Leipzig
After the madness of the last few days in Munich, it seemed like a good idea to move on to Saxony and spend a couple of days recharging in Leipzig.
A 3 hour journey on the Bahn later and I was in Leipzig. As I got off the train, I got talking to Matt from Ohio. Matt has been travelling for a while and will continue to travel and teaching after. It turned out Matt was staying at the same Hostel as me, and with my phone dying he kindly used his phone to navigate us to the Hostel.
Thank you Matt!
Trying to find the Hostel felt like going through a mini maze before we found it, but find it we did. We were lucky with the location as it was within walking distance of the local market with easy access to everything, and the added bonus that it was a good Hostel.
After a brief rest and charging up the phone, I met with Matt to grab some food and a wonder around Leipzig. It was an opportunity to scope out some places to eat over the next few days. What I thought was suppose to be a quick bite ended up with me eating a donor durum in one place and (not Matt, only me) stopping off for a pizza on the way back. It turned out I was hungrier than I thought. With all the walking I’ve done on the trip, it was time I rewarded myself.
We walked along the Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse which is appears to be the area to go to if you’re looking for places to eat and drink in. Known as “Karli” you’ll find quirky cafes, restaurants, bars and clubs. On first look it seems you’ll find a fair bit of street art in Leipzig.
Considering we arrived at roughly 4:30pm, we got a fair bit of exploring done and managed to get fairly familiarised with Leipzig.
Well rested and breakfast demolished, it was off to The Monument to the Battle of the Nations. The Monument is located close to Napoleon’s former command post in the battlefield of the Battle of the Nations in 1813.
You can’t appreciate how big the Monument is until you’re there looking at it. The thing I appreciated more was the surrounding of the area, you’ll experience it once you get to the top of the Monument.
This is one of the more popular places for concerts and ice skating in the water basin during winter. The Monument is currently undergoing a reconstruction which should be finished by 2020.
Upon arriving at the top of the Monument I climbed up on part of the monument to get a better view. I sat for around 10 minutes admiring everything, the view, the journey, life in general. It’s these moments where you appreciate the good times, and have gratitude for what you have.
I found out unsurprisingly that I wasn’t suppose to be sitting on the Monument after a security guard spotted me and told me to get down. I tried to get down straight away but had to wait for a bit because I wasn’t able to navigate my way down.
I needed help from the security to hold my bag and make sure I didn’t slip on the railing on the way down. He seemed a bit pissed off when I asked for his help. I can’t blame him really, he wouldn’t have been in that situation if I hadn’t climbed up in the first place, but I simply couldn’t help myself. It goes without saying that it was worth it.
After getting down I went into the museum. As you would have guessed, the museum is based on the battle. For all of you who love your history on war and Napoleon, you’ll likely love this place. From what I’ve read about the museum, there are rare weapons, uniforms, equipment and mementos in the exhibition.
The museum starts at the base of the Monument but being at the top I couldn’t be bothered to go down just to come back up. I’m certain there’s an entry fee. I looked around to see if there was a kiosk and couldn’t see one. There wasn’t any security nearby so I went in and had a look around. It was a small room with some sculptures; you could also peak into the floor below and see more sculptures.
Monument admiring finished, it was off to Karl-Heine-Strasse. Located in Plagwitz this is the place to go to if you want to see more street art. Apart from being another popular area for places to eat and drink, this part of Leipzig is also known for its music and festival scene. This is one of the hippest places I’ve been to for the street art alone.
Never have I been around an area where you can just walk and admire. I spent the majority of the day in Plagwitz. There seems to be something to see or do wherever you turn in Karl-Heine-Strasse, but you’ll definitely appreciate the unique quirky vibe around here.
With a full day left in Leipzig I started by going to the Panorama Tower at the City Hochhaus, and arrived when it opened. I was the first one in and had the viewing platform area to myself for a good 15 minutes before it got busy.
The good thing about this tower is the elevator takes you up 29 floors leaving you only needing to walk 2 floors. Having walked up The Leaning Tower of Pisa, and up the steps in the Covent Garden Underground Station I can honestly say it’s refreshing to go somewhere that has a lift. It’s a definite bonus for your legs.
After exploring the centre for a couple of hours, I stopped by the Altes Rathaus which sits on the east side of the market. Altes Rathaus, which translated is Old Town Hall has a Museum on the history of Leipzig.
The Museum has 2 floors with different exhibitions. The first floor is split with one side focusing on the 15th century and the other side towards the 13th century.
The top floor is based on late 19th century to present day Leipzig. I doubt you’ll be surprised that a lot of this exhibition is dedicated to World War I and World War II. Regardless of whether you’re into your history or not, the Old Town Hall is worth a look at if you want to learn more about Leipzig.
What ideal way to end the day than going to a bar with a fellow traveller and watch some Bundesliga football? I met with Matt before heading to a bar called La Boum for a couple of beers and football. Although the local team, RB Leipzig were playing at home that evening, I wasn’t overly bothered about getting tickets for the game. For Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich or St Pauli it’s a different matter.
After a morning of relaxing, it was off to Dresden for the final part of the trip. Leipzig is an ideal place to unwind and get away from the bust of the more popular parts of Germany.
If you’re big on techno music, Leipzig is also known for having a big techno music scene. There’s a well known underground techno club called Distillery, apparently in order to enter you have to knock on the door. Even though I didn’t really get the chance to go, it’s something I can check out when I make it back in Leipzig.
