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We had been meaning to go Leipzig for a number of years and as part of our recent attempts to see as many things as possible before leaving Germany, we thought we would pay the Sachsen city a visit over the Easter weekend. Knowing that most things would be closed on Friday, Sunday and Monday, I decided to go down early so as to have at least one day where we could see things on a normal day. In the end, this didn't really matter as there was more than enough to do to fill our time on the Friday. However, the weather was nowhere near as good as it was during our trip to Vienna a fortnight earlier, with light to moderate rain being constant. It didn't really stop us from doing what we wanted to do though, although it was a little inconvenient.
I started and finished work early on the Thursday so we could head out pretty promptly. We were able to get to Leipzig on the Deutschland Ticket, meaning the travel costs were essentially free, the sacrifice being an additional hour of travel time. Alas, this soon became an hour and a half due to a delayed train meaning we missed our connection in Dessau. What was worse was just how busy the train was. The journey from Charlottenburg (where we had grabbed a perfectly adequate Burger King before setting off) down to Dessau was busy but we could at least get a seat, but the train from Dessau to Leipzig was ridiculous. We saw the platform filling up and wondered just how bad it would be and when the train arrived, our worst fears were realised. We tried to squeeze ourselves on, but I knew we would have to stand in very cramped conditions. I also lost it with Wolfie, who failed to pounce on a free seat, although I am not convinced in hindsight whether there were any available. I made the executive decision to leave the train quickly and hop on the S-Bahn instead. This was waiting on the opposite platform and while I knew it would take 15 more minutes to get into Leipzig, at least we had a guaranteed seat. What I didn't realise was the collection of reprobates on this train, including one kid who was playing a game exceptionally loud and pressing the same button over and over again.
Exhausted, we got into Leipzig shortly after 10pm, utilising the incredible new tunnel system that they had built under the city. Leipzig Hauptbahnhof was particularly impressive, its west and east wings being an amalgamtion of two separate train stations from two different train companies. It is now dedicated to shopping and gastronomy, which is a shame, although there were some cool little rabbit models interspersed at various points in celebration of Easter. The proximity of our hotel to the main train station also meant that getting breakfast was easy and we decided to top into the ubiquitous Lukas bakery on Friday for a cheese and bacon bun. Unlike the British equivalent, this was a bread roll with baked cheese and crispy bits on top, but it was pleasant enough. On the Saturday, we got a sandwich from the Weinbacker Bakery and watched a domestic between two young lovers which ended with the girl storming off and the guy following her contritely. The girl's mother, a kid, and their grandmother were left behind in the cafe much to their bemusement.
Feeling harrassed, at least the check-in process at the Premier Inn was straightforward and we were soon back out in the city looking for a bar. I had done a bit of googling and discovered the Goldhopfen Craft Beer Bar was reasonably close and open until 1am. We hopped on the tram and went three stops, being deposited outside the wonderous St Thomaskirche, the very church where Johannes Sebastian Bach worked for 27 years. It is also his final resting place, with a bronze plaque near the alter showcasing where his earthly remains rest. We were to look at this the following day, but in the meantime, we turned right down a narrow residential street and followed the lights shining onto the pavement. A young trendy crowd were congregated around the bar, with many spilling onto the pavement and sitting in the road too. We feared it would be too busy, but fortunately a couple were leaving, meaning we could snag their seats. The beer was decent - we got two from the local Synde Brewery, plus your standards from the likes of Maisel and Friends - but it was very much in the German tradition. The ambience here was the best part of the bar though, it felt youthful and alive yet also cosy, while I did enjoy the Easter-themed drawing of Homer Simpson on the blackboard where they had given him rabbit ears that looked more like those from a donkey. Anyway, we stayed until last orders and were kicked out at around 12:30am. We toyed with the idea of another bar, but thought we would be better served by an early start the next day. Therefore, we headed back to the hotel and grabbed some refrigerated crisps from a vending machine en route. We then chilled in the room and got drawn into a gameshow called The Floor. This seemed to last about three years and was a head-to-head thing where two contestants had 45 seconds to name whatever was shown on the screen. As these were quite basic like household tools or meterological phenomenon, I started to wonder whether I'd do quite well on this show even if it wasn't in my native language. Anyway, the more times someone won, the more of the floor they could secure and I assume the player with the most area at the end of time won something or other.
