The St. Thomas Church Square, , is a square in the city centre of

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. At its centre is the St. Thomas Church, .

Name and history

The square is named after the former cemetery around the St. Thomas Church built in 1212. In front of the south portal of the church is a 1908

statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or Casting (metalworking), cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to ...

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

Carl Seffner Carl Ludwig Seffner (19 June 1861 – 2 October 1932) was a German sculptor. He is best remembered for his statue of Johann Sebastian Bach at St. Thomas Church, Leipzig. Early life and work Born in 1861, Seffner studied at the Leipzig Academy ...

. On Thomaskirchhof 16 is the ''Bach-Museum Leipzig'' with the

Bach Archive The Bach-Archiv Leipzig or Bach-Archiv is an institution for the documentation and research of the life and work of Johann Sebastian Bach. The Bach-Archiv also researches the Bach family, especially their music. Based in Leipzig, the city wher ...

Description

St. Thomas Church Square surrounds the St. Thomas Church on three sides (north, east and south). On the outside of the square there are streets with the address ''Thomaskirchhof''. To the west the Dittrichring as part of the Promenadenring and the Inner City Ring Road closes off the square. The streets called ''Klostergasse'', ''Thomasgasse'' and ''Burgstrasse'' lead into St. Thomas Church Square. The square has an east–west extension of around and is around wide on the west side. In the southeast corner buildings extend into the rectangle of the square. The resulting small, intimate section, measuring around by , with the

Statue of J. S. Bach The Statue of J. S. Bach (in German: , New Bach monument) is a monument to the composer and Thomaskantor Johann Sebastian Bach, located near the south wall of St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany. Description A tall bronze statue of ...

south of the church is often mistakenly considered to be the entire St. Thomas Church Square. In the northern part of the square is the descent to the underground car park beneath the Marktgalerie. Leipzig Thomaskirchhof Gesamtansicht

Tourist spot

The southern part with the entrance to the St. Thomas Church, the Bach monument, the Bach Museum and the

minimalistic Minimalism is a movement in visual arts, music, and other media that began in post–World War II Western art. Minimalism may also refer to: *Minimalism (computing), a philosophy of programming and configuring computers *Minimalism (philosophy), ...

modern ''Thomas Shop'' (architects: HPP) is one of the most important tourist spots in Leipzig. In the summer months, the square is also used for open-air concerts. The green area between St. Thomas Church Square and the ''

Markt Markt may refer to: * Aktueller Software Markt * Christkindl Markt * Media Markt * Rahela Markt Places in Germany * Markt Berolzheim * Markt Bibart * Markt Einersheim * Markt Erlbach * Markt Indersdorf * Markt Nordheim * Markt Rettenba ...

'' is a popular recreational area in the centre of the city.

References

{{improve categories, date=March 2025 Squares in Leipzig Squares in Europe Johann Sebastian Bach