaller structures with a total of 130,000 m2 (1,400,000 sq ft) of exhibition space. In 1930, the International Fur Trade Exhibition (Internationale Pelzfach-Ausstellung) brought another heyday. During World War II, the arms industry occupied several halls in the form of aircraft production and maintenance. In the allied air raid of 4 December 1943, halls 4 and 14 respectively were completely and partly destroyed. The first Trade Fair after the war was held in four halls in 1946. In the following years, several extensions, rebuildings and new constructions were carried out, among them in 1950 the conversion of the former Achilleion into the Soviet Pavilion, exhibition hall 7 (1977), exhibition hall 22 (1989–1992) and an administration building at the north gate. There also arose a lot of smaller buildings and temporary arrangements. From 1991 until 1996 some specialised fairs were undertaken, before the newly built exhibition halls in the north of Leipzig went into service in 1996.


Cultural heritage monuments

Some of the exhibition halls on the site are listed as cultural heritage monuments, in whole or in part. The listed buildings originated from the beginning (1920–1928) of the Technical Trade Fair on the site of Alte Messe when the Leipzig Trade Fair grew to become a World Trade Fair. In the strategy document 2020 of the municipality of Leipzig, it is explained that the
portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...
of the former exhibition hall 12 and the entirety of the former exhibition hall 16 have to be conserved in any circumstance; whereas the fates of other buildings are to be decided from case to case. Also, the preservation of exhibition hall 15, a milestone in the history of construction, could be secured by the buyer of the hall, a bicycle retailer. Fotothek df roe-neg 0006071 028 Außenansicht der Ausstellungshallen der Technischen Messe.jpg, Hall 11 left.
Hall 15 right (1951) Bundesarchiv Bild 183-26244-0380, Leipzig, Messegelände, Sowjetischer Pavillon.jpg, Hall 12 (1954) Fotothek df roe-neg 0006359 004 Blick auf die Messehalle X (CS, RO, BG, Korea).jpg, Hall 15 (1952) Bundesarchiv Bild 183-45000-0522, Leipzig, Frühjahrsmesse, Freigelände.jpg, Hall 16 (1957)
;Exhibition hall 11, built in 1924: The hall is renovated, owned by HIT Handelsgruppe, since 2003 a
shopping centre A shopping center in American English, shopping centre in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, spelling differences), shopping complex, shopping arcade, ...
. Its preservation is secured. ;Exhibition hall 12, built in 1925: From 1927 commonly named Achilleion; since 1950 under the name "Soviet Pavilion". The exhibition hall was extended in the mid-1920s for a
Palace of Sports Palace of Sports or Sports Palace (; ) is a generic name of comprehensive indoors sports venues introduced in the Soviet Union (compare with Palace of Culture) of big size that includes various sports halls and auxiliary space. Primarily designated ...
during the winter months. From 1950, its portico, topped by the
Soviet star Soviet Star (20 April 1984 – 7 October 2014) was an American-bred French-trained Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and sire (horse), sire. He was bred in Kentucky, sold as a yearling for $310,000 and sent to race in Europe where he proved to ...
(at a height of 64 m, or 210 ft), exactly in the vista of the axis of 18 October and often appearing on stamps and pictures, was commonly used as an image of the fair. The building was used by the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
for its trade exhibitions. In 1977, the Soviet Union permitted the redesign of the facade.Exposé: Halle 12 (ehem. sowjetischer Pavillon)
, Alte Messe Leipzig, 29 August 2013.
In 1996, Leipzig purchased the Soviet Pavilion for 20 million
Deutsche Mark The Deutsche Mark (; "German mark (currency), mark"), abbreviated "DM" or "D-Mark" (), was the official currency of West Germany from 1948 until 1990 and later of unified Germany from 1990 until the adoption of the euro in 2002. In English, it ...
from the
Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...
in
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
. In 2003, the white
tile Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, Rock (geology), stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, wal ...
s had to be taken off for security reasons. The portico is listed, like three other objects at the Alte Messe. The hall behind the portico was in urgent need of rehabilitation. The head building and the portico of the hall were renovated until 2018, the parts behind were going to be rebuilt new.Johannes Angermann
''Leipziger Stadtarchiv soll in Sowjetischen Pavillon auf der Alten Messe ziehen.'' Translation: Website of Leipziger Volkszeitung (LVZ), The urban archive of Leipzig will move into the Soviet Pavilion
lvz.de, 20 June 2014, retrieved 28 November 2016
The first stone laying was on 28 November 2016, the inauguration on 29 October 2019. The preservation of the head building and the portico is secured. ;Exhibition hall 15, built in 1927/28: A tall structure of steel with a wide column-free interior space. Due to its impressive dimensions, this building was one of the most photographed buildings of the old trade fair. Like exhibition hall 16, which demonstrated
reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete, also called ferroconcrete or ferro-concrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength or ...
construction, exhibition hall 15 demonstrated steel construction. It was erected in just four months before the trade fair in spring 1928. The column-free span length was a world record at the time. The hall anticipated the evolution of structural engineering in the 20th century, the erection of halls with enormous uninterrupted spaces. After severe war destruction, only 60 per cent of the hall could be restructured until 1951, and in the interior metal pillars and a gallery could be built. After a long vacancy the bicycle trader Stadtler purchased hall 15 in 2015. Reconstruction began in 2018 and re-established the hall in its dimensions of 1928. Thus this cultural heritage monument was secured. Its inauguration was on 4 April 2019. ;Exhibition hall 16, built in 1912/13: Known as "Eventpalast" or People's Palace, Concrete Hall, Pantheon Leipzig, domed structure of the architect
Wilhelm Kreis Wilhelm Kreis (17 March 1873 – 13 August 1955) was a prominent German architect and professor of architecture, active through four political systems in German history: the Wilhelmine era, the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, and the found ...
. This is the oldest building of Alte Messe. It began as Concrete Hall at the 1913 International Architecture Exhibition; it was later used as exhibition hall, for events up to 2000 guests and for transmissions of the
MDR MDR may refer to: Biology * MDR1, an ATP-dependent cellular efflux pump affording multiple drug resistance * Mammalian diving reflex * Medical device reporting * Multiple drug resistance, when a microorganism has become resistant to multiple drugs ...
. It demonstrated reinforced concrete construction. The building is dominated by a dome in diameter which covers a tall hall and – together with its front building – evokes the Pantheon in Rome. In a construction time lasting just six months, 24,000 tons of concrete and 400 tons of steel were employed. The concrete facade was used in the way of a
stonecutter Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using rock (geology), stone as the primary material. Stonemasonry is the craft of shaping and arranging stones, often together with Mortar (masonry), mortar ...
and demonstrated the architectural possibilities of reinforced concrete constructions. Today, the dome is in a good state. The preservation of this cultural heritage monument is secured. ;Exhibition hall 17, built in 1920/21: This hall is the earliest still preserved that was built explicitly for the purposes of the Technical Trade and Construction Fair. Industrial architecture of the early 1920s. After 2020 it was refurbished for a Hornbach Baumarkt.