I had discovered a three-hour walking tour which started and ended at the Hauptbahnhof, which seemed to take in the main sights. It certainly had us criss-crossing the city so I thought it would be a good place to start our day of exploration. In the end, the timing was about right once you factored in our museum visits. The only annoying thing about this walk was that the map wasn't interactive, so I had to have two tabs open along with Google Maps just follow the route. Still, it was comprehensive, even if it did take in sights as some of the shopping malls and a Tesla garage where we got to see one of those ghastly cybertrucks in real life. What a piece of shit that is. This was in the Brühl district, which is replete with merchants' houses. This used to be the “world street of furs” but we didn't see any furs in the vicinity. Most of this area did not survive the Second World War, so the architectural style is quite diverse. We did get to see the place of Richard Wagner's birth though as well as the Richard Wagner Square. We were actually here the night before as the tram had stopped her, but the view of the various old buildings on the other side of the ring was a definite photo opportunity. The evangelic reformed church with its pointed spire and gold and blue clock was the highlight here. The shimmering silver panels of the newly built Hoefe Am Bruehl was also a delight in a more modern light.
We headed deeper into the city after this and discovered that Leipzig is full of courtyards. Many of these are architecturally delightful and I enjoyed exploring many of them. My favourites were definitely off the main market square, including Barthels Hof. This baroque passageway is the oldest in Leipzig and was where we were due to have dinner. Adjacent to this is the passageway through Koenig-Albert-House which has Art Deco and Jugendstil artwork. This whole area just off the main market place is the primary drinking area, with narrow streets and outside terraces which would be nice to sit in during summer. As it was, we had to dodge the canopies which spilled rainwater onto the pavement. Around the corner from here is the white-bricked Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum, one of the oldest coffee houses in Europe, while on the other side is of course the market place itself. There was an Easter market set up here, but it was closed, assumedly because it was Good Friday. The stalls got in the way of our view of the old town hall, which flanks the eastern side of the market place. Built in 1557, it has Europe's longest building inscription while on the southern side, you can still see the art deco staircase. This had two silly lion statues holding shields which looked a little like my friend Saul's VRChat avatar. Alas, the world's only underground trade fair building, which ran from 1924 to 2005, was destroyed when the new city centre tunnel was created. This is why there is now a convenient S-Bahn station right under the market.
Onto the Dittrichring, we spied more grandiose buildings before we got to the imposing sight of Thomaskirche. We were fortunate when visiting Thomaskirche as we were right between church services for Good Friday. In this three-hour window, the building was open to visitors, so we got to see the wonderful stained glass windows, valuted interior and of course Bach's grave. Outside, there is a statue dedicated to the composure while across the road, there is the Bach Museum. This is in the former house of his neighbours, the Boses, who were rich merchants of the time. Bach's residence was the school associated with St Thomas's Church, but this was demolished in 1902. As the rain was starting to get heavier at this point, we decided to check out the museum and we are very glad that we did. It was only €10 and we got a free audioguide included, which seems to be quite rare in Germany. We started off on the ground floor where we learned about the history of the Bach Museum as well as the scholarly efforts to recreate his life. As he was such a prolific writer, writing cantatas every week for church services at St Thomas and the other main church in Leipzig, there is an awful lot of material. However, not much of it is dated, so there was some informative content about how this was done. In a room next to this, there was a listening station that showcased modern pop songs and how they were influenced by Bach. Comparing the likes of Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney and The Beach Boys with the virtuoso was fascinating and really rooted me in just how influential Bach was.
Upstairs, we got to find out more about his life. This included his day-to-day work life in Leipzig, where he spent his final 27 years. Daily life at the school where he taught was covered, as were the other aspects of his life including his time in Kothen, where I had visited back in 2023. There was also a lot of information on his compositions too, which I found particularly fascinating. Bach has always been one of my favourite composers so to spend so much time in his presence was great. I did find myself tearing up now and again, such was the depth of feeling. We also got to find out more about some of Bach's musical relatives as well as the Bose family themselves, who were rare in having a garden inside the city walls (as well as two on the outside).
We ended up spending two and a half hours in the museum before continuing our walking tour. The grand Neues Rathaus on Bergplatz was the next stop, with a bridge connecting this with the Stadthaus. This bridge is known as the Beamtenlaufbahn. This is a pun on words roughly translated as "officials career way". It is one of the largest town halls in the world while its 115m tower is the tallest in Germany. It is basically the old tower of the Pleissenburg Castle, which used to stand on the south-west corner of the city. Around Martin-Luther-Ring, we headed to Petersstrasse but not before we admired the glass brick entrance of the Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz S-Bahn station. This cubic structure won the architecture prize of the city, but I admit I was expecting something more, so much so that I went into the station itself only to discover there was nothing apart from two platforms and the tunnels. Petersstrasse is another hotch-potch of architectural designs. This is another one of Leipzig's main shopping streets, but bombings during the years have made it a mess of styles. New shopping malls co-exist with old merchants' houses, but the whole thing does work quite well.
