Old fair

Since its beginnings in the Middle Ages, trade fairs in Leipzig have continued to develop, making Leipzig one of the most important trade fair cities in the world at the beginning of the 20th century. After the masses of exhibited goods finally exceeded the capacity of the city center, with its courtyards, passages and exhibition halls, an exhibition center with several halls was opened near the Monument to the Battle of the Nations in 1920. After the 17 exhibition halls were partially destroyed and repurposed during the Second World War, the first post-war trade fair was able to reopen in 1946. Until 1996, the exhibition center with its double-Ms at the entrances and the magnificent Soviet Pavilion was the flagship of the trade fair city. After the New Exhibition Center opened in the north of Leipzig in the mid-1990s, many new highlights moved into the Old Exhibition Center. In addition to research facilities, the site attracts visitors with leisure facilities such as indoor soccer, an escape room and much more.