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Stumbled across a few references to Leipzig today that suggested it was "significantly on the move up" for living and visiting. One used the phrase "Heipzig" to describe its surge in popularity because of relative affordability, new cultural activity and recent economic growth.
Just casual curiosity on my part at this point, but has anyone been there recently and have comments on today's Leipzig?
I talked to an artist in a hipster commune in London about Leipzig as the new hip destination over 10 years ago. The hype has been around for quite some time now.
The last time I was there which is now 5-6 years ago it reminded me a lot of Berlin. Smaller but a similar vibe.
I rented a furnished apartment in Leipzig from May-October 2019, about 1.5 km east of the main train station. Leipzig has a big university student community and also a fairly diverse economic standing compared to most cities in eastern Germany. The downside is an ultra-left and anarchist faction mostly in the Connewitz & Suedvorstadt neighborhoods. They like to burn cars and fight with the police on occasion, but if you steer clear of their demonstrations they won't bother you. Leipzig has an impressive and massive main train station that will connect you with cities in 8 different directions. There is always some sort of concert or event going on, and it is famous in the late spring for the Gothic Wave festival, biggest gothic event on the planet. Even if you are not into goth, the costumes and parades are a sight to see.
I lived in Chemnitz for most of the 3 years from October 2020 to end of September 2023. I just returned to the US 3 weeks ago. Leipzig and Dresden are both 1 hour from Chemnitz, and I visited both places frequently. Chemnitz suits me better - it is the opposite of trendy, few hipsters, and super affordable. Much less graffiti, cleaner and pretty easy going with excellent access to the Czech Republic and the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge) just to the south. If you don't speak fluent German, you would be lost in Chemnitz.
If you want to learn German in Leipzig, I highly recommend Sprachschule Paroli on Lilianstrasse.
Yes, Leipzig has gotten buzz for awhile. More news to me than news. Seems like the change is broad and sustained.
I looked a bit at the city as follow-up to looking at the Goth Festival. Not particularly interested in the fashion or lifestyle but I like some of the music.
Plenty of spots and events beyond the most common / popular list.
I'll probably look into it a more and maybe some other German cities.
Watched about 10 videos on Leipzig. They didn't increase my interest. Maybe there are better videos out there. Perhaps another search at another time.
It could be a better place to live than visit. Especially relative to Berlin, if that is too much.
I don't think it's a tourist city per se. It lacks a killer attraction that would get people to go there. For visitors I think Dresden is a superior city.
The reason Leipzig got hype was primarily because it's less than a 100 miles from Berlin and Berlin got too expensive for many people in the arts scene. And Leipzig stayed cheap in comparison, but also had a major university and its own 'alternative' Far Left community and associated arts scene already. So Leipzig could offer the things that had originally attracted many people to Berlin in the 90s and early 00s, i.e. sort of a 'bohemian' urban lifestyle, at a fraction of the cost.
What would be the best ways to find cheap to moderate priced apartment in central or southern Germany potentially for 1-3 months? I looked at Airbnb and found a few modest priced places by the month but wondered if there are other productive sources.
What would be the best ways to find cheap to moderate priced apartment in central or southern Germany potentially for 1-3 months? I looked at Airbnb and found a few modest priced places by the month but wondered if there are other productive sources.
A surprisingly good way to find vacation apartments for most cities in Germany (and many other countries) is Google Maps. For example, first do a search on the city you wish to stay in. Then type Vacation Apartments in the search window for that region or city. If you do this for Leipzig for example, then fill in the dates you wish to stay, you will get dozens or hundreds of results. Then you can narrow the search on the map to a more specific area. Turn on the "transit" layer on Google map, and you will see the streetcar or other urban transit lines. This way, you can find a place that will give you good transit access to downtown or the main train station. You will almost always find better prices and quieter places to stay that are a few kilometers from the center of the city, but if they are near transit it is no big deal. Find a place on a side street instead of the main street to road avoid noise.
After you arrive in Germany, go to the train station and buy the monthly 49 Euro Deutschlandticket. This is one of the world's best transportation deals that allows you to ride any transit system in Germany as well as any S-Bahn, local train or regional train. It doesn't allow high speed long distance trains, but you can still take trips anywhere in Germany using regional express trains, just takes a few transfers and extra time.
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