Gewandhaus Leipzig

The Gewandhaus in Leipzig is the city's great concert hall on Augustusplatz and home of the Gewandhaus Orchestra, one of the oldest and most celebrated orchestras in the world. The striking 1981 building, with its huge glass front and the ornate Mende Fountain in front, anchors Leipzig's largest square. The best way to experience it is at an evening concert, but guided tours and inexpensive organ recitals also let you step inside one of Germany's most important music venues.

Three halls, one orchestra

The orchestra was founded in 1743 as the "Grosses Concert" and from 1781 performed in a hall inside the Gewandhaus, the old cloth merchants' building, which gave the orchestra its name. A second Gewandhaus opened in 1884 but was destroyed by bombing in World War II and demolished in 1968. Among its legendary music directors was Felix Mendelssohn, who also founded Leipzig's conservatory in 1843.

The current hall, designed under chief architect Rudolf Skoda, opened on October 8, 1981 with a concert conducted by Kurt Masur. In the fall of 1989, Masur opened the building to public debates on political reform, giving the Gewandhaus a role in the Peaceful Revolution that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

What to see

• Great Hall: about 1,900 seats arranged in tiers around the stage, crowned by the Schuke organ with the motto Res severa verum gaudium ("true joy is a serious matter").
• Mendelssohn Hall: a chamber music hall with 498 seats.
• Ceiling painting Song of Life by Sighard Gille in the foyer, which glows through the glass facade at night.
• Mende Fountain: the grand obelisk fountain right in front of the building.

Concerts, tours and tickets

There are no regular sightseeing hours; you enter for concerts or tours. As of October 2026, per the official website:

• Public building tours run on selected days, usually between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and cost 10 EUR. They start in the Mendelssohn foyer and are accessible with wheelchairs and strollers. Tour language is not specified, so check when booking.
• Organ recitals cost only 5–8 EUR, a budget-friendly way to hear the hall.
• Symphony concerts with music director Andris Nelsons and guest conductors often sell out; book online early.
• Tickets for the Gewandhaus's own events double as transit tickets on Leipzig's public transport three hours before and after the concert.

How to get there

Leipzig is about 1 hour 15 minutes from Berlin by ICE and roughly an hour from Dresden by train. From Leipzig Hauptbahnhof, walk about 10 minutes south or take a tram to Augustusplatz. The Augustusplatz underground garage is directly beneath the square.

Is it worth visiting?

For music lovers, absolutely: hearing the Gewandhaus Orchestra at home is a highlight of any trip to Leipzig. Nearby you will find the Leipzig Opera across the square, St. Nicholas Church where the 1989 Monday prayers began, the free Contemporary History Forum, and Bach's St. Thomas Church about ten minutes away on foot.