Leipzig-Mitte

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Leipzig-Mitte
Stadtbezirk Mitte (Leipzig)
Location within Leipzig
Leipzig Stadtbezirk 0 Mitte.svgBornaBrandis
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Leipzig-Mitte
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Leipzig-Mitte
Coordinates: 51°20′N12°22′E / 51.333°N 12.367°E / 51.333; 12.367
Country Germany
State Saxony
District Urban district
City Leipzig
Area
  Total
13.9 km2 (5.4 sq mi)
Elevation
112 m (367 ft)
Population
 (2022-06-30)
  Total
69,214
  Density5,000/km2 (13,000/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+01:00 (CET)
  Summer (DST) UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Dialling codes 0341
Vehicle registration L
Website www.leipzig.de

Leipzig-Mitte is one of ten boroughs ( Stadtbezirke ) of Leipzig, located in the center of the city. It includes numerous architectural monuments. Most of them are located in the subdivision "Zentrum", which is sited inside the Inner City Ring Road and the Promenadenring:

Contents

In the southwest of the borough, there is located a part of the Clara-Zetkin-Park and the Federal Administrative Court. In the northern part of the borough, there are Leipzig Zoo and Leipzig Central Station. In the south-east of the borough, there are the Bavarian train station, the Russian Memorial Church and the Alte Messe near the Monument to the Battle of the Nations in the neighboring borough of Probstheida.

The exit Leipzig-Mitte of the Bundesautobahn 14 is situated about 5 kilometres (3 miles) away in the north of Leipzig.

View

View from the City-Hochhaus at the western parts of the district Mitte Panorama Leipzig Richtung Westen von Tower 2013.jpg
View from the City-Hochhaus at the western parts of the district Mitte

Localities

In Leipzig, the subdivisions of the boroughs are called Ortsteil (localities). In the borough Leipzig-Mitte, there are these 7 Ortsteile:

The locality of Zentrum-Nordwest includes the quarter Waldstraßenviertel.

Population

On 30 June 2022, the borough Leipzig-Mitte had a population of 69,214. [1]

History and urban development

The development of today's Leipzig began in the area of today's Mitte borough. In the Brühl area, there was in the 7th/8th century a Slavic settlement, while the urban nucleus was in the area of the German castle (urbs libzi). [2] [3] [4] It was in the area of today's Matthäikirchhof. Not far from there, the long-distance trade routes Via regia and Via imperii crossed in the Middle Ages, [5] [6] with the latter still being present in today's street name Reichsstraße. [7]

In the 13th century, the city of Leipzig extended only to the north beyond today's subdivision Zentrum and was limited to 42 hectares (100 acres) by the mighty city walls. [8] Today's Mitte borough, on the other hand, also includes the suburbs, which essentially only developed after the gradual removal of the walls and ditches after the Seven Years' War. [9] Previously, these were due to war events (Schmalkaldic War and Thirty Years' War) almost completely destroyed twice. Until the 1830s, only small areas outside of today's Zentrum were developed. These were limited to the trade routes accompanying the road, which were referred to as Steinweg (stone track). [10] The city limits were pushed outwards and new gatehouses were built (within the Mitte borough). [11]

Gatehouse of the former Zeitz Gate of 1856 at the town boundary in today's Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse (2013) Karli 44.jpg
Gatehouse of the former Zeitz Gate of 1856 at the town boundary in today's Karl-Liebknecht-Straße (2013)

The area later called Alt-Leipzig (Old Leipzig) corresponds roughly, but not exactly, with today's Mitte borough. An important prerequisite for the development of its northwestern, western and southwestern areas were the plans of the hydraulic engineers Kohl and Georgi in the years 1852 to 1854 and the subsequent redesign of the Leipzig River Network. [12] In the course of the 19th century, the extensive public gardens that surrounded the inner city on all sides were gradually subdivided and built on. [13] This led to a strong structural expansion of the suburbs, whereby Leipzig exceeded the 100,000-inhabitant mark in 1870 and became a big city. [14] Due to incorporations, the urban area was soon no longer limited to Alt-Leipzig. In the census of 1895, a distinction was made between Alt-Leipzig with 183,000 people and Neu-Leipzig (New Leipzig) with 207,000 people. [15] The population density was three times as high as it is today in the borough of Mitte, whose developed structure around 1900 was roughly as it is today.

However, this does not change the fact that, as Sebastian Ringel proves, [16] hardly one stone has been left unturned and many buildings have been replaced by new ones over the course of time. Starting with the construction of the main train station, through the bombing of Leipzig in World War II (degree of destruction in the Mitte borough between 34 and 52%) [17] and the changing reconstruction in the GDR, [18] entire squares and streets disappeared. The increasing number of vehicles per capita in the 20th century and the expansion of roads also led to major changes in the cityscape.

Towards the end of the 20th century, the concept of a city center with few cars prevailed, while the inner city ring road has the highest traffic occupancy in Leipzig after the motorways. [19] With the S-Bahn city tunnel opened in 2013, the Mitte borough has received a total of 4 underground train stations.

