We moved to Leipzig back in August 2015, thinking we were just starting a new chapter abroad in a new city with lots of potential. Ten years later, this city has become the place where we grew up; not just my daughters, but me as well. This apartment has seen everything: kindergarten applications & school changes, little graduations & big milestones, long winters, joyful summers, heartbreak, resilience, & whole seasons of rebuilding. It held us through divorce, through Covid, through the quiet days & the loud ones. It’s the home where we welcomed Billie, where we decorated countless Christmas trees, where we learned, fought, loved, cried, laughed, & most important of all, healed.

Leipzig has given us stability, warmth, community, & the gentle rhythm of a city that moves at its own steady pace. A place with history, culture, & a creative pulse, yet perfectly livable: kind, affordable, & familiar. After a decade here, with all its ups & downs, we can honestly say: we love this city. Leipzig has been good to us. It has been our German home.

Leipzig is the largest city in Saxony, even though Dresden holds the title of state capital. Home to roughly 600,000+ people, it sits in what was once East Germany, just two hours southwest of Berlin. The landscape is mostly flat, shaped by the rivers White Elster, Pleisse, & Parthe, & surrounded by forests, parks, & the slowly transforming lake district known as Neuseenland, former open-cast mines now becoming a chain of beautiful lakes (my favorite part!). The city is dotted with green spaces like Johannapark, Clara-Zetkin-Park, & the Leipzig Riverside Forest, one of the largest floodplain forests in Central Europe. Even the Botanical Garden carries a quiet charm, standing as Germany’s oldest with over 7,000 plant species. Leipzig may be a growing, modern city, but nature is always close enough to breathe it in.

Leipzig’s charm lies in the way its long, layered history still pulses through the streets. Once a major medieval trading hub sitting at the crossroads of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, it grew into a center of learning, music, & publishing within the Holy Roman Empire. Its story took a harsher turn during the GDR years, when cultural & economic life declined, yet the city’s spirit proved unbreakable. In the late 1980s, Leipzig became the heart of the peaceful Monday demonstrations that helped ignite the fall of communism, earning it the nickname Heldenstadt (the Hero City). Since reunification, Leipzig has reinvented itself again, restoring its historic architecture, modernizing its infrastructure, & reclaiming its identity as a cultural & intellectual powerhouse. The legacy of figures like Gottfried Leibniz, Richard Wagner, Max Beckmann, & countless thinkers still echoes through its libraries, concert halls, & quiet corners, reminding you that this city has always been more than it appears.

Leipzig today is one of Germany’s most dynamic & livable cities, often affectionately called “Hypezig” or “The New Berlin” thanks to its thriving creative scene, independent spirit, & constantly growing community. It balances a youthful, artistic energy with the calm reliability of a well-organized German city, making it a magnet for students, families, entrepreneurs, & artists alike. Research institutions consistently rank it as one of the country’s most desirable places to live, & the New York Times named it a top global destination in 2020, recognition that mirrors the city’s undeniable charm.

At the same time, Leipzig is an economic force. BMW & Porsche operate major manufacturing plants here, DHL shifted its European air hub to Leipzig/Halle Airport, & the European Energy Exchange anchors the city as a key player in Central European markets. Startups & innovation labs flourish inside renovated industrial buildings, while new neighborhoods and creative districts continue to take shape. Yet for all this growth, Leipzig remains grounded, green, & deeply human: a place where modern life blends effortlessly with history and culture.

Leipzig’s cultural heartbeat is unmistakable, shaped by centuries of music, art, & intellectual life. Johann Sebastian Bach spent his most productive years here, Richard Wagner was born here, and Robert Schumann & Felix Mendelssohn helped establish the city as a musical powerhouse. Today, their legacy lives on through institutions like the Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Thomanerchor, & the University of Music & Theatre. But Leipzig’s creativity isn’t only classical, the city has a vibrant contemporary scene, from the iconic Moritzbastei student club to the world-famous Wave-Gotik-Treffen festival & the New Leipzig School of painters led by Neo Rauch. Dozens of museums, from the Grassi complex to the Bach Archive & the Panometer, add layers of history & imagination. Whether high culture or subculture, Leipzig embraces it all with an ease that feels both rooted and refreshingly modern.