With Wolfie getting a little cranky and needing to rest his foot again, we decided to go Starbucks on account of it being open and having seats. I grabbed a warm blueberry cinnamon roll while Wolfie had the regular version, with him opting for a capuccino and me a chai latte. It was usual Starbucks fayre but pleasant enough. While we were here, we discovered that the Yorkshire Furs Summer Party was again clashing with the Leeds Meet, with the organisers not speaking to us beforehand. Indeed, they had just announced it publicly and this really annoyed both of us. I care more about the clash, Wolfie cared more about the lack of notice, but either way we asked what was going on. After a little defensiveness from some quarters, we did get an apology, although I am still none too pleased about the clash.
While we were dealing with this, we had embarked on the walking tour again, determined to finish off the final bits before our dinner reservation. We were already back at the market and turned onto Grimmaische Strasse, the final major shopping street in the city. Here we discovered Naschmarkt with its statue of Goethe and the baroque Alte Boerse. This white and gold building with the blue heraldic shield feels a little subsumed by the adjacent old town hall, but to me that only added to its charm. Opposite this is the Maedlerpassage, which contains the entrance to the underground Auerbachs Keller restaurant. This was made famous by Goethe's Faust and there are statues of two key scenes from the book in the passageway outside. Tourists cluttered up the passage just to get photos.
Moving on, we were in the vicinity of Leipzig University. Alas, as it was Good Friday, the campus was not open so we had to walk around the building via the old city walls at Moritz Bastei to enter Augustusplatz. This is the largest central municipal square in Germany and there are many wonderful sights to see here. Most of them belong to the university, including the controversial Paulinum which replaced the old St. Pauli university church that was blown up in 1968 by the GDR. It still follows its general contours. Another controversial building is the high-rise tower block on the south-west corner. Built in 1972, it is meant to look like an open book at a distance (I'm personally unconvinced). Next to this on the south side is the ugly Gewandhaus which contains the largest ceiling painting of Europe by Sighard Gille. This is apparently visible from the square but the reflections in the windows really obstructed the view. The buildings to the east, which included the post office building, were equally ugly but the grandeur of the Leipzig Opera more than made up for it. Built in 1960, it was the only opera house constructed by the GDR and it being set back from the main square certainly aids the view. The tram line actually goes through the middle of this square. On the west, there is a collection of university buildings including the Kroch-High-Rise with its gold clock and ball. Built in 1928, it was the first high-rise in Leipzig, although at just 43m it's not particularly high.
After turning into Grimmaische Strasse and admiring the five naked bodies on the “Unzeitgemäßen Zeitgenossen” (Uncontemporary Contemporaries) statue by Bernd Goebel, were on the final straight. There were some interesting shops and courtyards to see, not least the Riquet chocolate store with its elephant head frontage and the Speck's Hof courtyard with its arty courtyard and vaulted leather ceilings. The final sight to see was at the other end of this courtyard. Nikolaikirche is the other main church in Leipzig and one where Bach performed often. It was the starting point of the Monday Demonstrations that led to the peaceful revolution of 1989. In the adjacent courtyard, there is a peace column in dedication to this, which replicates some of the internal church architecture. Alas, as it was Good Friday, there was a Mass taking place so we couldn't see the inside of the building for ourselves. On the opposite side of the church is the Geschwister-Scholl-House and the Alte Nikolaischule. Formed in 1512, it has a large number of famous pupils including the aforementioned Wagner. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Christian Thomasius and Johann Gotfried Seume all studied here.
This was pretty much the end of the tour, but there was a little walk back to the station. As we were going to eat near the market square, there was no point doing this, although I didn't realise until I had dragged Wolfie halfway back towards Bruhl. As we turned around and walked along a parallel street, he was understandably not happy. I had booked the restaurant for 7pm, but with Wolfie's foot hurting and a lack of things to do, we decided to try and go earlier. I had booked a place right in the centre, Barthels-Hof, partly because it was the only place I could get into and partly due to its proximity of where we were going to be. Good Friday is weird day in Germany and places weren't as busy as I had expected, although every venue we visited was lively enough. Anyway, they could accommodate us early, which was just as well as at 7pm a party of about 30 pensioners all arrived and sat around us. We had already gotten our food at this point, freeing us up to visit more bars in the evening. The food itself was delicious typical German fayre. Wolfie had Sächsischer Sauerbraten in a red wine sauce with red cabbage and potato while I had Leipziger Rinderroulade filled with vegetables served with red cabbage, Schmand and potato balls. Mine was probably better than Wolfie's, but both dishes were good. They were incredibly rich, but not too stodgy, although I do find the potato balls somewhat dry. Still, with two local craft beers, it was a really nice meal and I am glad we managed to get in and out quite quickly. Special mention goes to the fantastic waiter, while I did enjoy the little straw rabbit welcoming us in on the door.
