Thanks to the German tax code!

I've shown similar house fronts before, but I find it marvellous to look up and see such craftsmanship. And to think that it's a recently restored work subsidised by tax concessions.

a small fountain

quite inconspicously hiding near the main entrance to the old town hall.

Designers Open 2009

Ysterday the fashion show and for the rest of the weekend the store (its been empty for a while) is home to various young and older designers. You can buy really interestingly designed stuff and clothes which are more or less unique in that they are not mass-produced.

Walk on Air

Designers Open in Leipzig for the 5th time. Not just fashion but also many other interesting things too.

...but not NY

..or little venice

my little paris?

I've shown a similar tourist bus before. They are old Parisian busses with an open platform at the back which was the prefered place for Commisionaire Maigret - he could smoke his pipe outside.
I was pleased to see the writting on the side refers to " little paris", which is what Goethe called Leipzig.

some trees

Battle of Leipzig

196 years ago was the battle that Napoleon and his allies lost. Afterwards he was sent to Elba.
The battle is commemorated by 50 small monuments like this one. They each mark a particular point of the battle between 200,000 Napoleonic and 400,000 opposing troops which raged for days around and in the city. The stones are named after the man who paid for them.
I find that in their simplicity and the fact that they are dotted all around they are a more suitable memorial than the colossus that was set up in 1913. That is a glorification of war and ironically seems to be much loved by the people of Leipzig.
Ironic because the Kingdom of saxony was on the losing side!

stormy weather

...and it rained shortly after.

Industrial sunset

This was difficult to capture without a tripod. The sunlight is coming through the new University Aula which is still under construction.

?

I'm glad someone made the effort to make me smile.

Not New England but...

.......a bit of colour on a very dull day.

.......remembered

Last night over 100,000 people shuffled through along the historic route. My main impression was that we were all very content and quiet.

The peaceful revolution

Today we remember that 70,000 people can be too many for a political system that they don't want.
During the autumn of 1989 cautious demonstrations developed out of the church based prayer groups that had met for some years and each Monday more people were brave enough to go onto the streets of Leipzig and other towns and cities in East Germany. On Sept 11th the police counted 1000 and arrested 89, by Sept 25th there were 5,000 and on October 2nd, 20,000. They were well aware of events in Peking that year. On Oct. 7th, 210 out of a crowd of 4,000 had been arrested, hospitals had been advised to make space available.
And on October 9th 1989 the well-armed police retreated before the crowd. Perhaps no-one wanted to take responsibilty for a bloodbath, history suggests that the authorities in Berlin were also unprepared for the size of the crowd.
The demonstrations continued, Oct 16th, 120,000; a week later, 200,000 were demanding reforms to the system. Unification with West Germany was not a demand.
The largest demo was on Nov.6th, 300- 400,000 people.

Old Exchange

This little gem is behind the old town hall in the Naschmarkt or market for food. It was built as an assembley place for the local businessmen in 1678

at the bus stop

died waiting?

No to be fair our trams and busses keep good time.

end of summer

The days are noticeably shorter and cooler and now the colours are changing. A quiet "Allee" past allotments near the centre.

Bach?

We always seem to see Bach portrayed as an old git, its rather nice to see that in Arnstadt (about 150 km away in Thuringen) where he worked as a young man he is remembered like this.
In the Catholic churchyard there are a number of Bach family graves