Sshhhh….the powerful and peaceful revolution that commenced in Leipzig with a street demonstration of over 70,000 on 9 October, 1989 resulted in the downing of the wall in Berlin on 9 November and the reunification of Germany.
Whilst Leipzig had been a casualty of the war and the Soviet occupation the city had not been as badly bombed as other German cities and the lack of Soviet resources to rebuild in a Stalinist style saved many of its historic buildings.
Today whilst the older generation remember what Leipzig was like before 1989 a ‘smelly, dirty and neglected’ city it is the post 1990 generation that knows today’s Leipzig as a prosperous, sophisticated city with many fine and historic buildings.
Post 1990 there has been a dynamism of change with the restoration of historic buildings and the building of new and some would say iconic examples of modern architecture.
The city has been rebuilt and its population is now approaching 600,000. The city has now to confront the twin challenges of gentrification and traffic congestion as it gains the notoriety of being the new Berlin.
No comments:
Post a Comment