Leipzig 2-Hour Guided City Walking Tour in German

Augustusplatz: Opera House, Gewandhaus and the university

The Leipzig city tour begins on Augustusplatz, one of the largest squares in Germany and the stage on which the city presents its two musical institutions. On the north side stands the Opera House of 1960, on the south the Gewandhaus, opened in 1981 as the home of the Gewandhaus Orchestra, the oldest civic concert orchestra in the world with roots in the 1740s. Between them the Mende Fountain of 1886 marks the centre of the square.

The west side belongs to the university: the glass Paulinum, completed in 2017, echoes the outline of the university church that was blown up in 1968, and beside it rises the City-Hochhaus tower with its viewing platform. Your guide explains how the square was rebuilt after wartime destruction, how the fair city became a music city and where to go for a concert that evening. Plan about fifteen minutes here before the walk enters the Old Town.

St. Nicholas Church and Specks Hof

A short walk north leads to St. Nicholas Church, the oldest church in Leipzig, founded around 1165 and famous for its classical interior with columns that spread into palm fronds. In autumn 1989 the Monday prayers for peace held here grew into the demonstrations that filled the ring road and helped bring down the Berlin Wall; the white column on the square outside recalls those weeks. The church is seen from outside on this tour, but it is open daily if you want to return.

Next door is Specks Hof, the oldest surviving covered passage in the city, built in stages between 1908 and 1929 for the trade fairs. Its three light-wells are decorated with ceramic murals and a clock chime, and the guide uses it to explain how Leipzig's merchants turned courtyards into arcades. The passage is free to walk through and takes about ten minutes with the stories.

Naschmarkt, the Old Stock Exchange and the Mädler Passage

Specks Hof leads out onto the Naschmarkt, a small square behind the Old Town Hall named after the fruit and sweet stalls that once stood here. Its showpiece is the Old Stock Exchange, built between 1678 and 1687 as the meeting house of the merchants and the first Baroque building in Leipzig, with a double staircase and statues on the roof; today it is a concert and event venue.

Across the street the walk enters the Mädler Passage, the grandest of the Leipzig passages, built in 1912 to 1914 with glass roofs, a domed rotunda and a chime of porcelain bells. Two bronze figure groups at the stairs mark Auerbachs Keller, a historic restaurant in business since the sixteenth century and tied to one of the city's oldest legends. The guide tells the story and explains why rubbing the bronze shoe is said to bring luck. Allow around twenty minutes for the square and the passage together.

Market Square and the Old Town Hall

The Market Square has been the centre of Leipzig since the city received its market rights in the twelfth century, and it is still used for weekly markets and the Christmas market. Its east side is filled by the Old Town Hall, built in 1556 within a single building season between two fairs, with an arcaded ground floor, stepped gables and a tower set off-centre to divide the façade in the golden ratio.

It is considered one of the finest Renaissance town halls in Germany and now houses the city history museum, whose ballroom and council chamber can be visited after the tour. Your guide explains the long gilded inscription under the roof, the history of the market police during the fairs and how the square survived the bombing of 1943. Expect about fifteen minutes here; it is also the natural place to return for a late lunch or coffee once the walk ends.

Barthels Hof and Barfußgässchen

From the Market Square the tour passes into Barthels Hof, built in the mid-eighteenth century and the last surviving trade-fair courtyard in Leipzig. Goods were once hoisted into its upper floors through the oriel windows, and the passage from street to street shows how the courtyards later became covered arcades. Today it is a quiet spot with restaurants and a Renaissance oriel on its inner façade.

The courtyard opens onto Barfußgässchen, the barefoot lane, named after the Franciscan friars whose monastery stood nearby. It is now the liveliest street in the Old Town, a narrow row of cafés and restaurants with tables outside from spring to autumn, and the guide explains how the lane and the neighbouring Drallewatsch quarter became the city's meeting place. About ten minutes are spent here before the final stop.

St. Thomas Church

The two-hour walk ends at St. Thomas Church, the spiritual home of the St. Thomas Boys' Choir, founded in 1212 and still singing here every week. The late Gothic hall church with its steep roof dates from the 1480s and 1490s; the Reformation was preached from its pulpit in 1539, and its most famous cantor, a composer whose music is performed around the world, is buried in the choir. Outside stands his statue, a popular photo stop.

The tour views the church from outside and explains the choir, the Friday and Saturday motets and the museum opposite devoted to the cantor. If you want to go in afterwards, entry to the nave is free and St. Thomas Church opening hours run into the evening, so a tour ending at 4 pm leaves plenty of time. This is also a good place to ask the guide what to see in Leipzig in one day beyond the city centre.