"Opera and cycling in Leipzig" Top 5 Page for this destination Leipzig by Nemorino


Leipzig Travel Guide: 557 reviews and 1,063 photos

Leipzig is now just three and a quarter hours from Frankfurt am Main by InterCityExpress train, and there are thirteen such trains per day. You don't need a visa, you don't have to change money, and the train doesn't even slow down when it goes through Gerstungen. Times have changed.

I've been to Leipzig several times in recent years. After my 2009 visit I added two new tips -- at the beginning of the Transportation category -- and updated several others.


Whenever I am in Leipzig I of course make a point of attending one of their fine opera productions. The first was a quite traditional production of Germany's most popular and often-performed opera, The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, followed by a clever modern version of The Bartered Bride by Bedrich Smetana and a seductive Orfeo ed Euridice by Christoph Willibald Gluck.

Later I saw The Tales of Hoffmann by Jacques Offenbach (with the American tenor Robert Chafin as Hoffmann) and more recently La Sonnambula by Vincenzo Bellini (twice) and the premiere of Les Troyens by Hector Berlioz (with Robert Chafin as Énée).


Dresden and Leipzig, the two largest cities in Sachsen, have very different-looking opera houses. As you can see from my Dresden page, the Semper Opera in Dresden has three U-shaped balconies and is very ornate on the inside, with warm colors, endless paintings and decorations, and looks as though it was built in the 1840s -- which in fact it was, though it has been destroyed and rebuilt twice since then.


The Leipzig Opera House was designed and built in the 1950s, and is a faithful reflection of the tastes and priorities of that era. It has only one straight balcony, so you have a full view of the stage from any seat in the house. There is lots of wood paneling, but very little ornamentation. The elegant but unspectacular design elements on the walls and ceiling were created mainly for their acoustic properties.

This opera house is not a huge tourist attraction like the one in Dresden, but it's very attractive in its way, and I always enjoy going there. It's a Listed Building now, so when they did renovation work on it in 1992/93 and again in 2007 they were careful to preserve the original ambience of the building.



Leipzig in the 1960s

The only thing I can remember about my first visit to Leipzig is a large grimy restaurant at the station late at night. During the time it took me to have a meal and a couple of beers, three different squads of People's Police came through and checked everyone's identification.

I guess I must have stayed at the InterHotel, as all foreigners were required to do, but I don't remember anything about it. At some point my cousin Manfred drove over from Nordhausen in his Trabbi (this was before they got the Lada) to pick me up.

  • Last visit to Leipzig: Jul 2009
  • Intro Updated Oct 16, 2010
  • Add to Trip Planner (?)
  • Report Abuse

Reviews (28)

Comments (36)

Post a Comment   Submit Comment  
  • Regina1965's Profile Photo
    Regina1965 Sep 14, 2011 at 10:55 AM Report Abuse

    I like your pages on Germany, have such fond memories of my time there. I particularly liked your tip on "No stop in Gerstungen", thank God.

  • johngayton's Profile Photo
    johngayton Apr 7, 2011 at 5:34 PM Report Abuse

    Yes it's interesting that whilst Berlin got all the coverage it was the people of Liepzig who changed the course of modern European history. Nice page.

  • toonsarah's Profile Photo
    toonsarah Apr 30, 2010 at 11:47 AM Report Abuse

    It's good that the Schiller house survived the encroachment of the city. The austere interior of the opera house reminds me a little of London's Royal Festival Hall, from that era. I would like to visit here, though of course WOULD have to change money!

  • german_eagle's Profile Photo
    german_eagle Mar 26, 2010 at 3:07 AM Report Abuse

    Fabulous updates here, Don. How could I miss them for so long? Alas, the ICE train connections are going to be worse from Dec 2010 on and the money that goes into the construction of the new railroad tunnel under the city centre doubled ...

  • HORSCHECK's Profile Photo
    HORSCHECK Nov 25, 2009 at 12:46 PM Report Abuse

    Don, excellent updates on your fabulous Leipzig page. Since my last visit of your page, I have at least been to Leipzig for 1,5 hours, which was of course not enough for this gorgeous city.

  • alancollins's Profile Photo
    alancollins Sep 7, 2009 at 5:21 AM Report Abuse

    Unfortunately another city where I have only managed an afternoon visit.

  • Segolily's Profile Photo
    Segolily Feb 27, 2009 at 8:03 PM Report Abuse

    Thank you for visiting my Utah pages. I thought I would return the favor. :-). My Grandparents in law were from Leipzig, left in the '20's. It is our hope that one day we could visit, though I expect there will be little left from their life.

  • mindcrime's Profile Photo
    mindcrime Feb 9, 2009 at 1:40 AM Report Abuse

    Great general unkown tips!... thanx!

  • yumyum's Profile Photo
    yumyum Dec 15, 2008 at 7:13 AM Report Abuse

    I have not yet been to Leipzig, but it's on my wish list for sure although when I see these modern theatres then I hope that there is also some older architecture to be seen.

  • ranger49's Profile Photo
    ranger49 Jul 18, 2008 at 10:16 AM Report Abuse

    So much to see off the beaten track - I hope those sad buildings have been restored. Leipzig Opera and Welsh Nat.Opera did an exchange around 1980 I recall they sang Poppea, Tito and Orestes in Cardiff.

Nemorino

“A bicycle is . . . the freedom you thought you were getting when you bought a car.”

Online Now

Male

Top 1,000 Travel Writer
Member Rank:
0 0 0 3 3

Badges & Stats in Leipzig

  • 28 Reviews
  • 49 Photos
  • 20 Forum posts
  • 37 Comments
  • 20,054PageViews

Have you been to Leipzig?

  Share Your Travels  

Latest Activity in Leipzig

Travel Interests

See All Travel Interests (5)

Latest Leipzig hotel reviews

Pension Leipzig Georgplatz
1 Review & Opinion
Latest: Sep 23, 2011
Hotel de Saxe
3 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Sep 4, 2010
Vasano Suites
4 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Dec 2, 2011
Etap Hotel Leipzig Nord-Ost
2 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Sep 13, 2011
Holiday Inn Leipzig City Centre
30 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 12, 2012
Atlanta International Leipzig
5 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Sep 13, 2011
Art'otel Leipzig City Center
2 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Sep 29, 2010
Hotel Lindenau Leipzig
2 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 29, 2012
Tulip Inn Leipzig
8 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Oct 24, 2011
Mercure Hotel Leipzig am Johannisplatz
21 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Mar 24, 2012
NH Leipzig-Messe
6 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 4, 2012