Streets squares and districts to visit Germany

The Bauhaus area is located in the south of the city, where 314 individual residential houses were built between 1926 and 1928 according to the Bauhaus principles. Whatever the aesthetic of the genre, we will be at the sources of contemporary architecture in Europe. A leaflet can be purchased at the museum retraçant the history of the houses and guiding the visitor in the neighbourhood. Moreover, it is far from being muséifié, and one can see many of these abandoned homes, a legacy of neglect of the communist regime and the loss of vitality of Dessau after reunification.

These are small parallel alleys along the canal, south of the university and west of the Schwabentor. Retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city center, immersing yourself in the atmosphere of the city's most picturesque old districts. The houses bordering these alleys were occupied by tanners and fishermen who gave them their names. In medieval times, these two professions that needed large quantities of water had settled beside the creek for more convenience. Today, these pedestrian alleys are among the most beautiful in the old town and make tourists happy, happy to dive back in the past.

This six hundred metre walk, bordered by an exceptional Baroque and Neoclassical architectural ensemble, overlooks the Elbe River along the southern shore. Called "the balcony of Europe", it is the work of Count Heinrich von Brühl, hence its name "Terrace Brühl". Augustus the Strong donated this piece of the city's old fortifications to his Minister of State in 1789. Brühl had the casemates of the bastion condemned, and then built a garden, a library, a gallery, a belvedere and a palace, the Palais Brühl. It was destroyed after his death in 1763, when the Terrace returned to the princely house. Brühl's economic policy had led the state to bankruptcy. In Brühl's time, the Terrace was private; the grand staircase (Grosse Freitreppe) which allows ordinary people to access it was built in 1868. From there, you will have a breathtaking view of the Elbe and the northern bank of Dresden.

Today, on the Brühl Terrace stands a beautiful architectural ensemble that is part of the city's inimitable silhouette. You can access the Terrace either by the Grosse Freitreppe, on the Schlossplatz side, or by the Albertinum, on the Frauenkirche side. The Ständehaus, which stands just next to the stairs, is a tall neo-Renaissance building built between 1901 and 1906, on the former site of the Brühl Palace. At the top of the steps, you will come across the Sekundogenitur, built in 1896-1897 for the second royal prince, instead of the Brühl Library. Opposite is the statue of Ernst Rietschel, a great Saxon sculptor of the 19th century. Next to the Sekundogenitur stands the Kunstakademie, the Academy of Fine Arts built between 1890 and 1894, with its unique lemon-press dome, surmounted by what appears to be an angel, but which is actually a fama sounding the trumpets of fame. On the right, if you leave the terrace, you will reach the Albertinum Museum. Don't miss the beautiful Delphinbrunnen (dolphin fountain) dating from 1750, as well as the Caspar David Friedrich Memorial made of bronze and steel, a sculpture created by Wolf-Eike Kuntsche in 1990.

At the beginning of the 20th century, many alleys of the old town were transformed into fairground houses, like real Saxon caravanserais. To display the goods, depending on the sector, the city created real small commercial islands, with appropriate shops, offices and passageways. You can, in a fun way, as for the traboules in Lyon, cross the city in transit, as an alternative (and only pedestrian) way to the traditional streets. In all, the city centre has no less than 24 passages!

The Mädler-Passage is the most famous of them (Grimmaische Strasse / Neumarkt). Very Belle Epoque, with a luxurious interior decoration, it covers an old street. It is home to the famous Auerbachskeller tavern, the city's most prestigious restaurant, closely linked to Goethe and his hero Faust. The Mädler-Passage is a timeless place, magical for its decorations, and spectacular for the skylight that passes through it.

Barthels Hof (Markt 8 / Hainstrasse 1) is the oldest passage in the city (1750), and its appearance is typically Baroque, with its yellow colour and elegant facades. An exhibition space during the fairs in the 18th century, it was not transformed into a commercial passage as such afterwards (even if it includes some shops).

Specks Hof (Reichstrasse 4 / Nikolaistrasse 3/9) is the oldest strictly speaking commercial passage in Leipzig (1908). Typically Art Nouveau, it is very elegant and some consider it to be the most beautiful.

Städtisches Kaufhaus (Universitätstrasse 16 / Neumarkt 9/19) is a large through courtyard built between 1894 and 1901, formerly the town centre fairground. Today, it is no longer a commercial space, but a place that houses gastronomic establishments, small shops and offices. With its balustrades and paved floor, the passage is quite harmonious.

Hansahaus (Grimmaische Strasse 13/15) dates from 1906; this merchant courtyard, formerly a fairground house, is entirely tiled, in a Berlin style

The tradition of commercial passages has been preserved since then: the Theaterpassage was built in 1928 in a very Bauhaus style; the Königshof-Passage (Markt 17 - Petersstrasse 13) dates from 1932; the Messehofpassage dates from 1950... Then in the 1990s and 2000s, many other commercial passages were built in contemporary architectural styles. They are real shopping centres organised in passages, like a nod to the past: the Petersbogen, one of the most impressive in terms of space, dates back to 2001. It is located between Peterstrasse and Burgstrasse. The Marktgalerie, for its part, was inaugurated in 2005, between Markt 11 and Klostergasse 12.