Leipzig: A year of festivities 2019 holds several important anniversaries for Leipzig in Saxony. For example, 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the Monday Demonstrations, which led to the fall of the Berlin wall, as well as the 200th birthday of composer Clara Schumann, who was born in Leipzig. Last but not least, the city celebrates the 100th anniversary of Bauhaus. Visitors can therefore look forward to plenty of special exhibitions and festivities of the special kind. TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF I PHOTOS: PK FOTOGRAFIE
Hardly any other German city can boast as great and vibrant a cultural history as Leipzig. In 2019, the city will celebrate important anniversaries of events that had significant effects on the development of Germany. Let’s take a look at some of the year’s highlights. History up close In 2019, Leipzig will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution which eventually led to the fall of the Berlin wall. The decisive non-violent Monday demonstration on 9 October 102 | Issue 74 | May 2019
1989 attracted more than 70,000 people who protested for freedom and democracy in Leipzig. The Festival of Lights is held annually to commemorate the events of autumn 1989. This year, the event will be the emotional highlight of the many commemorative events held in the historic locations. 200 years of Clara Schumann 2019 will also celebrate the 200th birthday of Clara Schumann, Leipzig’s most famous female composer and celebrated pianist who spent the first 25 years of her
life in the city. All year long, the city will celebrate the composer with the project CLARA19. For example, visitors to the city will be able to walk in Clara’s footsteps at original locations, including the Schumann House where she used to live. Furthermore, compositions will be performed at special music venues. A highlight of the year will be the Schumann Festival Week from 12 to 29 September, which coincides with the musician’s birthday and wedding day. In the ‘Great Concert’, the pianist Lauma Skride and the Gewandhaus orchestra will perform Schumann’s Piano Concerto Op. 7. 100 years of Bauhaus Leipzig has another special event in 2019: celebrating 100 years of the founding of the Bauhaus school of architecture, which significantly shaped German architecture. In Leipzig, many architectural masterpieces of the 1920s and 1930s can be