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Leipzig Music Trail

A young woman stands in front of a double bass which is featured in the exhibition in the music city of Leipzig's Bach museum, cultural venue
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The Leipzig Notenspur

The Leipzig Notenspur

A metal inlay denoting part of the Leipzig Notenspur on a cobbled path, city of music, city tours, guided tours, culture, sights, Gewandhaus, Opera
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.

    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. 

    The stations of the Leipzig Notenspur

    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

    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.
    View of the MDR Cube on Augustusplatz, next to the University of Leipzig and the City-Hochhaus, which is a Notenspur station in Leipzig, cultural institution, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (Central German Broadcasting)
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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.
    View of the Former Music Library Peter which is a location along the Notenspur in the music city Leipzig, culture

    Former Peters Music Library

    The former Peters Music Library contains 24,000 media pieces (including manuscripts) making it an outstanding, internationally renowned collection. It is listed in the state register of Saxony as a protected cultural asset.
    View of the Old Town Hall at Market Square, which, until 1905, housed the City Administration Offices and which is now home to the Stadtgeschichtliches Museum and a plethora of shops, cultural venue, shopping, sights, museums in Leipzig, architecture
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    Old City Hall

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


    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 St. Nicholas Church and the St. Nicholas Column in St. Nicholas Church Square, where the prayers for peace which led to the Peace Revolution took place, cultural venue, history of Leipzig, sights

    St. Nicholas Church

    St. Nicholas Church is the oldest and largest church in Leipzig. Together with St. Thomas Church, it is one of the two best-known churches in the city. In autumn 1989, the St. Nicholas Church was the central starting point of the Peaceful Revolution in th
    © Peter Franke
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    Museum Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum (closed for renovation)

    With the Coffe Baum, Leipzig is home to one of the oldest coffee houses in the world. The museum also provides information on the exciting history of coffee.
    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.
    View of the illuminated St. Thomas Church in twilight, where the famous St. Thomas Choir of Leipzig perform, and which constitutes one of Leipzig, the Music City's most prominent attractions, cultural venue

    St. Thomas Church

    The St. Thomas Church is a house of worship, place of music, home of the St. Thomas Choir and final resting place of Johann Sebastian Bach. It is, after the St. Nicholas Church, the second-most central church in Leipzig's city centre.
    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.
    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.
    A young woman stands in front of an old piano which is exhibited at the Grassi Museum für Musikinstrumente, cultural institutions in Leipzig
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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.
    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.
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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 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 facade of the Mendelssohn House which is a location on the music trail of the music city of Leipzig and in which there is a museum, cultural institution, sights
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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 illuminated opera Leipzig with reflections of the lights on the wet ground of the Augustusplatz which is a beloved sight of the music city of Leipzig, cultural institution, events
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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.
    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.
    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.
    View of the Mende fountain and the Gewandhaus on Augustusplatz, where the famous Gewandhaus Orchestra plays and which is a true Leipzig landmark, cultural institution
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    Leipzig Gewandhaus

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

    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. 

    The stations along the Leipzig Notenrad

    View of the Zoellner Monument in Gohlis, which is a station of the Notenrad in the music city Leipzig, cultural institution

    Zöllner Monument

    The Zöllner Memorial honours Carl Friedrich Zöllner. The composer's fame is based on well-known music for folk songs and his great contribution to the development of male choral singing.
    View of the Zweinaundorfer Park in the Leipzig region which, together with the Mölkau estate, is a location on the Notenrad in the music city of Leipzig, cultural institution

    Zweinaundorfer Park, City Estate Mölkau

    The newly married couple Robert and Clara Schumann spent a few hours on the afternoon of their wedding day (12 September 1840) walking through the charming surroundings with park and manor. Today the park is a popular excursion destination.
    View of the garden gate to Schiller house in which a museum with an exhibition about Schiller's time can be seen in Leipzig, cultural institution
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    Schiller House

