Live from Leipzig!

I am renting a furnished room in a fifth-floor apartment in a Jugendstil building in the Reudnitz neigborhood of Leipzig. This “young-style” building dates to 1900-something and is currently mixed-use for an alternative health center, a couple artists, and apartments. In the center of the house is a winding dark wood staircase with worn treads and heavy newel posts. The apartment doors have glass panels that open(!) behind fancy metal screens. There is a wide central hallway with (closed) doors—very German. My room is large and on the front of the house; because there is neither a radio nor internet at there, I tend to open a window and listen to the sounds of the street and the basketball court in the park across the way. The windows in my bedroom are original, but those in the kitchen and bathroom are new. I share the kitchen and 1.5 baths with two roommates, also renting rooms from the landlady who owns the building. Because there is so much turnover, the apartment gives the impression of being white and “sterile” (according to my Dresden rommate, who helped me move in). I’ve put up pictures of/by my neice and nephew to personalize my space. Out back is a small Hof (courtyard) with the trash and recylcing recepticles, clotheslines, fish pond, and small patio that’s nice to use if the smokers aren’t. I park my bike out front.

When I visited Leipzig five years ago (June 2006) to do pre-dissertation research, the impression I got was of ugly old DDR-era buildings, construction, and not much “touristy” to do except see Bach’s churches. I have been happily mistaken on all fronts. There is a mix of architecture: despite the WWII bombing and numerous shabby-looking “Communist” structures, there are still some streets (reminding me of Vienna!) with rows of stately old apartment rowhouses, as well newer, modern-looking buildings. However, the Völkerschlacht-Denkmal, a pyrimidal monument dedicated in 1913 to Napoleon’s defeat a century before that at the nearby Battle of the Nations, is still objectively ugly. I have been surprised at how much green space there is here. Dresden has a reputation for its openness and for the wooded expanse of the Dresdner Heide, but Leipzig somehow manages to be both a bigger and a greener city. In addition, the bicycle paths here are far superior to those in Dresden, so I am hoping the weather continues to improve so that I can avoid buying a bus pass and just bike everywhere I need to go.

In addition, the cultural offerings are much broader than my old guide book lets on. When DH comes to visit, we will of course go to Sunday worship at the Thomaskirche (Bach’s main church) and probably also at least one organ concert. We wanted to attend the Mahler Festival, but only really expensive tickets are left, so instead we’ll hit up the Grassi Museum for its ethnographic exhibits, and hopefully the Museum of Contemporary History for an exhibition on life in the DDR. I’m also curious about the coffee museum!