Leipzig Oldest University in Europe

Friday – As expected we had a restless night, waking at 02:00 and again at 05:00; I then started reading my book and Sylvie followed. Sharp at 07:30 Andreas appeared with our morning wake up coffee to get us started for the day. Today we walked into town and along the way Brigitte and Andreas pointed out all significant buildings, including explanations about how the East German DDR communist party destroyed many historical sites to replace with ugly communist style cement and glass structures. Our walk included a small market where I was able to buy Dutch herring rolls. Lekker!!!!! By days end it was cold with dark ominous clouds turning to wet snow on the way home. Glad to be inside and get out of our wet clothes and shoes. Another early night, we are both tired. We haven’t really sat and had the long evening chats which we did on previous visits.

“Leipzig; Upper Saxon, with a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023, is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony, the second-most populous city in the area of the former East Germany after (East) Berlin, and Germany's eighth-most populous. Leipzig/Halle Airport is situated in Schkeuditz, between Leipzig and Halle (Saale). The name of the city and those of many of its districts are of Slavic origin. Leipzig is located about 150 km southwest of Berlin, in the southernmost part of the North German Plain (the Leipzig Bay), at the confluence of the White Elster and its tributaries Pleiße and Parthe, that form an extensive inland delta in the city known as "Leipziger Gewässerknoten", along which Leipzig Riverside Forest, Europe's largest intra-city riparian forest has developed. Leipzig is at the center of Neuseenland (new lake district), consisting of several artificial lakes created from former lignite open-pit mines. Leipzig has been a trade city since the time of the Holy Roman Empire. The city sits at the intersection of the Via Regia and the Via Imperii, two important medieval trade routes. Leipzig's trade fair dates back to 1190. Between 1764 and 1945, the city was a center of publishing. After the Second World War and during the period of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) Leipzig remained a major urban center in East Germany. Events in Leipzig in 1989 played a significant role in precipitating the fall of communism in Central and Eastern Europe, mainly through demonstrations starting from St. Nicholas Church. The immediate effects of the reunification of Germany included the collapse of the local economy (which had come to depend on highly polluting heavy industry), severe unemployment, and urban blight. By the early 2000s the trend had reversed, and since then Leipzig has undergone some significant changes, including urban and economic rejuvenation, and modernization of the transport infrastructure.”Read more