Augustusplatz

Leipzig

Massive Augustusplatz may look nondescript at best, and foreboding at worst, but it is actually flanked by some of Leipzig's most famous buildings, including the Gewandhaus (the city's main concert hall) and the opera house. The 11-storey Kroch-Haus, Leipzig's first high-rise, is topped by a clock and two buff sentries. More eye-catching is the glass-fronted Paulinum, the university church and new campus building, constructed on the same spot as the medieval Paulinerkirche that was demolished in 1968 by GDR authorities.

The boldly modern structure is by Dutch architect Erick van Egeraat.

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Nearby Leipzig attractions

1. Kroch-Haus

0.06 MILES

Leipzig's first 'skyscraper', the 11-storey Kroch-Haus is topped by a clock and two muscular bronze sentries, who bash the bell at regular intervals; the…

2. Paulinum

0.08 MILES

Looking like an airport terminal devouring a Gothic cathedral, Leipzig University's main building is a boldly postmodern tribute to the 13th-century…

3. Nikolaikirche

0.13 MILES

This church has Romanesque and Gothic roots, but since 1797 has sported a striking neoclassical interior with palm-like pillars and cream-coloured pews…

4. Richard-Wagner-Museum

0.15 MILES

This museum documenting Wagner's formative years in Leipzig, opened in his former school in 2013, provides a detailed overview of the composer's…

5. Schwanenteich

0.19 MILES

This pretty pond surrounded by trees backs onto Leipzig's opera house and is a charming place to wander.

6. Zeitgeschichtliches Forum

0.22 MILES

This fascinating, enormous and well-curated exhibit covers the political history of the GDR, from division and dictatorship to fall-of-the-Wall ecstasy…

7. Mendelssohn-Haus

0.23 MILES

A key figure of the Romantic age, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was appointed music director of the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester in 1835 and held the…

8. Stadtgeschichtliches Museum

0.26 MILES

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