There was a lot of debate with what to do about Wolfie's foot. He was tempted to rest it for a while, not having had the opportunity to go back to the hotel during the day, but he also wanted to stay out. The restaurant was close to the Markt S-Bahn and when I told him I was looking to check out a Brauerei and Goserei which was right at Bayerischer Bahnhof station, he agreed to come along as there was next to no walking. I am glad he came even though he was clearly struggling, but we managed to make it there in one piece. Situated in the ticket hall of the old Bayerischer Bahnhof station, the place is heavily railway themed and even has part of a carriage in which you can dine. We grabbed a sample flight tray of their four main beers and the gozes in particular were outstanding. Indeed, for a German brewery, this place was really good. We didn't stay beyond the flight tray though, partly because there was nothing else to try and partly because we were perched on tall seats and this wasn't good for Wolfie's foot. The waiting staff were happy to accommodate us without reservation though and I did enjoy both the neon signs and the scale model of the old station near the toilets. The station was built in 1842 and is the oldest preserved railway station in Germany. It was closed between 2001 and 2013, with the tunnel project meaning the station is now underground. Like Berlin's Anhalter Bahnholf, all that remains is the front entrance to the station, which at least here is more complete. The white front gate with its four arches reminds me a little of the Brandenburg Gate, with the clock in the centre a reminder that this was once a train station.
Dr Hops is probably the most crafty of the craft beer bars in Leipzig, but seems often to be the case in Germany, it was a way out of the centre. We were already halfway there though and a quick trip on a tram meant there was minimal walking too. This meant that Wolfie reluctantly agreed to go, despite the heavying rain, and we rocked up shortly after 9:30pm. Upon ordering my beer, a bearded man to my left noticed my British accent and started speaking. He is a regular called Craig and I said he could join us at our table if he wished. He did, and we spent the next 90 minutes talking about a range of things, including our love of heavy metal. Living in Germany featured heavily and it was sad to hear that he has had the same issues as us when it comes to socialising. Indeed, he seems to be in Dr Hops every other Friday and once he had left, the barman said thanks for talking to him. We ended up staying until last orders, which were slightly earlier than usual as we were the only ones left in the bar by the time Craig had left. There had been a tap takeover from a brewery called Orca Brau from the night before and we wanted to sample as many of the eight beers they had on tap. We had five in the end. The bar vibe was really good though and the barman was happy for us to stay for one more as he cleared up. In the end, we didn't want to keep him there too long though, so we made our excuses and left. Alas, with Wolfie's foot and the worsening weather, we decided to grab an Uber. This saw us sitting outside the bar on a bench while the barman locked up, with him grabbing his bicyle before wishing us goodbye. We headed back to the hotel, where I had a shower before we watched an even more baffling gameshow on the same channel as the previous night. I couldn't understand Geh Aufs Ganze at all, suffice to say it seems to be a show where audience members play small games with a chance of either winning cash, a load of ironing products or the booby prize of a plush of a red and black dancing Womble thing. When selecting your prize, you have to choose a number from one to three, and then a curtain is drawn back to reveal what you have won. Often, it is a dancing fursuit of the Womble character, which is a job I'd quite like. Anyway, everyone takes getting their plushes in good humour so it seems like a cheery enough show.
Despite Craig advising us to go to a few other sights in Leipzig, with Wolfie's foot and my view we had seen most of the important things, we hopped on a train to Dessau the next day (I had checked what we had seen against the information on the official Leipzig tourist board website and concluded we had seen enough). What hadn't helped was being awoken by a fire alarm at 8am. The nonchalent nature of many of our fellow guests surprised me, but even I wasn't prepared for the man who stood right in the doorway of the fire escape and put his coat on before proceeding. Had it been a real fire, I guess we could have burned. I guess it's pretty instinctive when it's an actual fire as no-one seemed pretty stressed and everyone was calm. After about 10 minutes in the cold spitting rain, the firefighters confirmed it was all safe and we could go back inside. I struggled to fall asleep after this, but did manage to get another hour in, waking up to feel even more groggy than I had when the fire alarm went off. Still, it was another day and we were due to go to the home of Bauhaus, Dessau, on our way back to Berlin.
