Leipzig : Ask Biography

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Leipzig (-deˈlaɪptsɪç-Leipzig.ogg is, with a population of appr. 524,000, one of the largest cities in the federal state of Saxony, Germany. It is situated about a hundred miles south of Berlin at the confluence of a number of rivers at the southerly end of the North German Plain.

In the 17th century, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music, astronomy and optics. After World War II, Leipzig became a major urban centre within the Communist German Democratic Republic.

Leipzig later played a significant role in the fall of communism in Eastern Germany, through events which took place in and around St. Nicholas Church. Since the reunification of Germany, Leipzig has undergone significant change with the restoration of historical buildings and the development of a modern transport infrastructure. In 2006, Leipzig hosted some games of the FIFA World Cup.

In 2010, Leipzig was ranked 68th in the world as a livable city, by consulting firm Mercer in their quality of life survey. Also in 2010, Leipzig was included in the top 10 of cities to visit by the New York Times.