Germany Revisited

The Leipzig Zoo welcomes visitors

More than 800 years ago, in the time of the Holy Roman Empire, two imperial trade routes — one from the Adriatic Sea to the Baltic Sea, the other from Spain to the Ukraine — intersected at Leipzig, creating a commercial crossroads that became the site of the world’s oldest continuing trade fair.

The Leipzig Fair, or Leipziger Messe, was originally held in the city center but now is situated about 20 minutes away in contemporary facilities that comprise the Congress Center Leipzig (CCL), five exhibition halls, and the striking Glass Hall for special events.

“Even though Leipzig is not as well known as certain other cities in Germany, we find that when meeting organizers visit us, our chances of being chosen increase greatly,” says Ronald Koetteritzsch, director of marketing and sales with the Leipziger Messe GmbH Congress Center. “For one thing, the people here have always been curious and open about the outside world, and foreign visitors will never have trouble finding someone to chat with. Most locals can survive very well in English.

“Also, there is a great spirit of cooperation among the CCL, Leipzig Tourism, hoteliers, transportation providers, and the city authorities. It’s the reason I’ve worked here for 15 years, and it’s something the clients feel, too,” Koetteritzsch adds. “We have around 6,500 hotel rooms, and a room in a four-star property would typically be around 140 euros a night. Since we are concerned with issues of sustainability, we strongly encourage planners to use our excellent and reliable public transport system between the city center and the CCL, and we offer a combined conference and transportation pass.”

To call Leipzig multifaceted is very much an understatement. Perhaps the most important cultural figure associated with the city is Johann Sebastian Bach. The city is home to a Bach museum, and visitors today can hear the St. Thomas Boys Choir at the church where Bach was music director for 27 years. Robert Schumann’s regular table remains on view at the Coffe Baum, Germany’s oldest coffee house, which is still going strong. Felix Mendelssohn was director of the Gewandhaus Orchestra, Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig — the list goes on.

Shortly after the invention of the printing press, printing houses and binderies began to appear in Leipzig, and by the 17th century there was an established book fair that continued to flourish well into the 20th century. Following German reunification, the Leipzig Book Fair has again become a preeminent platform for publishers, booksellers, and authors; it is held each March at the CCL.

“Leipzig has quite an interesting scientific and research community in its many clinics and hospitals, and the city attracts a number of medical groups,” says Koetteritzsch. “Later this year we are looking forward to hosting the Congress of the International Society for Advancement of Cytometry [a technique for counting blood cells]. The group specifically chose Leipzig from an impressive list of other candidates because our scientific community is far above average.” 

October 9, 1989, was a watershed moment for Leipzig, which was then a part of the communist German Democratic Republic. On that day, following a decade of prayer meetings in the historic Nicolaikirche (St. Nicholas Church), more than 70,000 nonviolent protesters took to the streets despite warnings from the Stasi, the dreaded secret police, who in the end took no action. This event is known as the Peaceful Revolution; a month later the Berlin Wall fell.

Leipzig’s hospitality industry builds on the city’s history when working with incoming groups. “In Leipzig we try to practice the art of listening, because we feel it is important to understand the interests of a particular group,” says Koetteritzsch. “When we first heard that the Baptist Youth World Conference was considering Leipzig, we wrote, ‘We are sending you this communication because God worked a miracle in this city.’ ”

The group of 6,700 young attendees met at the CCL in the summer of 2008. “We were intrigued that Leipzig had played this major role in an historic event that corresponded to the nature of our organization,” says Rev. Emmett L. Dunn, director of the Baptist World Alliance Congress and Conferences. “We felt it would be a great eye-opener for our young people from around the globe. 

“We were very pleased with the congress facilities, which met our space and budget requirements, and also the professionalism and friendliness of the people were very encouraging,” Dunn continues. “They were a great bunch to do business with.”

“Although we do have this very modern and spectacular glass hall at the convention center, we always recommend that if a big conference has just one large evening event, that it goes out and experiences something cultural in Leipzig,” says Koetteritzsch. “One obvious choice is the Moritzbasel in the only remaining section of the old city walls. It feels very old Germanic, with vaulted cellars lit with torches and really good food. It never fails to impress planners. My favorite is the Asisi Panometer, an old gas storage unit where guests are surrounded by a huge 360-degree painting of Mt. Everest. It’s awe-inspiring.”

Another popular choice is the Bayerischer Bahnhof, the oldest railway terminus in the world, although nowadays there is only local service. Right now, it’s mainly a venue, with an in-house brewery (complete with tours), a beer garden, and a restaurant inside the historic station.