Things to Do in Leipzig

The harbor and the warehouse district played a big part in shaping Hamburg as a city, and a visit here will give you a glimpse at the city's history. Along this road, you will find many restaurants and pubs. The Johannes Brahms Museum is located at number 39, which is the composer's former home. The Telemann Museum, a great place for music lovers, is also located in this area. Around the corner at Peterstrasse 35-39 is a replica of the Beylingstift complex, a baroque building built in 1751.

Standing at the intersection of two historically important trade roads, Via Regia and Via Imperii, St. Nicholas Church in Leipzig dates to 1165. The oldest church in the city, it was originally built in a Romanesque style, but was enlarged and converted into a Gothic hall church in the 16th century. An octagonal central tower was added at that time as well. Martin Luther is said to have preached at the church, which has been Protestant since 1539. The interior of the church is notable for the pillars in the nave that end in palm-like flourishes. Johann Sebastian Bach once served as the music director for the church and several of his works debuted in the church in the 18th century.

The church gained national prominence in 1989 due to peaceful demonstrations outside the church protesting communist rule in Germany. Today, it remains one of the largest churches in the Saxony region of Germany, holding up to 1400.

Speicherstadt is Hamburg's warehouse district and the largest warehouse complex in the world. Hamburg's harbor has been an important influence on the city for centuries, and in the late 1800s, the warehouse complex was built. Since so many goods were shipped in and out of Hamburg, it made sense to have someplace to store them. Shortly after, the area received free port status so that goods could be transferred without paying customs. The area consists of several blocks interspersed with canals that lead to the port itself.

Today several of the buildings now hold museums and other tourist attractions. Spicy's Spice Museum tells of the history of the spice trade and Hamburg's part in it. The Hamburg Dungeon shows 600 years of Hamburg's dark history through scary yet funny performances and rides. Miniatur Wunderland has the largest model railway in the world, which runs through several miniature versions of cities, countries, and even a fully functioning airport. At the Speicherstadt Museum, you can learn about the history of the warehouse district.

It is also possible to take a tour of the Speicherstadt with a canal tour on a historic barge. Most tours start from the Landungsbrücken, the docks by the river in the St. Pauli district.

The St. Nikolai Church in Hamburg was mostly destroyed during air raids in World War II. Approximately 35,000 people were killed during the air raids. The ruins of the church now serve as a memorial to the victims of the war. The church's tower was used to help allied pilots navigate, and it still stands today, almost undamaged.

The memorial at St. Nikolai Church includes a permanent exhibition in the crypt of the ruins that depicts the causes and consequences of the aerial war in Europe. Black and white photos show images of the war and the destruction that came with it. The memorial also serves as a cultural meeting place. Concerts, films, and lectures link events, social issues, and conflicts of the present. Events deal with the German culture of remembrance and lectures on current international politics. Germany's largest glockenspiel was installed here in 1993, and it is sounded at concerts to remember the victims of the war.

Standing at 147.3 meters (483 feet) it is the highest church tower in the city and the fifth highest church in the world. Visitors can take the glass elevator to the observation deck at 76 meters (249 feet) for a panoramic view of Hamburg.