Leipzig

While its commercial past is hard to ignore, this German city is now making way for hip boutiques and revamped industrial spaces — no wonder it’s being dubbed ‘Hypezig’.

- Jo Fletcher-Cross 

Some have dubbed Leipzig the ‘new Berlin’ — on account of the artists, families and cool young things who’ve been priced out of the capital and relocated in their droves to the Saxon city. To buy into the ‘Hypezig’ talk, however, is to misunderstand the place. Yes, there are plenty of hipster coffee shops, masses of contemporary art and some very exciting repurposed industrial architecture, such as the incredible Spinnerei — once Europe’s largest cotton mill, now a hotbed of cool creativity with gallery and exhibition spaces. But there’s been a lot going on here for centuries.

Leipzig’s status as a commercial hub at the intersection of key European trade routes (the Via Regia and Via Imperii), gave it many economic advantages and saw it flourish as a site for trade fairs in the Middle Ages. It’s also been home to musical greats — Mahler, Bach, Wagner and Mendelssohn all lived and worked here; it was the centre of the printing and publishing world from as far back as 1481, when the city’s first book was printed; and the very first regular daily newspaper, Einkommende Zeitungen, was produced here from 1650. The university — where Neitzche and Goethe were both students — has one of the oldest libraries in Germany.

The city’s modern history is no less fascinating: mass demonstrations on the streets of Leipzig marked the beginning of the Peaceful Revolution in the late 1980s, which culminated in the fall of communism. A lingering sense of quiet rebellion coupled with a can-do attitude has fostered vibrant street art, a quirky pop-up food scene, plus art and nightlife spaces in unlikely spots. Landmarks damaged in the Second World War have been restored, making the city centre a buzzing and beautiful place.