Leipzig, the largest city in the federal state of Saxony, is located in the north-west of Saxony by the rivers Elster, Pleisse and Parthe.

From 1723 to 1750 Johann Sebastian Bach was musical director of Leipzig and also choirmaster of the famous St Thomas’ Boys Choir which emerged 800 years ago from the practice of music making during service in the former Ausgustinian Canons.

Thomaskirche/St Thomas's Church © flickr/vxla

In Leipzig you can learn a lot about Bach as the city has dedicated itself to maintaining his heritage. There are the Bach Archives, the Bach Museum and the Gewandhaus Orchstra. For more than 250 years the Gewandhaus Orchestra has been playing classical music in Leipzig, either in the Gewandhaus, in the Opera House or with the Boys Choir at St Thomas’ Church.

But you can also find the residence of the composer Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy in Leipzig. Today the building houses a museum with his original furniture amongst others on display.

Another famous citizen of Leipzig was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who studied in Leipzig from 1765 to 1768. A scene from his famous ‘Faust’ made the restaurant ‘Auerbachs Keller’ (Auerbach’s Cellar) world-famous.

In Leipzig you can also find the oldest surviving coffee house and restaurant in Europe. It is called ‘Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum’ and was first mentioned in 1556. It was reconstructed in 1719/20 and got its name from a statue at the main gate. Today the building not only houses a café and restaurant but also a museum.

Battle of the Nations Monument/Völkerschlachtdenkmal © flickr-Mara~earth light~

If you come to Leipzig by train you will arrive at one of the largest terminus train station in Europe that today also houses a state-of-the-art shopping and service centre.

The Old City Hall of Leipzig was built between 1556 and 1557 in only nine month and still is one of the most beautiful Renaissance town halls in Germany. Today it houses a museum where visitors can learn about the history of Leipzig.

To commemorate the Battle of the Nations of 1813 the largest memorial complex in Europe was erected near Leipzig. It has a viewing platform at 91 metres above ground that offers a great view of Leipzig and the whole region.

Leipzig was the starting point of the Peaceful Revolution of 1989 which led to the reunification of the two German states. You can visit St Nicholas’ Church where the Prayers for Peace were said and the demonstrations started. And what started with only a few people soon became a peaceful demonstration held by 70,000 men and women.

Leipzig is also called ‘mother of all trade fairs’ and opened the new exhibition centre in 1996. In 1997 it celebrated the 500th anniversary of being granted the Imperial Right to Hold Trade Fairs.

If you seek peace and quiet you should go for a walk in the Auenwald, a park and floodplain landscape that is unique in Europe and snakes all the way through the city.

Perfect for a day out with the whole family are the Leipzig Zoo, being one of the oldest and most varied in the world, and the Belantis Amusement Park.

Besides the famous restaurants Auerbachs Keller and Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum Leipzig also has numerous pubs, cafés, bars and beer gardens. Leipzig offers its visitors a wide range of international as well as local cuisine.

If you visit Leipzig you should purchase the LEIPZIG CARD with which you have free access to trams and busses and also get special discounts for museums, sightseeing tours and more. Click here for more information.

The name Meissen is closely related to the famous Meissen porcelain, but hardly anybody knows where the town Meissen is located.

Meissen is located in Saxony northwest of  Dresden on the Elbe river and the town is more than 1000 years old.

Castle and Cathedral © flickr/martinroell

The town’s landmark is the Albrechtsburg which is the oldest German castle built from 1471 to 1524. Since 1881 the castle has been home of a museum.

Next to the castle visitors can see Meissen Cathedral, built from 1250 to 1400, with its characteristic steeples. One of them wasn’t finished until 1908.
In the Cathedral there are seven statues by the so called Naumburger Meister. Naumburger Meister is the replacement for the name of an artist who had lived in the 13th century and who is now unknown. Visitors can also see an altar triptych made by Lukas Cranach the Elder.

In the Church of our Lady in Meissen the first tuneable chime of porcelain bells in the world was installed. You can hear it several times each day.

The Albrechtsburg castle is not only the town’s landmark but also the place where the Porcelain Manufacture was established in 1810.
The first high quality porcelain outside of China was more or less produced accidentally.
After the alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger had claimed to be able to produce gold out of less valuable materials, the Elector August the Strong kept him in custody to produce gold. As to be expected he was not successful but together with Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus he managed to make porcelain.
And the porcelain wasn’t less profitable for August the Strong as everybody in Europe wanted to have it.

Until October 31st, 2010 there will be a porcelain exhibition in Albrechtsburg Castle called: “Der Stein der Weis(s)en – 300 Jahre Mythos Manufaktur Meissen: Die Albrechtsburg als Porzellanschloss.“.
Visitors can also see magnificent pieces of 300 years of Meissen porcelain in the show rooms of the Meissen Porcelain Manufacture in Talstrasse 9 in Meissen.

Saxony

Augustusburg – Schloss:

Motorrad-Museum

Here you can find one of Europe’s most important motorcycle collections. It is an exhibition of DKW and MZ bikes. And on October 3, 2010 there will be a vintage car meeting. www.die-sehenswerten-drei.de

Dresden:

Gläserne Manufaktur

Here visitors are able to see how the Volkswagen Phaeton is made by hand. www.glaesernemanufaktur.de

Technische Sammlung der Stadt Dresden

Here you can see exhibits concerning information and communication technology in an old factory for photo cameras. www.tsd.de

Meißen:

Staatliche Porzelan Manufaktur Meissen

Here you can see where the famous chinaware made in Meissen has been made during the last 300 years. www.meissen.de

Zwickau:

August Horch Museum

Here you can experience automobile history from Horch to Audi and in East German times the Trabant. www.horch-museum.de

Dresden is the capital oft he Free State of Saxony located on River Elbe and can easily be reached by car, plane, train and even by bus from Berlin and Munich.

The city has a lot to offer and especially in the old city center you will find many historical monuments like the Dresden Zwinger, the Frauenkirche (Our Lady’s Church) the Semper Opera House and the Royal Palace.

Dresden©flickr/Hardo

The Frauenkirche was built from 1726 to 1743 following the designs of George Bähr. On February 15, 1945 it was destroyed during the bomb raids of WW2 and was an anti-war monument until the 1990s.

The church now is reconstructed, has regained its original appearance and beauty, and was again consecrated in October 2005.

The Semper Opera House built from 1871 to 1878 following plans of Gottfried Semper, was also destroyed in 1945 and was reopened in 1985 after reconstruction.

Semperoper©flickr/Hardo

The Frauenkirche and the Semper Opera House might be the most famous buildings of Dresden but there are of course many more to see.

And you can also visit interesting museums in the city and walk along the River Elbe and enjoy the beautiful landscape of the Elbe Meadows or visit the botanical garden. The Albertinum Museum is going to be reopened in June 2010 and shows art from Romanticism to the Present. And in the “Japanese Palace” you will be able to see a special exhibition from May 8 to August 29, 2010 called: “Triumph of the Blue Swords. Meissen Porcelain for Aristocracy and Bourgeoisie from 1710 to 1815”.