Leipzig city of heroes and city of music

Leipzig's key role in setting the rhythm for the peaceful revolution of 1989 is testament to the city's musical endowment. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Leipzig was labelled 'City of Heroes' – a title which could also be in reference to the many great musicians, kapellmeister and composers who are arguably more popular and more prominent here than anywhere else in the world.

Leipzig clearly has a special relationship with music. In fact, it's a distinctive feature of the city's heritage. Since 1254, when the St. Thomas choir, one of the world's oldest boys' choirs, was first documented, music has struck a chord with the people of Leipzig and inspired some its finest historical buildings. The Gewandhaus concert hall, for instance, is home to the Gewandhaus Orchestra (founded in 1743) and was led for many years by eminent conductor Kurt Masur, a key player in the peaceful revolution. The concert hall also houses an impressive organ, whose 6,638 pipes provide an unforgettable aural experience. Then there's the magnificent opera house, one of the oldest music theatres in Europe, famed for its repertoire from baroque to contemporary. The impact of certain former Leipzig residents is still felt today. For example, Johann Sebastian Bach, the most famous cantor of St. Thomas Church, as well as Leipzig-born composer Richard Wagner and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, who established the first German music conservatory here in 1843. Add to that list Robert Schumann and Clara Wieck, who enchanted the city both as musicians and as lovers. The people of Leipzig themselves have a long-standing love affair with one of the oldest coffee houses in Europe: Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum has been a favourite haunt of great minds and great talents since 1711. Bach, Schumann, Liszt, Grieg and Wagner have all graced it with their presence over the centuries, as have Goethe and Lessing and even Napoleon and Augustus the Strong. A sure sign that Leipzig was, and still is, an appealing city for people from all walks of life – and not just the reserve of musicians and composers.