Hidden Leipzig: Waldstraßenviertel

You don’t want to discover the Waldstraßenviertel alone? Bürgerverein Waldstraßenviertel eV offers guided tours usually every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month Tours are currently suspended due to the Corona pandemic, but they can take place on request. Provided that the distance restrictions allow this. Let us tell you the stories of the houses, learn more about the architecture or follow the Jewish traces in the district. Other tours take you back to the Wilhelminian era, explain the water concept of the city of Leipzig or let you experience Leipzig from its sporty side. The meeting point is always at 14 pm at the Citizens' Office of the association. The 1,5 to 2-hour tours cost 8 euros per personFrom June onwards, guided tours will take place regularly again.

Auf dem area of ​​today's Waldstraßenviertel were initially Slavic settlementsThe Elster-Pleiße floodplain provided the inhabitants with the water they needed to survive. The extensive river regulation work in the 10th to 12th centuries, the relocation of the Parthe and the construction of the Elstermühlgraben brought quickly new settlements However, the settlements did not belong to Leipzig, but were located outside the city gates. That changed in the 15th century. As the population grew, the city of Leipzig could no longer feed itself. That is why it bought up the settlements outside its gates, including the large production potential. The boom in Leipzig was unstoppable.

From 1830 onwards the development into a large city began. New living space The hope of using the area of ​​today's Waldstraßenviertel as building land was destroyed by the recurring spring floods. Only with the construction of the Elster-Saale Canal During the 60s, the Waldstrasse district was expanded. Leipzig developed not only into a business and trade metropolis, but also into a cultural and intellectual center. For this reason, Leipzig was named Jewish traders and businessmen increasingly attractive. The Jews, who mainly came from Eastern Europe, found a new home in the new and modern Waldstrasse district. Jewish culture and Jewish life were visible to everyone in the everyday life of the district. The district soon became popularly known as New Jerusalem mentioned.