In 1989, the Mitte district made its place in world history with the Leipzig Monday demonstrations, which accelerated the end of the GDR and the Eastern bloc.

Atrractions

Churches

Buildings

Lost buildings

Underground railway stations

Streets, squares and bridges

Education and science

Museums

Cemeteries

Other attractions

Events

Literature

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gohlis</span> Locality near Leipzig, Germany

Gohlis is a locality in the borough north of the city of Leipzig, Germany. Once a village and knightly estate (Rittergut), it became in 1838 a rural community (Landgemeinde). It urbanised during the Gründerzeit period of the 19th century and was incorporated into the city of Leipzig in 1890. Gohlis is now divided into three administrative localities, all of which belong to the Stadtbezirk Nord of Leipzig. Dominated by residential buildings from the late-19th and first half of the 20th century, Gohlis has a population of more than 45,000 inhabitants (2020).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goerdelerring</span> Street in Leipzig, Germany

Goerdelerring is a street and major tram interchange station in Leipzig, Germany. It is named after Carl Friedrich Goerdeler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Augustusplatz</span> Square in Leipzig, Germany

The Augustusplatz is a square located at the east end of the city centre of Leipzig, borough Leipzig-Mitte. It is the city's largest square and one of the largest squares in Europe. It is also part of the city's inner-city ring-road and a central hub for its tram network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waldstraßenviertel</span> Neighbourhood of Leipzig, Germany

Waldstraßenviertel, is a neighbourhood in the north west of Leipzig's borough Mitte in Saxony, Germany. It is considered one of the largest complete areas of Gründerzeit buildings in Europe and is therefore considered of important cultural and heritage status. Many of its buildings are therefore protected or listed.

The following is a timeline of the history of the German city of Leipzig.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Leipzig</span>

Leipzig's history has been shaped by its importance as a trading centre. Initially, its favourable location at the crossroads of trade routes and the privileges granted to its trade fairs gave it its leading position in the trade of goods; later printing and book trade were added. Leipzig was never a royal residence or a bishop's seat, and was always characterised by its bourgeois character. In 1409, the city became the seat of one of the oldest universities in the German-speaking area. Over the last two centuries, Leipzig has experienced strong growth and was for a time the fourth largest German city after Berlin, Hamburg and Breslau, even ahead of Munich. As an industrial location, it has declined in importance since reunification, but continues to assert itself as a trade fair city, a university city and through its cultural heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alte Messe Leipzig</span> Old fair site in Leipzig (Germany)

Alte Messe Leipzig is the circa 50 hectares site in the southeastern part of Leipzig's district Mitte, where from 1920 until 1991 the technical exhibitions of the Leipzig Trade Fair took place, as well as the buildings that stand on it – but not the trade fair itself, which found a new home at a new site in the northern part of Leipzig. Since 1996 there has been no trade fair activity on the old site.

<i>In Mr. Lublins Store</i> Novel by Shmuel Yosef Agnon

In Mr. Lublin's Store is a novel by the Israeli author Shmuel Yosef Agnon. He describes the thoughts of a first-person narrator who arrived in Leipzig in 1915 about Judaism, his unnamed hometown in Galicia and his reception in Leipzig, while he is waiting for the return of his host Arno (Aharon) Lublin in his store in the city centre, located in a narrow alleyway named Böttchergäßchen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inner City Ring Road (Leipzig)</span> Street in Leipzig, Germany

The Inner City Ring Road in Leipzig in the district of Mitte is the ring road around Leipzig's city centre. It encloses the just 0.7 km2 (0.27 sq mi) large area of the old town without the former Vorstadts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Promenadenring (Leipzig)</span> Municipal landscape park in Germany

The Promenadenring Leipzig is the oldest municipal landscape park in Germany and one of the most important garden and cultural monuments in the city. The term is also used as a synonym for Leipzig's inner city ring road, a traffic facility that is connected to the green spaces of the Promenadenring. Like the inner city ring road, the promenade ring is about 3.6 kilometers long (2.24 mi.).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johannapark</span> Public park in Leipzig

The Johannapark is an 11 hectares park near the city center in Leipzig. In the southwest it merges seamlessly into the Clara Zetkin Park and together with it and the Palmengarten forms a large park landscape that continues in the north and south in the Leipzig Auenwald.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wintergartenhochhaus</span> High-rise building in Leipzig, Germany

The Wintergartenhochhaus is a 32-story high-rise building in Leipzig-Mitte, subdivision Ostvorstadt. The residential building was built from 1970 to 1972 as Wohnhochhaus Wintergartenstraße and is the third tallest high-rise in Leipzig after the City-Hochhaus and the Hotel The Westin. With a total height of 106.8 m (350 ft) and 95.5 m (313 ft) roof height, it was the tallest residential building in the East Germany and is now in the top hundred on the list of high-rise buildings in Germany. As a building of modernity and testimony of East German architectural history with rarity value, it is under cultural heritage protection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petersstrasse</span> Street in Leipzig, Germany

