Things to Do in Leipzig

One of the oldest coffee shops in Europe still in its original form, Coffe Baum opened in 1717.

Opposite one end of the Old City Hall is the entrance to the Mädlerpassage, one of the charming old shopping arcades that tunnel through buildings in the heart of the old city. It leads to two other passages, Königshofpassage and Messehofpassage. Originally connecting merchants' houses and shops in the trade fair days, these covered alleyways protected tradesmen from the weather, and gradually they became the elegant arcades they are today.

Through objects, photographs, recorded accounts, films, and thousands of artifacts, the Forum of Contemporary History tells the story of Germany from the end of World War II in 1945 until the Peaceful Revolution of 1989 and the subsequent reunification of Germany.

Although housed in one of Leipzig's newest architectural wonders, the Museum of Fine Arts (Museum der bildenden Künste) was in fact founded in 1837 and only settled into its new large-cubed home in 2004. One of Germany's most important national cultural institutions, the museum contains more than 3,500 paintings from the Middle Ages to the present, including works by Dutch, German, and Italian Masters.

Immediately east of the University in Leipzig is the Gewandhaus, the magnificent home of the world-famous Gewandhaus Orchestra. Built in 1981, the three-story hall is decorated with paintings by modern artists and is well known for its excellent acoustics.

More than just a day's outing for children, the Leipzig Zoo is among Germany's best, where 850 different animal species live in habitats very close to their natural homes. Here, you can watch through an underwater glass wall as elephants swim, be greeted by the calls of black howler monkeys, see penguins play, look for alligators in the murky re-creation of the Everglades and find shy koalas lazing in their own eucalyptus forest.

One of Germany's most important monuments - and a leading example of the Wilhelmine school of architecture - is the imposing Battle of the Nations Monument, the Volkerschlachtdenkmal. The largest war memorial in Europe, it was completed in 1913 to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Napoleon's defeat at the Battle of the Nations in Leipzig in 1813.

Built in the 12th century, St. Nicholas Church (Nikolaikirche) has been altered in various ways over the centuries, the most recent transforming its interior into the Neoclassical style in the 1700s. The entire interior is white, and its fluted columns rise to capitals from which palm fronds seem to spring out and support the groined ceiling.

Southwest of the Leipzig's Markt stands St. Thomas Church (Thomaskirche), home of the world-famous St. Thomas Boys' Choir. The choir dates from 1212, the year the church was built. Originally serving an Augustinian monastery, St. Thomas was altered in later centuries, and in the 15th century was given the form of a Late Gothic hall-church, a style popular in Upper Saxony.

The Markt in Leipzig, for many centuries the hub of city life, is dominated by the Old City Hall (Rathaus), a Renaissance building erected in 1556 considered one of the most beautiful Renaissance buildings in Germany. The tower, with its Baroque crown, is placed asymmetrically over the main entrance, above which is a roofed balcony used for public proclamations, often involving trumpeters in traditional costumes.