City context

Leipzig is located in the east German state of Saxony, 150km south west of Germany's capital, Berlin (see Figures 5.1 and 5.2). With 4.3 million inhabitants, Saxony is the most populous of the new Länder (regions) that were formed after German reunification.

Leipzig's traditional role was that of a commercial and trading centre for Saxony and beyond. With 500,000 inhabitants it is the second largest city in East Germany, after Berlin and the thirteenth largest among all Germany's cities. It originates from a Slavic village founded around 900 AD, and was accorded town status in 1165. Its favourable location at the crossroads of central and eastern European trading routes made it a major market centre in the late Middle Ages and its trade fair is the oldest in Europe. Leipzig is also home to Germany's second oldest university (founded in 1409).

Most German cities experienced their most dramatic urban transformation and rapid industrialisation during the so-called Gründerzeit (foundation era).

This period began after the victory against France in 1871 and the creation of the German nation-state, and ended with the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. The former kingdom of Saxony became an independent region and Leipzig emerged as a leading national city. Much of the older housing in German cities was constructed during this period, in dense four-to-five storey apartment buildings. Leipzig industrialised rapidly during the late 19th century, mainly driven by publishing, textile and metalworking industries, leading to unprecedented population growth (see Figure 5.3). The city's population more than quadrupled between 1871 and 1900, from 107,000 to 456,000. Leipzig reached its population peak in the 1930s with over 700,000 inhabitants, making it the fourth largest German city. Further industrialisation in the inter-war period (1918–39) in electrical, chemical, mining and energy sectors, added to the existing industrial base.

Leipzig suffered less damage during the Second World War than other major German cities. However, the division of Germany into two states in 1949 led to state functions being concentrated in east Berlin and regional governments being dissolved. The German Democratic Republic's (GDR) orientation towards the eastern bloc disrupted Leipzig's traditional commercial ties, although industrial activity was soon revived by the creation of large industrial conglomerates (Kombinat) based on existing industrial sectors (see Figure 5.4).