LEIPZIG, lip'tsIK, or LEIPSIC, lip'sik. The largest city in Saxony. and the fourth city in size in the German Empire. situated on the Elster. Pleisse, and Parthe. 74 miles by rail northwest of Dresden (Map: Germany. E 3). Leipzig lies in a rich and extensive plain. Its fortifica tions no longer exist, having given way to pleasant promenades. The mean annual tem perature is 46.7° F.; mean rainfall 22 inches.
In the old town. which has become more and more exclusively the business section. are many ancient buildings and narrow streets. diversi fied by handsome modern edifices in the Re naissance style. Here quaint. shop-lined courts serve to connect streets and shorten distances. This section is surrounded by finely built modern districts, forming both an inner and outer circle of suburbs, beautified by spacious avenues and promenades. Beyond these suburbs are still other suburban areas, which have been legally a part of the city since 1892. The spacious thoroughfare called the Brat crowns the nertIr ern part of the old town. In the vicinity are the monument to Hahnemann. of homa-o pathie fame, and the monument. with the Polish w eagle, on the spot where Pouiatoski wa drowned at the beginning of Napoleon's retreat hi 1813. Along the avenues in the old town are large squares, the most important of which is the hnposing Augustusplatz, surrounded by the university, post-otliee, theatre, and museum—one of the largest squares in Germany. In the Johan nisplatz rises the Reformation monument to Luther and :.\felanchtbon, unveiled in 1883 on the four hundredth anniversary of Luther's birth. In the market-place in the centre of the old part of the town stools the great war monument by Siemering. with bronze figures, unveiled in 1888.
Architecturally the churches of Leipzig have little to offer. The Thomaskirche has more than a local fame for the weekly motets sung by a choir of boys, This church dates from 1222, and was rebuilt in 1496. The University or Pauline Church was dedicated by Luther. During the reconstruction of the Church of Saint John, about 1895, the torch of Bach was discovered. His remains as well as those of the poet Gellert re pose in the new church. Leipzig has an Anglo
American church, dedicated in 18S5. Among the prominent secular edifices, the several university buildings are of particular interest. Among these are the extensive Augustemn with an aula and fine reliefs; the Fridericianum, built in 1843; the Mauricianum, dating from 1649; and the im mense Albertinum. The university library, eon Mining. about 500,000 was completed in 1891. The imposing new Gewandhaus, with a large coneert-room, is enriched with sculptures by Schilling. In front stands the statue of Men delssolin, who was the conductor of the Gewand hans concerts for several years. The old Gewand haus, or Hall of the Cloth-Merchants, where he directed, is now used for business purposes. The splendid Imperial Supreme Court building was completed in 1595. 1 t consists of a central edifice, crowned by a copper dome, 224 feet high, and of wings appropriately adorned with columns and sculptures. Other conspicuous edifices are the German Renaissance Booksellers' Exchange, with archives and a library; the elegant new Re naissance Stock Exchange, with an immense ball; and the Crystal Palace, used for entertainment purposes. In the vicinity stands the curious old Rathaus, built in the middle of the sixteenth century. The KiMigshaus in the market-place is associated with memories of Napoleon. Charles XII., and Peter the Great. In the old Castle of Plei-.senburg. formerly a citadel and destroyed in later years, Luther and Eek held their dis putations. and Pappenheim died. The Museum building was completed in IS5S, and is orna mented with statues. The splendid new theatre was finished in ISGS in the Renaissance style. Among all the literary associations of Leipzig no other is so famous as Anerbach's cellar. with its curious vaulted ceiling and mural paintings— the scene of a part of Goethe's FattRt. Among the monuments not already mentioned are a bronze statue of Leibnitz, who was born in Leip zig. and the new monument to Bismarck, and the one to Schumann, who lived here for fourteen years.