New uses for the other land and buildings

Since 1996 the Alte Messe has been transformed for science, business, trade and enterprises according to a general plan decided by the city council in 1993. The
development Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development (music), the process by which thematic material is reshaped * Photographic development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting * Development hell, when a proje ...
is driven by Leipziger Entwicklungs- und Vermarktungsgesellschaft (LEVG). Firstly, for preparation all temporary arrangements were removed and several demolished. The fence around the site was removed. A new street and
tramway track Tramway track is used on tramways or light rail operations. As with standard rail tracks, tram tracks have two parallel steel rails, the distance between the heads of the rails being the track gauge. When there is no need for pedestrians or ...
named Zwickauer Straße was built through the area. Furthermore, the other streets on the site got names: Alte Messe, Perlick-, Pusch-, Otto- and Landsteinerstraße. The single plots and buildings have been offered for sale. Also the surroundings of the former site have been partially developed, especially the huge double domed hall of the former central market. (Vernacular name: ''Kohlrabi circus'') The major challenge is that it is often simpler to develop an unbuilt area than a built area, especially if the latter has listed buildings. At Alte Messe, there are some listed buildings. This is considered in the utilisation concept. After some difficulties at the start, a multitude of investments have been made. In 2022 a reporter wrote that the charm of musty-smelling, empty exhibition halls of the GDR has given way to a considerable buzz of activity. The utilisation concept of Alte Messe schedules four different main focuses: * Science/
biotechnology Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and Engineering Science, engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists ...
/health * Mile of car traders * Entertainment/sports/culture/gastronomy * Trade


Science and health

Between Alte Messe and the
German National Library The German National Library (DNB; ) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to collect, permanently archive, comprehens ...
at Deutscher Platz have been built Bio City Leipzig and the
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (, shortened to MPI EVA) is a research institute based in Leipzig, Germany, that was founded in 1997. It is part of the Max Planck Society network. Well-known scientists currently based at ...
as a centre of science. In 2008 the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI) was finished; its annexes are called "daughter-cells". In 2013, "BioCube" beside Bio City was opened, some tenants of the last one moved into the new building. Alongside Bio City is also housed Inspirata, a collection of interactive mathematical and natural scientific exhibits. The building of the Bio City Leipzig (Architects: Spengler . Wiescholek from
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
) was in 2003 awarded the ''Architekturpreis der Stadt Leipzig'' (Architecture Award of the City of Leipzig).Architekturpreis der Stadt Leipzig – prize winners 1999–2019
City of Leipzig (in German)
In October 2021, the significant growing biotechnological business ''c-LEcta'' saved its place in the new BioSquare whose construction started in 2022.c-LEcta Reports Record Year With Significant Growth
at website
Business Wire Business Wire is an American company that disseminates full-text press releases from thousands of companies and organizations worldwide to news media, financial markets, disclosure systems, investors, information web sites, databases, bloggers, ...
, 23 August 2022, retrieved 29 October 2022


