Leipzig continued - From cotton to culture

The Saxon city is a real concentrate of culture in all its forms.

Latest edition : 23 April 2022

It's not just the music that characterizes Leipzig. There is also pictorial art thanks to its high school of graphic arts. The "Leipzig School" is known in artistic circles around the world with artists such as Werner Tübke and Neo Rauch. Galleries in town like the GH2 give a nice overview.

The Kunsthalle GH2 wants to promote contemporary art. This work by Tomas Saraceno is part of the Hildbrand collection.
A work by Neo Rauch, renowned artist from the Leipzig School. Hildbrand Collection.

But to take full measure of the emergence of contemporary art, which shows a completely different facet of Leipzig, head to its neighborhoods. Before the arrival of the factories, Lindenau-Plagwitz was a bucolic suburb. The cotton mill became the largest in Europe before closing permanently in 1993.

The spinning mill was the largest in Europe.

It has become a dilapidated, abandoned, polluted, squatted district. From the 2000s, the alternative scene began to take over the premises. Street artists find a great field of expression there.

Street art in Leipzig.
This also is Street art in Leipzig.

The abandoned railway station has become the "citizen's station", shared gardens are laid out, a new form of housing is born.

Alternative housing is in great demand. Cheap prices are likely to rise.
Antifascist area...

As for the "Spinnerei", the former cotton mill, it is a perfect example of the successful rehabilitation of an industrial wasteland. The brick buildings now house more than 100 workshops and galleries.

The Spinnerei is home to around a hundred workshops and art galleries.
Oscar Niemeyer's sphere is posed like a UFO.

Art in all its forms abounds west of Leipzig. The former power station now houses a center for digital art and culture with video installations, 360° projections and music. A technique that allows the visitor a real immersion in the heart of a work. Currently, it is the monumental work of Werner Tübke (1929-2004), “The beginnings of the civil revolution in Germany” which comes back to life. It took the artist 11 years to create this painting, which is the largest in Central Europe with a surface area of 14 by 123 metres. For 27 minutes, the spectator is immersed in the epic of the peasant war, vibrates over the utopias that fail…. A gripping experience.

Installed on mattresses on the ground, we dive into the world of Tübke.
We are part of the world of Tübke.
The masterpiece of Tübke comes to live.
The explanation of the making of this incredible achievement.
So many details would not be seen without this incredible work.
A visit to the Kunstkraftwerk holds other surprises for the eyes.
A trick for the eyes.

Before returning to the city center there is one more important site to visit, the imposing Battle of the Nations monument erected to commemorate the battle of 1813, when Prussia, Austria, Russia and Sweden fought against Napoleon's army.

An audio guide also available in English, allows you to know everything about the monument erected between 1898 and 1913.

500 steps lead to the upper platform, an elevator allows you to cross just a few floors. But the panoramic view is worth it.

The Völkeschlachtdenkmal commemorates the victory over the Napoleonic army.
Everything is monumental!
Inside the memorial, one feels very small...
The foundations of the monument are just as impressive!
Better check the signs, because what looks like a castle is actually a funeral center, and the pretty park a cemetery.
Napoleon experienced a defeat before the gates of Leipzig.
The model of the monument.

After the weight of history, it's time to find a little lightness! Our last evening in Leipzig takes us to the cabaret, the famous Krystallpalast, which was one of the most renowned variety theaters in Europe and which hosted artists like Josephine Baker. Young international artists, acrobats, singers and musicians are dragging visitors into a real whirlwind, which ultimately resembles my discovery of Leipzig!

The Krystallpalast hosts many shows and concerts.
Volodymyr Omelchenko keeps the balance, even while juggling on metal rollers.
Mago Skizzo is a concentrate of energy that navigates between magic, comedy and a touch of madness.