Top Historic Sights in Leipzig, Germany

Explore the historic highlights of Leipzig

St. Thomas Church

St. Thomas Church is associated with a number of well-known composers such as Richard Wagner and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, but mostly with Johann Sebastian Bach who worked here as a Kapellmeister (music director) from 1723 until his death in 1750. Today, the church also holds his remains. Martin Luther preached here in 1539. There has been a church at the current site of the Thomaskirche at least since the 12 ...
Founded: 1496 | Location: Leipzig, Germany

St. Nicholas Church

Construction of the St. Nicholas Church began about 1165. It is named after St. Nicholas, patron of travelers and merchants. It was built originally in the Romanesque style (with twin towers) but was extended and enlarged in the early 16th century in the Gothic style. The Baroque main tower was added in 1730; the portal dates from 1759. From 1784 to 1797 the interior was remodeled by German architect Johann Carl Fr ...
Founded: 1165 | Location: Leipzig, Germany

Torhaus Dölitz

The Torhaus Dölitz is the structural remnants of an aristocratic residence, the Dölitz Castle in the village of Dölitz, which today belongs to Leipzig . Large parts of the Dölitz Castle and with it the gatehouse were built in the last third of the 17th century. The gatehouse contains a pewter figure museum whose collection, with around 100,000 pewter figures, is one of the three largest publicly accessibl ...
Founded: 1670 | Location: Leipzig, Germany

Monument to the Battle of the Nations

The Monument to the Battle of the Nations (Völkerschlachtdenkmal) is dedicated to the 1813 Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations. Paid for mostly by donations and the city of Leipzig, it was completed in 1913 for the 100th anniversary of the battle at a cost of six million goldmarks. The monument commemorates Napoleon's defeat at Leipzig, a crucial step towards the end of hostilities in the War ...
Founded: 1913 | Location: Leipzig, Germany

New Town Hall

Leipzig New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus) is the seat of the Leipzig city administration since 1905. It stands within the Leipzig's 'ring road' on the southwest corner opposite the city library at Martin-Luther-Ring. The main tower is, at 114.8 meters, the tallest city hall tower in Germany. In 1895 the city of Leipzig was granted the site of the Pleissenburg by the Kingdom of Saxony to build a new town hall. A compe ...
Founded: 1899 | Location: Leipzig, Germany

Gohliser Schlösschen

In 1756, the Leipzig merchant and City Architect Johann Caspar Richter commissioned the building of a summer palace - the Gohlis Palace. Richter"s architecture, the building"s interior design and the orangery wings enclosing the building at either end make the palace a sterling example of Saxon Baroque architecture. In 1998, the palace was reopened after undergoing complete restoration. Today, the palace is a v ...
Founded: 1756 | Location: Leipzig, Germany

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Monte d'Accoddi

Monte d"Accoddi is a Neolithic archaeological site in northern Sardinia, located in the territory of Sassari. The site consists of a massive raised stone platform thought to have been an altar. It was constructed by the Ozieri culture or earlier, with the oldest parts dated to around 4,000–3,650 BC.

The site was discovered in 1954 in a field owned by the Segni family. No chambers or entrances to the mound have been found, leading to the presumption it was an altar, a temple or a step pyramid. It may have also served an observational function, as its square plan is coordinated with the cardinal points of the compass.

The initial Ozieri structure was abandoned or destroyed around 3000 BC, with traces of fire found in the archeological evidence. Around 2800 BC the remains of the original structure were completely covered with a layered mixture of earth and stone, and large blocks of limestone were then applied to establish a second platform, truncated by a step pyramid (36 m × 29 m, about 10 m in height), accessible by means of a second ramp, 42 m long, built over the older one. This second temple resembles contemporary Mesopotamian ziggurats, and is attributed to the Abealzu-Filigosa culture.

Archeological excavations from the chalcolithic Abealzu-Filigosa layers indicate the Monte d"Accoddi was used for animal sacrifice, with the remains of sheep, cattle, and swine recovered in near equal proportions. It is among the earliest known sacrificial sites in Western Europe.

The site appears to have been abandoned again around 1800 BC, at the onset of the Nuragic age.

The monument was partially reconstructed during the 1980s. It is open to the public and accessible by the old route of SS131 highway, near the hamlet of Ottava. It is 14,9 km from Sassari and 45 km from Alghero. There is no public transportation to the site. The opening times vary throughout the year.