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Boroughs of Leipzig – no. 4: Waldstraße district
>> Each borough of Leipzig
has its own particular character
and charm. We present a
different one each issue and
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Early history
Early settlements northwest of
what is now the city centre are
known to have existed long
before Leipzig was granted
municipal status. St Jacob’s Parish,
which arose in the eleventh century
along the road Via Regia
(nowadays Ranstädter Steinweg)
and the Slavic settlements which
existed in the tenth century near
what is now Lortzingstraße were
the forerunners of urbs Libsi, the
town of Leipzig. They belonged to
‘Rannische Vorstadt’, a suburb
important for the defence of
Leipzig which was also the main
route for goods being delivered to
the city until the late Middle Ages.
Rannische Vorstadt evolved into
the Waldstraße district, which is
still a very popular residential area
owing to its ideal location between
the town centre and the Auenwald
swathe of woodlands.
Elsterstraße 38
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Striking architecture,
famous residents
The buildings nowadays typical of
the Waldstrasse district – the
biggest uninterrupted display of
housing history in Saxony –
began to be erected in the
1830s. They encompass a host
of styles ranging from late classicism,
historicism, neo-Gothic and
Jugendstil (the German answer
to Art Nouveau) to the new functionalism
and present-day architecture.
The area has long been home to
national and international celebrities.
Composers such as Heinrich
Marschner, Albert Lortzing and
Gustav Mahler as well as church
music composer Georg Trexler all
lived and worked there. Painter
Max Beckmann was born there,
as were Thomas Theodor Heine,
who went on to found Munich
satirical publication Simplicissimus,
and Sir Bernhard Katz, winner
of the 1970 Nobel Prize for
Medicine.
Jewish heritage
Not far away from the Waldstraße
district is Brühl– the street that
was once the centre of the world
fur trade. Owing to the high level
of Jewish involvement in furs,
until the 1930s many of Leipzig’s
Jewish citizens – including prominent
industrialists, intellectuals
and artists – chose to live in the
Waldstrasse district. They were
joined by several Jewish religious
and social institutions, some of
which can still be seen, including
Jewish prayer houses and synagogues,
the Israelite old people’s
home, a Jewish kindergarten and
the Eitingon Hospital.
A walking tour
We start at the Museum of
a school in 1837–39 in late classical
style. Right behind it is
Lortzingstraße, nos. 7 and 9 being
the oldest houses in the district;
constructed in 1832, their clear
lines indicate them to be prime
examples of late classicism. We
then head north into Rosentalgasse,
passing the ‘near confluence’
of two mill races almost a
hundred years old and Rosentalgasse
1/3, a fine example of
early historicism. The end of the
adjacent Rosentalgasse affords a
stunning view of Rosental, Leipzig’s
oldest woodland park. Some
of the outdoor facilities of Leipzig
Zoo can be seen in the distance.
Now over 125 years old, the
zoo’s many attractions include the
biggest great ape enclosure in
the world. Proceeding westwards,
we enter Hinrichsenstraße
and walk alongside the Elster mill
race, which until well into the first
half of the nineteenth century met
Leipzig’s entire fish consumption.
Admiring the late classical buildings
dating back to the second
half of the nineteenth century, we
then come to Ariowitsch Foundation
House, the former Israelite
old people’s home where a Jewish
centre is currently being built. We
carry on along Funkenburgstraße
to Liviaplatz, the most magnificent
square in the district, which
contains the ‘entrance gate’ to
Rosental park. Continuing down
the street and alongside the Elster
mill race hemmed by villas, we
reach Christianstraße. Here we
catch our first glimpse of the
modernised Leipzig Central Stadium,
where five matches will be
played during the 2006 FIFA
World Cup Germany. In the
immediate vicinity is Leipzig Arena,
built at the site of a gymnasium
destroyed during World War II.
This area is also home to two
Natural History, originally built as Liviastraße 6
Große Funkenburg as shown on an old postcard
Plaque on Funkenburgstraße 8
sports schools, the Institute of
Sport Research, and the campus
of the University of Leipzig’s
Faculty of Sport.
Guided tours
Contact Leipzig Erleben GmbH
for walking and cycling tours to
the most prominent sights in the
Waldstraße district taking in its
architectural development, cultural
history and Jewish heritage.
Contact:
Bürgerverein
Waldstraßenviertel e.V.
Hinrichsenstraße 10
04105 Leipzig, Germany
Tel: +49 (0) 341 980 3883
www.waldstrassenviertel.de
Pro Leipzig e.V.
Waldstraße 19
04105 Leipzig, Germany
Tel: +49 (0) 341 980 1894
www.proleipzig-buecher.de
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