I started and finished work early on the Thursday so we could head out pretty promptly. We were able to get to Leipzig on the Deutschland Ticket, meaning the travel costs were essentially free, the sacrifice being an additional hour of travel time. Alas, this soon became an hour and a half due to a delayed train meaning we missed our connection in Dessau. What was worse was just how busy the train was. The journey from Charlottenburg (where we had grabbed a perfectly adequate Burger King before setting off) down to Dessau was busy but we could at least get a seat, but the train from Dessau to Leipzig was ridiculous. We saw the platform filling up and wondered just how bad it would be and when the train arrived, our worst fears were realised. We tried to squeeze ourselves on, but I knew we would have to stand in very cramped conditions. I also lost it with Wolfie, who failed to pounce on a free seat, although I am not convinced in hindsight whether there were any available. I made the executive decision to leave the train quickly and hop on the S-Bahn instead. This was waiting on the opposite platform and while I knew it would take 15 more minutes to get into Leipzig, at least we had a guaranteed seat. What I didn't realise was the collection of reprobates on this train, including one kid who was playing a game exceptionally loud and pressing the same button over and over again.
Exhausted, we got into Leipzig shortly after 10pm, utilising the incredible new tunnel system that they had built under the city. Leipzig Hauptbahnhof was particularly impressive, its west and east wings being an amalgamtion of two separate train stations from two different train companies. It is now dedicated to shopping and gastronomy, which is a shame, although there were some cool little rabbit models interspersed at various points in celebration of Easter. The proximity of our hotel to the main train station also meant that getting breakfast was easy and we decided to top into the ubiquitous Lukas bakery on Friday for a cheese and bacon bun. Unlike the British equivalent, this was a bread roll with baked cheese and crispy bits on top, but it was pleasant enough. On the Saturday, we got a sandwich from the Weinbacker Bakery and watched a domestic between two young lovers which ended with the girl storming off and the guy following her contritely. The girl's mother, a kid, and their grandmother were left behind in the cafe much to their bemusement.
Feeling harrassed, at least the check-in process at the Premier Inn was straightforward and we were soon back out in the city looking for a bar. I had done a bit of googling and discovered the Goldhopfen Craft Beer Bar was reasonably close and open until 1am. We hopped on the tram and went three stops, being deposited outside the wonderous St Thomaskirche, the very church where Johannes Sebastian Bach worked for 27 years. It is also his final resting place, with a bronze plaque near the alter showcasing where his earthly remains rest. We were to look at this the following day, but in the meantime, we turned right down a narrow residential street and followed the lights shining onto the pavement. A young trendy crowd were congregated around the bar, with many spilling onto the pavement and sitting in the road too. We feared it would be too busy, but fortunately a couple were leaving, meaning we could snag their seats. The beer was decent - we got two from the local Synde Brewery, plus your standards from the likes of Maisel and Friends - but it was very much in the German tradition. The ambience here was the best part of the bar though, it felt youthful and alive yet also cosy, while I did enjoy the Easter-themed drawing of Homer Simpson on the blackboard where they had given him rabbit ears that looked more like those from a donkey. Anyway, we stayed until last orders and were kicked out at around 12:30am. We toyed with the idea of another bar, but thought we would be better served by an early start the next day. Therefore, we headed back to the hotel and grabbed some refrigerated crisps from a vending machine en route. We then chilled in the room and got drawn into a gameshow called The Floor. This seemed to last about three years and was a head-to-head thing where two contestants had 45 seconds to name whatever was shown on the screen. As these were quite basic like household tools or meterological phenomenon, I started to wonder whether I'd do quite well on this show even if it wasn't in my native language. Anyway, the more times someone won, the more of the floor they could secure and I assume the player with the most area at the end of time won something or other.