    Friedrich Schiller worked on his writings here in the summer of 1785. The Schiller House is the oldest literary memorial in Germany.
    View of the illuminated opera Leipzig with reflections of the lights on the wet ground of the Augustusplatz which is a beloved sight of the music city of Leipzig, cultural institution, events
    Highlight
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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.
    A young woman stands in front of an old piano which is exhibited at the Grassi Museum für Musikinstrumente, cultural institutions in Leipzig
    Leipzig
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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.
    View of the Mende fountain and the Gewandhaus on Augustusplatz, where the famous Gewandhaus Orchestra plays and which is a true Leipzig landmark, cultural institution
    Highlight
    Leipzig

    Leipzig Gewandhaus

    The Gewandhaus is located on Augustusplatz opposite Leipzig Opera House and is home to the famous Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.
    View of the Richard-Wagner-Hain in the Palmengarten at the Elster basin which is a wonderful park in Green Leipzig, cultural institution

    Richard Wagner Hain

    The Richard Wagner Hain is a Leipzig park that dates back to a previously planned monument to Richard Wagner.
    View of the crematorium in the South Cemetery, which is located next to the Monument to the Battle of Leipzig, landmarks, Green Leipzig

    Südfriedhof

    Covering an area of 82 hectares, the Südfriedhof in the south of Leipzig is the largest cemetery in the city and one of the largest park-style cemeteries in all of Germany.
    Bach stands on a pedestal in the green space on Dittrichring

    The old Bach Monument, St. Thomas Church

    The world's oldest Bach monument has stood close to the St. Thomas Church since 1843.
    Artwork at the Mendelssohnufer is a reminder of the second Gewandhaus, the location of the Notenbogen in Leipzig, the city of music, cultural institution

    Location of the second Gewandhaus, Mendelssohn-Ufer

    The second Gewandhaus was built because concerts by the Gewandhaus Orchestra were enjoying an increase in popularity in the mid-19th century. The large hall was able to accommodate 1,500 listeners.
    View of the Franz-Schubert-Stela in the Clara-Zetkin-Park which is a station on the Notenrad music wheel in the music city Leipzig, culture, monument

    Franz Schubert Stele, Clara Zetkin Park

    The Schubert Stele was erected in 1929 in what is now Clara Zetkin Park.


    Birthplace of Hanns Eisler

    The birthplace of Hanns Eisler, one of the most important German-speaking composers of the 20th century. It is located very close to the Leipzig Central Station.
    View to the entrance to the Gohliser Schlösschen, which is a location on the Notenrad. It is also home to a restaurant and hosts several events, Notenbogen, Notenspur, cultural institution, gastronomy

    Gohliser Schlösschen

    The last remaining castle and manor complex of the Baroque period is the Gohliser Schlösschen. Today it is a place for various cultural events and also a restaurant.
    A view of the tower of the Schönefeld Memorial Church - Sights in Leipzig Cultural facilities

    Schönefeld Memorial Church

    The most famous wedding ceremony in the Schönefeld church, which took place in 1840, was between Robert Schumann and Clara Wieck.
    View of the façade of the University of Music and Theatre Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, where one can study, cultural venue, education
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    University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy"

    Founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, this is the most traditional music school in Germany and one of the most renowned conservatories in Europe.
    Memorial plaque on a column at the Kleinzschocher manor, which is a station of the Notenrad in the music city Leipzig, cultural institution

    Kleinzschocher Manor

    The former Kleinzschocher Manor is remembered particularly because Bach's Peasant Cantata was premièred there.
    The Clara Zetkin Park is suitable for a long walk with the family in their leisure time through the Green Leipzig

    Richard Strauss Platz

    Near the music pavilion in Clara Zetkin Park, a square and memorial stone commemorate composer Richard Strauss and his time in Leipzig.
    View on the façade of the Gustav Mahler house which is a location of the music wheel in the music city of Leipzig, cultural institution

    Gustav Mahler House

    Built in 1865, the villa served the composer Gustav Mahler as a residence in 1887 and 1888. He composed parts of his first and second symphonies and the world première of the revised opera "Die drei Pintos" by Carl Maria von Weber here.