Leipzig Old Town Hall

Leipzig Old Town Hall

Leipzig Old Town Hall is located on the eastern side of Leipzig's Markt (Market Square). Originally built in 1557 and subsequently reconstructed several times, it remains one of Germany’s most beautiful Renaissance buildings and currently serves as the City History Museum.

Leipzig Old Town Hall is Germany’s last and most important Renaissance monument. It has three floors: the lowest level features an arcade made of brownish-red stone called the Mädler Passage, which houses a bar famous for its association with Goethe’s *Faust* and a room named after the literary character. The middle section of the building has simple yellow walls, while the top is covered with a red-tiled sloping roof. The tower at the roof’s peak, a clock tower, is positioned precisely at the golden ratio point of the building — at 6.18 — not in the center, which feels rather unusual. The interior is highly worth seeing, featuring a grand hall, meeting rooms, late Baroque rooms, a vault, and the only authentic portrait of Johann Sebastian Bach. In the council chamber, there is a document appointing him as Thomaskantor (Thomaskirche Choir Director) in 1723.

As Leipzig’s city history museum, the Leipzig Old Town Hall houses over 20,000 items reflecting the daily lives of Leipzig’s nobility, upper class, and common people, including furniture, clothing, uniforms, household items, toys, handicrafts, machinery, and more.

Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus)

Must-visit reason: One of Germany’s most beautiful Renaissance buildings

Continent: Europe【Europe】

Country/Region: Germany[Germany]

Province/State: Free State of Saxony [Free State of Saxony]

City: Leipzig [Leipzig]