Leipzig and Our Final Concert
A lovely relaxing day today...who am I kidding?? But we had much less bus time so I can't complain too much :) Our day started early with a walking tour of Leipzig. The tour guide for our group took part in the demonstrations against the government in 1989 in Leipzig, which actually began with the churches. Her stories were haunting and interesting, and we really appreciated the glimpse into pre-unification Germany.
We saw the University...
...the opera house...
...this cool building outside St. Nicholas Church...
...St. Nicholas Church, built in the 1100s as a Catholic Church but converted to Lutheran during the Reformation...
...the first municipal private school in Leipzig, which educated the likes of Richard Wagner and Leibniz...
...neat covered pedestrian malls throughout the city...
...a coffeehouse with a long history of trade and famous visitors...
...the Leipzig New Town Hall and statue of Goethe, a student in Leipzig...
...and finally back to the Thomaskirche, or St. Thomas Church! Bach was choirmaster here, and in the 1950s his remains were interred here after their original resting place was destroyed in WW2.
The Thomaskirche was another Catholic church converted to Lutheran during the Reformation. These churches probably had artwork on the walls, but the Lutherans painted over them to make the churches more austere. The church itself is from 1496, though there has been a church on the site since the 12th century. We sang three pieces here to honor Bach!
Then we headed off to Wurzen for our final concert with the Leipziger Symphonie Orchester and Kammerchor Bohlin. The concert was held at St. Mary Cathedral, a church consecrated to the Virgin Mary in 1114. As is basically the norm here, it's now a Lutheran church. As we came into town we saw a building or two that were still run down. Since we're in eastern Germany, some smaller towns still haven't been completely restored, and everything just looks a little more worn and hard and industrial compared to our time in western Germany. It's been fascinating.
I sat right in front of the tuba and saw this - choir in a tuba!
We saw the University...
...the opera house...
...this cool building outside St. Nicholas Church...
...St. Nicholas Church, built in the 1100s as a Catholic Church but converted to Lutheran during the Reformation...
...the first municipal private school in Leipzig, which educated the likes of Richard Wagner and Leibniz...
...neat covered pedestrian malls throughout the city...
...a coffeehouse with a long history of trade and famous visitors...
...the Leipzig New Town Hall and statue of Goethe, a student in Leipzig...
...and finally back to the Thomaskirche, or St. Thomas Church! Bach was choirmaster here, and in the 1950s his remains were interred here after their original resting place was destroyed in WW2.
The Thomaskirche was another Catholic church converted to Lutheran during the Reformation. These churches probably had artwork on the walls, but the Lutherans painted over them to make the churches more austere. The church itself is from 1496, though there has been a church on the site since the 12th century. We sang three pieces here to honor Bach!
Then we headed off to Wurzen for our final concert with the Leipziger Symphonie Orchester and Kammerchor Bohlin. The concert was held at St. Mary Cathedral, a church consecrated to the Virgin Mary in 1114. As is basically the norm here, it's now a Lutheran church. As we came into town we saw a building or two that were still run down. Since we're in eastern Germany, some smaller towns still haven't been completely restored, and everything just looks a little more worn and hard and industrial compared to our time in western Germany. It's been fascinating.
I sat right in front of the tuba and saw this - choir in a tuba!
Wow fascinating!!!
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