I had discovered a three-hour walking tour which started and ended at the Hauptbahnhof, which seemed to take in the main sights. It certainly had us criss-crossing the city so I thought it would be a good place to start our day of exploration. In the end, the timing was about right once you factored in our museum visits. The only annoying thing about this walk was that the map wasn't interactive, so I had to have two tabs open along with Google Maps just follow the route. Still, it was comprehensive, even if it did take in sights as some of the shopping malls and a Tesla garage where we got to see one of those ghastly cybertrucks in real life. What a piece of shit that is. This was in the Brühl district, which is replete with merchants' houses. This used to be the “world street of furs” but we didn't see any furs in the vicinity. Most of this area did not survive the Second World War, so the architectural style is quite diverse. We did get to see the place of Richard Wagner's birth though as well as the Richard Wagner Square. We were actually here the night before as the tram had stopped her, but the view of the various old buildings on the other side of the ring was a definite photo opportunity. The evangelic reformed church with its pointed spire and gold and blue clock was the highlight here. The shimmering silver panels of the newly built Hoefe Am Bruehl was also a delight in a more modern light.
We headed deeper into the city after this and discovered that Leipzig is full of courtyards. Many of these are architecturally delightful and I enjoyed exploring many of them. My favourites were definitely off the main market square, including Barthels Hof. This baroque passageway is the oldest in Leipzig and was where we were due to have dinner. Adjacent to this is the passageway through Koenig-Albert-House which has Art Deco and Jugendstil artwork. This whole area just off the main market place is the primary drinking area, with narrow streets and outside terraces which would be nice to sit in during summer. As it was, we had to dodge the canopies which spilled rainwater onto the pavement. Around the corner from here is the white-bricked Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum, one of the oldest coffee houses in Europe, while on the other side is of course the market place itself. There was an Easter market set up here, but it was closed, assumedly because it was Good Friday. The stalls got in the way of our view of the old town hall, which flanks the eastern side of the market place. Built in 1557, it has Europe's longest building inscription while on the southern side, you can still see the art deco staircase. This had two silly lion statues holding shields which looked a little like my friend Saul's VRChat avatar. Alas, the world's only underground trade fair building, which ran from 1924 to 2005, was destroyed when the new city centre tunnel was created. This is why there is now a convenient S-Bahn station right under the market.
Onto the Dittrichring, we spied more grandiose buildings before we got to the imposing sight of Thomaskirche. We were fortunate when visiting Thomaskirche as we were right between church services for Good Friday. In this three-hour window, the building was open to visitors, so we got to see the wonderful stained glass windows, valuted interior and of course Bach's grave. Outside, there is a statue dedicated to the composure while across the road, there is the Bach Museum. This is in the former house of his neighbours, the Boses, who were rich merchants of the time. Bach's residence was the school associated with St Thomas's Church, but this was demolished in 1902. As the rain was starting to get heavier at this point, we decided to check out the museum and we are very glad that we did. It was only €10 and we got a free audioguide included, which seems to be quite rare in Germany. We started off on the ground floor where we learned about the history of the Bach Museum as well as the scholarly efforts to recreate his life. As he was such a prolific writer, writing cantatas every week for church services at St Thomas and the other main church in Leipzig, there is an awful lot of material. However, not much of it is dated, so there was some informative content about how this was done. In a room next to this, there was a listening station that showcased modern pop songs and how they were influenced by Bach. Comparing the likes of Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney and The Beach Boys with the virtuoso was fascinating and really rooted me in just how influential Bach was.
Upstairs, we got to find out more about his life. This included his day-to-day work life in Leipzig, where he spent his final 27 years. Daily life at the school where he taught was covered, as were the other aspects of his life including his time in Kothen, where I had visited back in 2023. There was also a lot of information on his compositions too, which I found particularly fascinating. Bach has always been one of my favourite composers so to spend so much time in his presence was great. I did find myself tearing up now and again, such was the depth of feeling. We also got to find out more about some of Bach's musical relatives as well as the Bose family themselves, who were rare in having a garden inside the city walls (as well as two on the outside).
We ended up spending two and a half hours in the museum before continuing our walking tour. The grand Neues Rathaus on Bergplatz was the next stop, with a bridge connecting this with the Stadthaus. This bridge is known as the Beamtenlaufbahn. This is a pun on words roughly translated as "officials career way". It is one of the largest town halls in the world while its 115m tower is the tallest in Germany. It is basically the old tower of the Pleissenburg Castle, which used to stand on the south-west corner of the city. Around Martin-Luther-Ring, we headed to Petersstrasse but not before we admired the glass brick entrance of the Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz S-Bahn station. This cubic structure won the architecture prize of the city, but I admit I was expecting something more, so much so that I went into the station itself only to discover there was nothing apart from two platforms and the tunnels. Petersstrasse is another hotch-potch of architectural designs. This is another one of Leipzig's main shopping streets, but bombings during the years have made it a mess of styles. New shopping malls co-exist with old merchants' houses, but the whole thing does work quite well.
