From the Central Square our next goal is the Nikolaikirche (St. Nicholas Church) located on the eastern side of the downtown area. It is surprisingly easy to get there compared to how we mapped given the abundance of covered passages and courtyards that provide a direct route to it. Nikolaikirche is famous as the starting point of the anti-communist Revolution that started inside and spread throughout the city.
As most churches here it was Catholic originally before it switched to Lutheran during the reformation. However inside it is quite different from the usual Protestant churches with the building being quite beautiful decorated. Today however we cannot explore as much as we can as similar to Thomaskirche there is a rehearsal but they are much stricter regarding where you can enter.
Still we explore a bit enjoying the beautiful pink ceiling and the many interesting details before leaving via a side door. Quite happy that we were able to see it but it would have been nice to have been able to explore it more thoroughly.
Exiting we decide to explore this area of the city, the farthest from our AirBnB, thoroughly and not to return later. First we explore the nearby plaza which holds the Nikolaisäule (St. Nicholas’ Column) and a few interesting buildings. Nikolaisäule was unveiled in 1999 and commemorates the Peaceful Revolution of 1989, symbolizing how the Monday prayer demonstrations moved outward from inside the church into the public square.
The eastern section of the downtown while still pedestrian is a mix of old and modern buildings with a tilt in many areas towards modern, commercial buildings. Likely this is a result of World War 2 and the decision not to rebuild the whole area afterwards.
Even so it is quite a popular area with many people walking and shopping and just enjoying a day out between bouts of rain.
The older buildings here are quite impressive and we keep our eyes up during those sections to enjoy the beautiful Jugendstil facades. The names tell of stores long gone but the buildings are still standing as beautiful as ever.
And then it is time to start on our return walk towards the church as we are quite hungry and we have to make our way back to the planned restaurant for today.
One of the highlights on this stretch of road ar the many above-the-door decorations, we were not aware but Leipzig is quite famous for them and we can never know what will be depicted on the next building so it is fun to guess.
And then we turn back towards the Central Square passing a few more impressive Jugendstil buildings before arriving at the Mädler-Passage where we plan to have lunch.