Petersstrasse is one of the oldest streets in Leipzig's district of Mitte. For centuries it was a main and commercial street for the Leipzig trade fair with exhibition houses, inns and shops. In the second half of the 19th century, many of the old buildings on the street fell victim to the modernization of the city center. Today it is a heavily frequented pedestrian zone in a prime location with shopping centers, department stores, shops, restaurants and cinemas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Markt (Leipzig)</span> Square in Leipzig, Germany

The Markt is a square of about 1 ha in Leipzig's district of Mitte, Germany. It is considered the center of the city. The Old Town Hall stands on it, which demonstrates its particular historical importance. The square was named Platz des Friedens from 1950 to 1954. Its paving is a listed heritage monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barthels Hof</span> Trade court building in Leipzig, Germany

Barthels Hof is a former trade court building complex in Leipzig in Germany, located in the borough Mitte. It is the last “through courtyard” that was preserved almost in its original condition. That means, the carts drove in, the goods were unloaded, and the carts drove out - without turning around. The horses were stabled in the suburbs. Later, from 1893 on, only samples of the goods were shown in the trade fairs and made to order. The Barthels Hof stretches from the market square to Kleine Fleischergasse and is now one of the city's most important sights. Today, it is used for a restaurant and some small shops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grimmaische Strasse</span> Street in Leipzig, Germany

Grimmaische Strasse is a street in Leipzig, borough Leipzig-Mitte, and connects the marketplace with Augustusplatz. It was named in 1839 after the Grimma Gate (Grimmaisches Tor), the gateway to Grimma, which was first mentioned in 1421. Before that it was called Grimmaische Gasse and was the main street of the Grimma quarter. Today it is a heavily frequented pedestrian zone in a prime location with department stores, shops, restaurants, hotels, a museum and the university as residents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Nicholas Church Square</span> Square in Leipzig, Germany

The St. Nicholas Church Square is a square in the city center of Leipzig, Germany. The St. Nicholas Church stands on it. The church and square have particular significance for the Peaceful Revolution of 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naschmarkt (Leipzig)</span> Square in Leipzig, Germany

The Naschmarkt is a small square in the city center of Leipzig. It owes its name to a time when fruit was traded here, which was also considered a sweet treat at the time. Today it serves as an open-air restaurant in the warmer months of the year, while before Christmas it hosts part of the Christmas market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katharinenstrasse</span> Street in Leipzig, Germany

Katharinenstrasse is a street in the north of the central quarter inside the Inner City Ring Road of Leipzig, Germany. It runs slightly curved in a north–south direction between Markt and Brühl. Its length is 199 m (652.9 ft). The name goes back to a former chapel at the northern end of the street which was mentioned 1240. The point de vue to the south is the tower of the Old Town Hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leipzig City Gates</span>

The Leipzig city gates were structural facilities that existed from the Middle Ages to the 19th century to regulate and control the movement of people and goods into and out of the city of Leipzig, Germany. They initially also had a defensive function. In addition to the four main gates and the five known smaller gates (wickets) through the city wall, several so-called outer gates were later added, which controlled the access roads to the city as secondary gates. None of the gates remain at their original locations.

References

  1. Statistischer Quartalsbericht der Stadt Leipzig 2/2022, in German (Statistic report of the City of Leipzig 2/2022)
  2. Ringel, Sebastian (2015), pp.10–11
  3. Winkler, Friedemann (1998)
  4. Hocquél, Wolfgang (2004), p.10
  5. Heydick, Lutz (1990), p. 17
  6. Künnemann, Otto / Güldemann, Martin (2004), p.8
  7. Leonhardi (1799) writes at p. 36 that there lived a family "Reiche", but the 2010 editor of Leonhardi's book mentions that this was not the reason for the naming. Reich is the German word for Imperium
  8. Ringel, Sebastian (2022), p. 10
  9. Ringel, Sebastian (2022), map at p. 8 and description at. p. 9
  10. f.e. Grimmaischer Steinweg, Peterssteinweg, Ranstädter Steinweg, see Ringel, Sebastian (2022), p. 12
  11. Ringel, Sebastian (2022), p. 13
  12. Ringel, Sebastian (2022), p. 25
  13. Ringel, Sebastian (2022), p. 30
  14. Bürgerverein Waldstraßenviertel e.V., p. 17
  15. Ringel, Sebastian (2022), p. 93
  16. Ringel, Sebastian (2019) and Ringel, Sebastian (2022)
  17. Ringel, Sebastian (2022), p. 199
  18. Topfstedt, Thomas (1992)
  19. Integrated traffic model of the city of Leipzig, traffic concept for the extended inner city, study of traffic on the Leipzig Promenadenring, Power Point presentation on the website of the city of Leipzig (2018) (in German)