Sports, leisure and gastronomy

Over the years, some facilities for
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
,
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
and
beach volleyball Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two to four players each on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side o ...
were built, some of them in combination with gastronomic businesses. ''Exhibition hall 7'' with 8700 m2 (93,646 sq ft) is used for football and offers ten playing fields. ''Exhibition hall 6'', now dismantled, housed an ice stadium. It was the home of the club Icefighters Leipzig and was big enough for 2000 guests. In the summertime, there is also an
urban beach An urban beach (also city beach and sometimes beach club) is an artificially-created environment in an urban setting which simulates a public beachfront, through the use of sand, beach umbrellas, and seating elements. There are many variation ...
with playing fields for beach volleyball. In 2006, the former ''exhibition hall 16'', the only surviving hall of 1913 at Alte Messe (then called "hall of concrete"), was converted into a dance club named ''Volkspalast'' (People's Palace), since 2012 ''Eventpalast''. Under its dome, in diameter, the club can host up to 2000 guests. In the summer months at the southern part of the site there is a
drive-in theater A drive-in theater/theatre or drive-in cinema is a form of movie theater, cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand, and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, c ...
.


Bank and retail sale

At Alte Messe, in a 1996 building, is one of the nine head offices of the German Central Bank. This building (Architects:
Hans Kollhoff Hans Kollhoff (born 18 September 1946 in Bad Lobenstein, Thuringia) is a German architect and professor. He is a representative of Postmodern and New Classical Architecture, as well as a protagonist of New Urbanism. Early life Kollhoff spent t ...
and Helga Timmermann from
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
) was in 1999 awarded the ''Architekturpreis der Stadt Leipzig'' (Architecture Award of the City of Leipzig). On a plot of 71,000 m2 (760,000 sq ft), where the old exhibition halls 1–6 were opened in 2013, is a retail furniture store, Porta Möbel.


Automobile

On and around the site of Alte Messe over the years was developed a so-called ''Automeile'' (
Mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a imperial unit, British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older English unit of Unit of length, le ...
of car traders) with dealerships of the brands
Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The origins of the compa ...
,
BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...
,
Chrysler FCA US, LLC, Trade name, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the "Big Three (automobile manufacturers), Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn H ...
,
Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...
,
Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...
,
Jeep Jeep is an American automobile brand, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with other assets, from its previous owner, American Motors Co ...
,
Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...
and
Volkswagen Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...
supplemented by a centre of Triumph Motorcycles and a car components store.


Religion

In 2008, the
association Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...
''Verein Pavillon der Hoffnung in Leipzig e. V. – Förderverein Ökumenisches Zentrum'' bought hall 14, which had been built in 1985 by VEB Carl Zeiss Jena, and named it ''Pavillon der Hoffnung'' (Pavilion of Hope). It holds Christian activities of various kinds.


Transport connection

The Alte Messe site is very well accessible by capable roads from every direction and by the public transit system "
S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland Mitteldeutschland S-Bahn (), , represents an enlargement of the previous Leipzig-Halle S-Bahn. It is an Railway electrification system, electric rail public transit system operating in the metropolitan area of Leipzig-Halle, Germany. This S-Bahn ...
", by the Leipzig tramway network and by bus. The names of the public transit stops: * ''Leipzig MDR'' in the west * ''Leipzig Völkerschlachtdenkmal'' in the southeast The names of the tram stops: * Tram line 16: Stops ''Deutsche Nationalbibliothek'' and ''An den Tierkliniken''. * Tram line 2: Stops ''Deutsche Nationalbibliothek'' and ''Altes Messegelände''. Aside from that busses are running on the routes 70 and 74.


References


Literature

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links

* (in German)
Coloured map of the site on the occasion of BUGRA 1914, bird's eye view

Aerial view of Alte Messe Leipzig, 1931

Postcard with aerial view of Alten Messe (1939)

Picture of the spring trade fair 1954, north gate

Picture of the spring trade fair 1959, east gate
*
Ukraine Aid in Leipzig: Pavilion of Hope, a house for refugees and the deserving poor
''Leipziger Volkszeitung'' (in German) {{coord, 51.318, 12.400, type:landmark_region:DE, display=title 20th-century architecture in Germany Buildings and structures in East Germany Buildings and structures in Leipzig Event venues in Germany Science and technology in East Germany Urban planning in Germany Urban renewal