Leipzig and German Reunification

Leipzig Old Town Hall from the 16th Century

Today was our first full day in Leipzig, Germany and for many of us in Europe generally. Although I have been to Europe before, I am always taken aback by the beautiful buildings from multiple eras surrounded by narrow cobbled streets. There is nothing else quite like it. After our long travel day(s), we had a nice slow morning to enjoy a European breakfast of strong coffee, bread, cheese and cold cut meats before our walking tour of the city. Leipzig is not a particularly big city, but it is full of history and there is no shortage of things to see and do. A few things that our guide discussed during the tour which particularly stood out to me were the living conditions in Eastern Germany under the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and the history of the Peaceful Revolution in 1989. I had leaned about the division of Germany during the Cold War, but before today I did not realize the significance of Leipzig to the reunification of Germany. On October 9^th 1989, 70,000 demonstrators gathered outside of St. Nicholas Church and peacefully marched around the city of Leipzig, demanding democratic representation and a united Germany, shouting “We are the people” and “No violence.” One month later the Berlin Wall fell, beginning German reunification. Music was also used as a form of protest against the GDR. I read on an information plaque near the city center that I was standing where the first Leipzig street music festival took place in the same year as the Peaceful Revolution, before it was violently stopped by the police and many of the musicians arrested.

 

Monument to the Peaceful Revolution

To commemorate the Peaceful Revolution today there is a monument outside of the the St. Nicholas Church and every 9^th of October Leipzig celebrates the Festival of Lights where participants light candles and walk the original demonstration route. Due to its historical significance, Germans use this same place for other political demonstrations. Being a Monday, like when the original protests took place, today there will be an evening marching demonstration by Legida to protest the influx of immigrants and Syrian refugees into Germany. Though this may be my outside opinion, I find it tragically ironic that this space which was used to represent unity and the power of the people is now used to exclude others from German society.

University of Leipzig

That being said, generally Leipzig appears welcoming to foreigners. Besides tourists, there are also a number of foreign students who attend the University of Leipzig. The university was another highlight of the tour for me. Where the university is now there used to be a monastery which was converted into a church after the Reformation. In 1968 the church was destroyed by the GDR and Karl Marx University was constructed in its place. After German reunification the university was renamed Leipzig University and redesigned by Dutch architect Erick van Egeraat. Inspired by the location’s history, Egeraat attempted to represent the moment of the church’s destruction, with the jagged lines on the surface of the building like the shards of glass, grey panels as the ash, and off-centered gothic-looking stained glass windows representing the church coming apart. It is an impressive modern building across from the Gewandhaus and Opera House in which we will see three performances later this week. Good coffee, remarkable architecture, and a political protest, not bad for our first day in Leipzig.