The Leipzig region was the arena of the 1813 Battle of Leipzig between Napoleonic France and an allied coalition of Prussia, Russia, Austria and Sweden. It was the largest battle in Europe before the First World War and the coalition victory ended Napoleon’s presence in Germany and would ultimately lead to his first exile on Elba. The Monument to the Battle of the Nations celebrating the centenary of this event was completed in 1913. In addition to stimulating German nationalism, the war had a major impact in mobilizing a civic spirit in numerous volunteer activities. Many volunteer militias and civic associations were formed, and collaborated with churches and the press to support local and state militias, patriotic wartime mobilization, humanitarian relief and postwar commemorative practices and rituals.
When it was made a terminus of the first German long-distance railway to Dresden (the capital of Saxony) in 1839, Leipzig became a hub of Central European railway traffic, with Leipzig Hauptbahnhof the largest terminal station by area in Europe. The railway station has two grand entrance halls, the eastern one for the Royal Saxon State Railways and the western one for the Prussian state railways.
In the 19th century, Leipzig was a centre of the German and Saxon liberal movements. The first German labor party, the General German Workers’ Association (Allgemeiner Deutscher Arbeiterverein, ADAV) was founded in Leipzig on 23 May 1863 by Ferdinand Lassalle; about 600 workers from across Germany travelled to the foundation on the new railway. Leipzig expanded rapidly to more than 700,000 inhabitants. Huge Gründerzeit areas were built, which mostly survived both war and post-war demolition.
Monument of Victory, Leipsig (i.e., Leipzig), Saxony, Germany (1890s)
The museum, Augusta Platz, Leipsig (i.e., Leipzig), Saxony, Germany (1890s)
Library Exchange, Leipsig (i.e., Leipzig), Saxony, Germany (1890s)
Market place and Hotel de Ville, Leipsig (i.e., Leipzig), Saxony, Germany (1890s)
University and Mendebrunnen, Leipsig (i.e., Leipzig), Saxony, Germany (1890s)
Reichsgericht, Leipsig (i.e., Leipzig), Saxony, Germany (1890s)
Johanna Park and Lutheran church, Leipsig (i.e., Leipzig), Saxony, Germany (1890s)
New concert room and library, Leipsig (i.e., Leipzig), Saxony, Germany (1890s)
Theater, Leipzig, Saxony, Germany (1890s)
