Leipzig

Anonymous Leipzig is only a little over an hour train ride from Berlin. When we got on the train (some of us just barely), we found our seats and away we went. We got off the train in Leipzig and it was a totally different feel than Berlin. Berlin has such a busy, moving, vibrant atmosphere whereas Leipzig was much more slow and laid-back. Leipzig has a very clear center in the city where the Nikolaikirche and Thomaskirche (the church where Bach was the Cantor) sit. The streets in Leipzig are narrow and quaint. Many people are slowly wandering through the downtown center through the many cafes and stores.

Leipzig, just like Berlin, has a lot of history! But it is not simply the amount of history that amazes me, it is the diversity of history. Leipzig was the city that Johann Sebasitan Bach lived and worked (for a choir person, that is pretty cool), a city with former Stasi and communitst rule, and the city that held Monday night peace vigils in the Nikolaikirche that eventually led to the Peaceful Revolution that was one of the causes of the fall of the Berlin wall. The bright and musical history of the Thomaskirche and the Boys Choir sits within walking distance of the history of the DDR and the East German Stasi.

We started the day out by a visit to the Stasi Museum. This museum is in the old building the "Runde Ecke". This housed the old headquarters of the Stasi in Leipzig. The museum is humble and by no means showy. Everything is very simply displayed. But even without flashy displays and fancy exhibits, the point is clear. The museum focuses, discribes, and displays methods the Stast would use to turn their own citizens against each other, for example, steam opening people mail, especially mail from West Germany, reading, or stealing the contents and forging mail back to the sender. The Stasi offered jobs and other "amends" to people in exchange  for their word that they would report to a Stasi agent about the activities of their friends. The Stasi in 1989 had over 300,000 files on daily activities of citizens of the DDR (not counting the thousands that were destroied before that). In fact, there is an office that you can request your file or look up information about your Stasi file if you think you have one.

The Nikolaikirche is a church in the city center that was the home of  Monday night peace vigils during the DDR. They were focused on praying for peace and advocating peacefully for democratic change within the DDR. The ultimate demonstration was the Peacfull Revolution where approximately one millions people filled the streets surrounding Leipzig with candles lit for peace on October 9, 1989. Professor Christensen got a chance to meet and talk to the pastor of the church at the time. These vigils continue to this day, praying for peace for conflict around the world.

Later, we attended a Motette in the Thomaskirche and listened to the Boys' Choir that Bach used to direct. That was quit an experience. The voices were in perfect harmony. I can't express the feeling of listening to a choir of that level sing in such a beautiful and historical place as the Thomaskirche.

On a less historical side, Leipzig has a great student night life. Many places for students to dance and have fun line the inner streets of Leipzig. There are many small seemingly meaningless corridors that lead you to more shops, cafes, and restaurants. It is time well spent to explore these corridors to really get to know Leipzig.

Tomorrow, we are leaving Leipzig and headed back to Berlin. On the way, we will stop at Wittenberg (a very important place for PLU!) For now, I will continue to take in the ever present history in a very modern Germany.