Last day in Leipzig

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Yesterday was a walk around the city day, taking in the old architecture from this very beautiful city.
Leipzig was established in the 11th century and by the 17th century was one of the leading cultural cities in Europe with the composers JSBach, Schumann, and Mendelssohn all calling this place home.

Leipzig was the largest city under the former GDR years of 1949 to 1989 and a lot of the uprising and the overthrow of the former government occured with the peace prayers and peace movement hosted in St Nicholas church. Staasi police were sent to these Monday prayers to monitor the citizens who were attending but the citizens were undaunted and continued with up to 2000 attending just before the unification of Germany.

St Nicholas church was formerly a Catholic church and like many changed to Lutheran with the reformation by Martin Luther in the 1500's.
The church is large and ornate. The roof architecture is meant to resemble palm trees and there are marble frescos on the altar walls. JS Bach was also responsible for the music in this church.

Near the town centre are the opera house and cultural hall and opposite the opera house is the famous GDR statues on top of the building with the latin words Omnia Vincit Labor which translates to Work Conquers All.

We also visited the museum in the city centre which details the history of the division and reunification of Germany . No English, but easily understood with displays showing the former GDR years, the small changes in those times controlled carefully by the government, , and the growing unrest and then the symbolic fall of the wall and unification.

Yesterday marked the anniverary of JSBach's death so a chamber music concert was held in St Thomas church, his major church where he composed and played. Baroque instruments and a male choir with female soloists gave a splendid concert. Hard to see with the church layout but beautiful accoustics.

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Photos

Cultural hall
The statues out the front include Pegasus and cherubs

City Centre
I thought these looked like mountains and the valleys and rivers between them...modern art

St Nicholas church
Roof details are meant to resemble palm trees

St Nicholas church
The peace prayers and peace movement at this church played a major part in the overthrow of the GDR

Museum
Shows the division and unification of Germany

Museum
10 year celebration of the mighty GDR

St Nicholas church
Marble altar frescos

My tea
Pfifferlinge mit sommelknödel, which means mushrooms in a mushroom sauce and a bread which seemed to be soaked in maybe stock and then fried, tasty with a 500ml Radler beer

Buskers
These guys were playing after we came out of the Bach concert, oboe and cello and brilliant

Hen's night
They were towing a little kids wagon full of presents and lucky dips that you could buy off them