Leipzig’s architecture tells the story of a city that has reinvented itself many times yet never lost its character. The historic center still follows the outline of its medieval walls, now replaced by the ring road, & is filled with Renaissance landmarks like the Old City Hall, elegant Baroque trading houses, & the grand Gründerzeit buildings that flourished during the 19th-century economic boom. About a third of the city’s apartments come from this era, giving Leipzig its distinctive charm. The GDR period added rows of Plattenbau blocks, some still inhabited today, while other parts of the city saw sweeping renewal after reunification, including the striking glass-fronted Paulinum built where St. Paul’s Church once stood. Old & new blend effortlessly here: historic façades sit beside modern campuses, repurposed factories, and creative spaces that echo the city’s past while shaping its future.

Leipzig is full of landmarks that reveal its history & character at every turn. The Leipzig Zoological Garden is one of Europe’s most modern zoos, home to Pongoland & the immense indoor rainforest of Gondwanaland. The Monument to the Battle of the Nations, the Volkerschlachtdenkmal, towers above the city as a reminder of Leipzig’s role in defeating Napoleon, while the Federal Administrative Court (Bundesverwaltungsgericht) stands proudly where the old Reichsgericht once operated. In the heart of the city, the Renaissance Old City Hall, the New City Hall built over the Pleissenburg castle ruins, & the soaring City-Hochhaus define the skyline. The University of Leipzig’s Augusteum & Paulinum form a striking modern campus beside historic streets, and the Leipzig Hauptbahnhof remains the largest railway station in the world by floor area. Auerbach’s Keller recalls Goethe’s student days, the Old Leipzig Bourse honors the city’s merchant past, & memorials like the bronze-chair Synagogue site preserve the memory of what was lost. From elegant mansions like Gohliser Schlösschen to the glass halls of the Trade Fair center, Leipzig’s landmarks create a cityscape where history & renewal constantly meet.

Beyond the major landmarks, Leipzig is a city full of tucked-away surprises: quiet courtyards, artist studios in former factories, hidden passages around the old town, & leafy neighborhoods perfect for wandering. Whether you’re exploring museums, strolling through parks, or simply getting lost in its side streets, Leipzig always has one more thing to show you.

Leipzig is also a city shaped by sport & scholarship. It’s home to over 300 sports clubs, the founding place of the German Football Association, & the base of RB Leipzig, which brought Bundesliga energy back to the region. Canoeing, handball, & ice hockey are all part of local life, & the Markkleeberg whitewater course is one of Germany’s most impressive. Academically, Leipzig shines through its 600-year-old university (one of the oldest in Europe) whose alumni include Goethe, Nietzsche, Angela Merkel, Wagner, & several Nobel Prize laureates. Alongside it are the renowned HHL business school, Max Planck institutes, Fraunhofer research centers, & the historic Thomasschule, once home to Bach himself. It’s a city where learning and athletics sit comfortably side by side.

One of the most beloved parts of living in Leipzig is how easily the city opens into nature. Just a short bike ride or tram journey away, the former open-cast mines have evolved into the Neuseenland, a growing constellation of deep blue lakes that locals treat like their own little seaside. Each lake has its personality: Cospudener See is the classic summer escape, with long promenades, wide boardwalks, cafés, & sandy stretches where families, swimmers, sunbathers, & paddleboarders share the shore. Kulkwitzer See is loved for its calm, clear water and diving spots, while Markkleeberger See draws thrill-seekers with its pump-powered whitewater rafting course. You’ll find people cycling the trails around the lakes, rollerblading, renting sailboats, grilling at sunset, or just reading under the trees..everyone finds their rhythm here.

