Leipzig is a highlight on many of our Germany tours and we try to include live performances by the legendary St. Thomas’ Church Boys Choir. J. S. Bach music fans will love Leipzig, hearing his music live at optional concerts and then posing for photos in front of his local statue. Leipzig was voted a recent European Culture Capital and has so much to offer. Leipzig also has had a rich and varied history. It was a flourishing trading city from the Bronze Age onwards, situated where 2 routes crossed (Sweden-Italy / Spain-Russia). Martin Luther defended his doctrines here at the Leipzig Disputations/Debates in 1519 and our groups learn all about it from our expert guides. In 1539, this trading and commercial center became a Protestant City. Many of Martin Luther's works were published here. Leipzig is an unusual city, as the arts were financed by merchants, rather than rich patrons. It has been home to many wonderful artists, musicians and poets, such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Goethe and Schiller. One of the most significant periods of Leipzig's history was when the Pastor of St Nicholas Church began peace prayer services that in 1989 led to the fall of the Berlin Wall. You can visit the very spot on our tours and then meet local Christians for fellowship and hear their stories! Some other highlights in Leipzig are: the Old Town Hall, Auerbachs Keller Restaurant, Barthels Hof- is Leipzig's last originally preserved trade court, dating back to 1497, Mendelssohn House and Schumann House museums. One more to explore: Stasi Museum portrays 40 years of spying and GDR terror, located fittingly at Stasi headquarters. Leipzig is a fascinating overnight and our groups go on to Dresden or Prague, stopping at the Meissen Porcelain for demonstrations and shopping.