Creative Leipzig
Creative Scene Leipzig
Whether art, design, literature or the scene - Leipzig sets trends
For the young creative people Leipzig is no longer an insider tip. Word has got around that the working and living environment is right and that the three cultural-artistic universities and the university keep feeding the pool of ideas anew. Leipzig is known worldwide for its dynamic art, music and festival scene. This not only attracts artists and actors to the city - it also makes creative Leipzig a trendy destination for individualists.
Galleries and art spaces
Galleries and art spaces
Spinnerei, New Leipziger School, MdbK, GRASSI, GfzK
Leipzig's dynamic art scene enjoys an excellent reputation worldwide. The focus is on the Leipzig Spinnerei. Since the fall of communism, an artistic microcosm with over 100 exhibition rooms and studios as well as 11 leading contemporary art galleries has developed on the site of what was once the largest cotton spinning mill in continental Europe. Neo Rauch, one of the protagonists of the New Leipzig School, was among the first to have his own studio at the Spinnerei. Famous names, such as Tilo Baumgärtel and Matthias Weischer, followed soon after. The New Leipzig School is an art movement that emerged from the Leipzig School around painter Arno Rink. It has its origins at the Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig.
The contemporary Leipzig art scene is closely linked to Leipzig's industrial culture. Centres of urban industrial architecture, which were once used as workshops for the manufacturing industry, are now hubs for the young creative scene. Head to Plagwitz and Lindenau in the west of Leipzig and discover the Kunstkraftwerk or the Leipziger Tapetenwerk.
Leipzig is not only a place where great art is created, it can also be enjoyed to the utmost. Numerous galleries and museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts, the GRASSI Museum of Applied Arts or the Gallery of Contemporary Art, are waiting to be discovered.
Design and Fashion
GRASSIMESSE and Designer's Open
Leipzig not only represents fine art, but it also sets trends. Are you a design lover and trendsetter? Then mark your calendar to visit Leipzig at the last weekend of October. Because that is exactly when Leipzig becomes the hotspot of the design scene. First held in 1920, the GRASSIMESSE, which has once again established itself in 1997, represents a highlight in the design calendar. Lovers of extraordinary fashion and unconventional furniture will get their money's worth. The Designer's Open brings together architects, designers, fashion designers and creative minds to present their products and the latest trends in the interior and fashion scene. The programme includes readings, workshops, films, fashion shows and evening events in many creative spots throughout the city.
GRASSIMESSE and Designer's Open: Hotspots
Alternative Festivals
Highfield, WGT, DOK
Leipzig also has musical roots. The annual Highfield Festival at Lake Störmthal in mid-August is the largest independent festival in Eastern Germany. The dreamlike scenery in Leipzig's New Lakeland area, beach, water and acts like Mando Diao, Billy Talent, Rammstein and The Offspring now attract more than 35,000 visitors to the Leipzig region.
Leipzig dresses in black every year for Whitsun. At the world's biggest Goth Festival, the Wave Gotik Treffen, over 25,000 fans of the scene come together in Leipzig. The festival has a tradition going back over 20 years and invites you to Leipzig every year with hundreds of concerts, readings, theatre performances, films and markets.
You will find something special not only musically but also cinematically in Leipzig. One of the world's leading international film festivals - DOK Leipzig takes place every year in October. The documentary and animated film festival, which was established over 60 years ago, attracts almost 50,000 visitors from all over the world to Leipzig's cinemas.
Hidden Leipzig
Leipzig off the beaten track
We guarantee you - a visit to Leipzig will be the beginning of an everlasting love. Leipzig's attitude to life is unique and hard to describe - it has to be experienced. Explore the city off the beaten track and discover the hidden Leipzig. What awaits you there? Green oases, cosy cafés and restaurants, small shops with that special something, artistic and cultural hotspots away from the beaten track. In short: lively places where you will feel the atmosphere of Leipzig.