With Wolfie getting a little cranky and needing to rest his foot again, we decided to go Starbucks on account of it being open and having seats. I grabbed a warm blueberry cinnamon roll while Wolfie had the regular version, with him opting for a capuccino and me a chai latte. It was usual Starbucks fayre but pleasant enough. While we were here, we discovered that the Yorkshire Furs Summer Party was again clashing with the Leeds Meet, with the organisers not speaking to us beforehand. Indeed, they had just announced it publicly and this really annoyed both of us. I care more about the clash, Wolfie cared more about the lack of notice, but either way we asked what was going on. After a little defensiveness from some quarters, we did get an apology, although I am still none too pleased about the clash.
While we were dealing with this, we had embarked on the walking tour again, determined to finish off the final bits before our dinner reservation. We were already back at the market and turned onto Grimmaische Strasse, the final major shopping street in the city. Here we discovered Naschmarkt with its statue of Goethe and the baroque Alte Boerse. This white and gold building with the blue heraldic shield feels a little subsumed by the adjacent old town hall, but to me that only added to its charm. Opposite this is the Maedlerpassage, which contains the entrance to the underground Auerbachs Keller restaurant. This was made famous by Goethe's Faust and there are statues of two key scenes from the book in the passageway outside. Tourists cluttered up the passage just to get photos.
Moving on, we were in the vicinity of Leipzig University. Alas, as it was Good Friday, the campus was not open so we had to walk around the building via the old city walls at Moritz Bastei to enter Augustusplatz. This is the largest central municipal square in Germany and there are many wonderful sights to see here. Most of them belong to the university, including the controversial Paulinum which replaced the old St. Pauli university church that was blown up in 1968 by the GDR. It still follows its general contours. Another controversial building is the high-rise tower block on the south-west corner. Built in 1972, it is meant to look like an open book at a distance (I'm personally unconvinced). Next to this on the south side is the ugly Gewandhaus which contains the largest ceiling painting of Europe by Sighard Gille. This is apparently visible from the square but the reflections in the windows really obstructed the view. The buildings to the east, which included the post office building, were equally ugly but the grandeur of the Leipzig Opera more than made up for it. Built in 1960, it was the only opera house constructed by the GDR and it being set back from the main square certainly aids the view. The tram line actually goes through the middle of this square. On the west, there is a collection of university buildings including the Kroch-High-Rise with its gold clock and ball. Built in 1928, it was the first high-rise in Leipzig, although at just 43m it's not particularly high.
After turning into Grimmaische Strasse and admiring the five naked bodies on the “Unzeitgemäßen Zeitgenossen” (Uncontemporary Contemporaries) statue by Bernd Goebel, were on the final straight. There were some interesting shops and courtyards to see, not least the Riquet chocolate store with its elephant head frontage and the Speck's Hof courtyard with its arty courtyard and vaulted leather ceilings. The final sight to see was at the other end of this courtyard. Nikolaikirche is the other main church in Leipzig and one where Bach performed often. It was the starting point of the Monday Demonstrations that led to the peaceful revolution of 1989. In the adjacent courtyard, there is a peace column in dedication to this, which replicates some of the internal church architecture. Alas, as it was Good Friday, there was a Mass taking place so we couldn't see the inside of the building for ourselves. On the opposite side of the church is the Geschwister-Scholl-House and the Alte Nikolaischule. Formed in 1512, it has a large number of famous pupils including the aforementioned Wagner. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Christian Thomasius and Johann Gotfried Seume all studied here.
This was pretty much the end of the tour, but there was a little walk back to the station. As we were going to eat near the market square, there was no point doing this, although I didn't realise until I had dragged Wolfie halfway back towards Bruhl. As we turned around and walked along a parallel street, he was understandably not happy. I had booked the restaurant for 7pm, but with Wolfie's foot hurting and a lack of things to do, we decided to try and go earlier. I had booked a place right in the centre, Barthels-Hof, partly because it was the only place I could get into and partly due to its proximity of where we were going to be. Good Friday is weird day in Germany and places weren't as busy as I had expected, although every venue we visited was lively enough. Anyway, they could accommodate us early, which was just as well as at 7pm a party of about 30 pensioners all arrived and sat around us. We had already gotten our food at this point, freeing us up to visit more bars in the evening. The food itself was delicious typical German fayre. Wolfie had Sächsischer Sauerbraten in a red wine sauce with red cabbage and potato while I had Leipziger Rinderroulade filled with vegetables served with red cabbage, Schmand and potato balls. Mine was probably better than Wolfie's, but both dishes were good. They were incredibly rich, but not too stodgy, although I do find the potato balls somewhat dry. Still, with two local craft beers, it was a really nice meal and I am glad we managed to get in and out quite quickly. Special mention goes to the fantastic waiter, while I did enjoy the little straw rabbit welcoming us in on the door.
