The Leipzig Notenspur

Walk along the Leipzig Notenspur © W. Schneider

The fascinating combination of musical experiences & city exploration.

A musical walking tour: Leipzig has an unparalleled density of the original places of work of famous composers. Since 12 May 2012, the Leipzig Notenspur has made this musical cultural heritage a tangible experience for tourists. As the individual stations are not far removed from one another, they can be comfortably discovered on foot. At each station, audio examples and information in German and English provide you with exciting insights. You can also get the full experience on a unique 360° panorama tour.

The Leipzig Notenspur connects the most important original locations in Leipzig city centre along 5.1 km. Curved steel elements embedded into the ground mark the meandering path through city centre. You can start and end your tour at any of the stations.

Visualisation of the Leipzig Notenspur in "Leipzig - a World-Class City of Music" flyer (PDF 1.44 MB)

About the project

Information film about the Leipzig Notenspur from Youtube, produced by LVZ, cultural venue, city of music, sights

The Leipzig Notenbogen

The music of the 19th and early 20th century are at the centre of the 5 km-long Leipzig Notenbogen, or "Music Walk".

Get a sense of the atmosphere of the time on your way through the Gründerzeit district and its parks.

Leipzig Notenbogen

The stations of the Leipzig Notenspur

View of a staircase at the site of the first Gewandhaus which is a station of the Notenspur in the music city Leipzig, cultural institution

First Gewandhaus location

The first Leipzig Gewandhaus was a concert hall with 500 seats, and many world-famous pieces were premièred there.

View of Edvard Grieg's stele at the Edvard Grieg memorial which is a station of the Notenspur in Leipzig, city of music, monument, cultural institution

Edvard Grieg Memorial and Social Centre

The memorial and social centre documents the life of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg with a permanent exhibition on his work in Leipzig. Admission to the museum is free.

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Mendelssohn House Leipzig

The Mendelssohn-Haus Leipzig is both a museum and a music salon. Visit Mendelssohn's study and listen to enchanting concert matinees.

View of the Old St. Nicholas School façade at the St. Nicholas Church, which boasts both a restaurant and a museum about Richard Wagner, gastronomy in Leipzig, cultural institution, city of music

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Alte Nikolaischule – Old St. Nicholas School

Leipzig's first community school is today one of the most important cultural monuments in the city. The permanent exhibition on Richard Wagner documents the life of one of its most famous students.

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MDR Kubus (Cube)

The Cube was specially built for rehearsals and sound recordings by the MDR Radio Choir and the MDR Symphony Orchestra and meets the highest standards for radio and CD productions.

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Leipzig Gewandhaus

The Gewandhaus is located on Augustusplatz opposite the Leipzig Opera House, and is home to the famous Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.

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Opera Leipzig

Leipzig Opera represents more than 300 years of the city' s opera tradition. It is home to internationally renowned soloists, choirs and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.

Picture of the Richard-Wagner memorial, which is a station of the Notenspur in the music city Leipzig, cultural institution

Richard Wagner Monument

The statue commemorates the musician Richard Wagner, who was born in Leipzig in 1813 and is regarded as the most influential composer of the high romantic era.

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GRASSI Museum for Musical Instruments

Marvel at one of the largest collections of musical instruments worldwide. On a tour through five centuries of music history you will get to know the many facets of Leipzig as a city of music.

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Old Town Hall

The Old Town Hall is a historic building in the centre of Leipzig. This city landmark is located directly on the market square.

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Museum of Fine Arts - Beethoven

The Museum of Fine Arts exhibits one of the world's most important music-related works of fine art: Klinger's sculpture of Beethoven.

View of the facades at the location of the Altes Konservatorium, which is a landmark of the music trail in the music city of Leipzig, cultural institution

Location of the Old Conservatory

The Conservatory of Music was opened in 1843 in the courtyard of the Old Gewandhaus at Neumarkt. Today, the location houses the Städtisches Kaufhaus. In 1887 the Conservatory moved to the present location of the University of Music and Theatre.

Sound installation

With the sound installation in Kretschmanns Hof on the Leipzig Notenspur, you can turn back time by 100 or 200 years and hear what Leipzig sounded like back then.

View of the Reclam Carree in the Graphic Quarter where once one of the Reclam publishing house was located and which is a station on the Notenspur of the music city Leipzig, culture in Leipzig

Grafisches Viertel - Music Publishers

The oldest music publishing house in the world was founded in the Grafische Viertel in 1719. It was established by companies in the literature industry and publishing houses, and reached its peak in 1900.

View into the foyer of the Augusteum at the University of Leipzig on Augustusplatz where the Audimax is located, studying in Leipzig, education, cultural institution

Neues Augusteum and Paulinum

The Neues Augusteum and Paulinum of Leipzig University are integrated into the university building complex at Augustusplatz.

Picture of the commemorative plaque at the birthplace of Leipzig composer Clara Wieck, who later married Robert Schumann. The building is situated on the Notenspur in Leipzig, the city of music

Clara Wieck's birthplace

The important pianist Clara Schumann, née Wieck, lived in Leipzig for the first 25 years of her life. Her birthplace was destroyed in the Second World War.

View of the wooden cross commemorating the destroyed St. John's Church and the building of the Grassi Museums of Ethnology, Musical Instruments and Applied Arts at Johannisplatz where wonderful exhibitions can be seen, cultural institution in Leipzig

Old St. John's Cemetery

The Alte Johannisfriedhof, which has been converted into a park, is the ideal place for a walk and houses several graves of well-known figures.

The Leipzig Notenrad

Cyclists on a cycling tour ride over Sachsenbrücke in Clara Zetkin park, which conveniently connects the city centre to the west of Leipzig, bicycle city, leisure, bicycle rental

By bike through Leipzig, the Music City © Robin Kunz

Cycling through the Music City

There probably is not another city in the world where you can experience so many interesting historical places relating to music in such an active yet laid-back way. And the best way to experience this rich history? By bicycle!

The Leipzig Notenrad leads you to the living and working places of famous musical geniuses. From St. Thomas Church in the city centre you will cycle through less touristy parts of Leipzig - along rivers, through parks and the Gründerzeit quarter (with architecture dating back to the Wilhelminan era), past mansions, churches, museums and the historical homes of famous composers. After 40 kilometres your Leipzig Notenspur will end at the new Gewandhaus. If you would rather a shorter trip in the saddle, you can also opt for an abbreviated tour of 17.5 km.

The Leipzig Notenrad is one of three individual "musical discovery tours" developed by the Leipzig Notenspur Initiative - a project by citizens for citizens. Incidentally, the Leipzig Notenspur website was awarded the European Initiative Prize for Culture "Pro Europa". And as Leipzig locals are known to be visionaries and dreamers, the next goal is already set: Inclusion in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.