Leipzig’s lakes offer something that city dwellers crave: an almost instant vacation feeling without ever leaving home. On a warm day, the shoreline feels alive…children splashing, students meeting after class, couples walking the long paths around the water, friends jumping in from the docks. And when life is heavy or busy, the lakes turn into the quiet places people go to breathe, think, nap, or reset. Inside the city, the Leipzig Riverside Forest weaves a green corridor through urban streets, perfect for runs, walks, & moments of stillness. Together, the lakes & forests make Leipzig feel spacious, soothing, and endlessly livable.

After hours by the lakes or wandering through Leipzig’s green corners, the city gently pulls you back toward the comfort of its cuisine. Leipzig’s food isn’t loud or overly proud, but it carries a quiet depth, the kind that feels rooted in tradition, family kitchens, & stories passed down through generations. The classic Leipziger Allerlei, a humble yet elegant mix of vegetables & crayfish, dates back centuries & was once considered a dish of prosperity. Then there’s the Leipziger Lerche, a sweet pastry with almonds, nuts, & jam, created after the hunting of songbirds was banned. It’s one of those treats that tastes like history softened into sugar & butter.

Leipzig also has strong pub culture, where hearty German classics meet the city’s own regional twists. You’ll find comforting Kartoffelsuppe, Schnitzel done every possible way, rustic Sauerbraten, & pretzels that somehow always taste better after a long walk through the city. And of course, there’s Gose, Leipzig’s signature sour beer, (an acquired taste, if you ask me) brewed with coriander & salt, refreshing & a little quirky, much like the city itself. It nearly vanished in the 20th century, only to be revived by local brewers who brought it back to life in the place where it belongs.

Throughout the year, seasonal food traditions anchor life in Leipzig. Winter brings Glühwein, gingerbread, & roasted nuts from the Weihnachtsmarkt; spring offers white asparagus & fresh strawberries; summer means long outdoor dinners, picnics in Clara-Zetkin-Park, & lakeside ice creams melting just a little too quickly. Food here mirrors the city’s personality: grounded, unpretentious, warm, & always ready to bring people together around a table.

Ten years in Leipzig feels like both a lifetime & an instant. This city has quietly held our milestones, our struggles, & our joys…through kindergarten applications & school changes, quiet mornings & chaotic ones, heartbreak & healing, new beginnings, and so many Christmases that now feel stitched into the walls of our apartment. We arrived not knowing how long we would stay, & somehow Leipzig became the backdrop to our entire life in Germany: the place where the girls grew up, where Billie joined our family, where routines settled in, & where resilience deepened.

Some corners of the city feel like pieces of our story. The paths of Clara-Zetkin-Park where I walked through so many chapters of life; the quiet streets of Südvorstadt glowing in autumn; the lakes that became our summer refuge; the soft pastels of spring blossoms along the canals; & the golden light that settles on the rooftops in late summer. Even the Weihnachtsmarkt, with its warm colors & cinnamon scent, became part of our family rhythm. These places have stitched themselves into our memories, each one holding a small version of who we were at the time.

And now, looking back over a decade, I see how much we’ve grown within these walls & beyond them. We became stronger, softer, braver. We found community, friendship, & a sense of belonging in a city far from where we started. Leipzig gave us a home where life was allowed to unfold: imperfectly, beautifully, season by season. And for that, I carry nothing but gratitude. Ten years later, Leipzig is still where our hearts return, & where we continue to write our story.

If you’ve never been to Leipzig, I hope this glimpse into our life here inspires you to come see its magic for yourself. It’s a city that doesn’t shout, it unfolds. Slowly, beautifully, through music drifting from old churches, lakes shimmering in summer light, parks that glow golden in autumn, & streets lined with history that has shaped the world in quiet but powerful ways. Leipzig welcomes you gently, and before you realize it, it has found a place in your heart.

As we step into a new chapter of our lives, I know this city will remain part of us forever. It’s the home where my daughters grew into themselves, where I rebuilt my life, where friendships deepened, & where countless moments stitched themselves into memory. No matter where the future takes us, Leipzig will always be a place that held us, taught us, & embraced us through every season.