There was a lot of debate with what to do about Wolfie's foot. He was tempted to rest it for a while, not having had the opportunity to go back to the hotel during the day, but he also wanted to stay out. The restaurant was close to the Markt S-Bahn and when I told him I was looking to check out a Brauerei and Goserei which was right at Bayerischer Bahnhof station, he agreed to come along as there was next to no walking. I am glad he came even though he was clearly struggling, but we managed to make it there in one piece. Situated in the ticket hall of the old Bayerischer Bahnhof station, the place is heavily railway themed and even has part of a carriage in which you can dine. We grabbed a sample flight tray of their four main beers and the gozes in particular were outstanding. Indeed, for a German brewery, this place was really good. We didn't stay beyond the flight tray though, partly because there was nothing else to try and partly because we were perched on tall seats and this wasn't good for Wolfie's foot. The waiting staff were happy to accommodate us without reservation though and I did enjoy both the neon signs and the scale model of the old station near the toilets. The station was built in 1842 and is the oldest preserved railway station in Germany. It was closed between 2001 and 2013, with the tunnel project meaning the station is now underground. Like Berlin's Anhalter Bahnholf, all that remains is the front entrance to the station, which at least here is more complete. The white front gate with its four arches reminds me a little of the Brandenburg Gate, with the clock in the centre a reminder that this was once a train station.
Dr Hops is probably the most crafty of the craft beer bars in Leipzig, but seems often to be the case in Germany, it was a way out of the centre. We were already halfway there though and a quick trip on a tram meant there was minimal walking too. This meant that Wolfie reluctantly agreed to go, despite the heavying rain, and we rocked up shortly after 9:30pm. Upon ordering my beer, a bearded man to my left noticed my British accent and started speaking. He is a regular called Craig and I said he could join us at our table if he wished. He did, and we spent the next 90 minutes talking about a range of things, including our love of heavy metal. Living in Germany featured heavily and it was sad to hear that he has had the same issues as us when it comes to socialising. Indeed, he seems to be in Dr Hops every other Friday and once he had left, the barman said thanks for talking to him. We ended up staying until last orders, which were slightly earlier than usual as we were the only ones left in the bar by the time Craig had left. There had been a tap takeover from a brewery called Orca Brau from the night before and we wanted to sample as many of the eight beers they had on tap. We had five in the end. The bar vibe was really good though and the barman was happy for us to stay for one more as he cleared up. In the end, we didn't want to keep him there too long though, so we made our excuses and left. Alas, with Wolfie's foot and the worsening weather, we decided to grab an Uber. This saw us sitting outside the bar on a bench while the barman locked up, with him grabbing his bicyle before wishing us goodbye. We headed back to the hotel, where I had a shower before we watched an even more baffling gameshow on the same channel as the previous night. I couldn't understand Geh Aufs Ganze at all, suffice to say it seems to be a show where audience members play small games with a chance of either winning cash, a load of ironing products or the booby prize of a plush of a red and black dancing Womble thing. When selecting your prize, you have to choose a number from one to three, and then a curtain is drawn back to reveal what you have won. Often, it is a dancing fursuit of the Womble character, which is a job I'd quite like. Anyway, everyone takes getting their plushes in good humour so it seems like a cheery enough show.
Despite Craig advising us to go to a few other sights in Leipzig, with Wolfie's foot and my view we had seen most of the important things, we hopped on a train to Dessau the next day (I had checked what we had seen against the information on the official Leipzig tourist board website and concluded we had seen enough). What hadn't helped was being awoken by a fire alarm at 8am. The nonchalent nature of many of our fellow guests surprised me, but even I wasn't prepared for the man who stood right in the doorway of the fire escape and put his coat on before proceeding. Had it been a real fire, I guess we could have burned. I guess it's pretty instinctive when it's an actual fire as no-one seemed pretty stressed and everyone was calm. After about 10 minutes in the cold spitting rain, the firefighters confirmed it was all safe and we could go back inside. I struggled to fall asleep after this, but did manage to get another hour in, waking up to feel even more groggy than I had when the fire alarm went off. Still, it was another day and we were due to go to the home of Bauhaus, Dessau, on our way back to Berlin.
