Wednesday, 24 June 2026: Bee causes train to derail, 1. FC Lok picks up pace, Angela Merkel receives Leipzig award

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Some things sound like something out of a film, but are, unfortunately, reality. It is thought that a bee was the cause of a serious accident involving a Saxon narrow-gauge railway. The 1. FC Lok regional league footballers, on the other hand, are aiming to stay on track for success in the coming season. And: Former Chancellor Angela Merkel is to be honoured with the Leipzig Mendelssohn Prize. The LZ summarises the key events from Wednesday, 24 June 2026, in Leipzig and beyond.

Bee causes train to derail

One should never underestimate the power of small things! As the Leipzig Police Headquarters announced today, there was a collision yesterday in Oschatz between a lorry and the Döllnitzbahn locomotive, which subsequently derailed. The reason: a bee!

According to the lorry driver, he had approached the level crossing on Ambrosius-Marthaus-Straße in Oschatz. Then it happened: the 63-year-old was stung by a bee! This apparently startled him so much that his lorry drove past the stop sign and onto the tracks. But the narrow-gauge train was already approaching – fortunately at only a low speed. Nevertheless, the driver of the train was unable to prevent the collision.

The locomotive derailed, causing damage estimated to be in the six-figure range. A blessing in disguise: no one was injured in the accident. The Döllnitzbahn’s carriages were eventually removed from the scene of the accident using another locomotive. The road also had to be temporarily closed to allow the stricken locomotive to be recovered. It is now up to the police in Oschatz to find out what the bee story is all about.

1. FC Lok picks up speed again

At Leipzig-based football club Lok, the hope is to glide smoothly along the path to success again in the coming season without any setbacks. This afternoon, following a very short summer break, the Regionalliga players took to the pitch at the Bruno-Plache-Stadion for their first training session of the new season. Dorian Cevis, who is suffering from problems with a wisdom tooth, was absent, as was Jonas Arcalean, who is still recovering from a shoulder injury. Jan-Philipp Stein, who is also still carrying an injury, at least managed to get back into the action a little. Malik McLemore isn’t quite there yet; he watched the gruelling session from the sidelines.

“Everyone else has returned from their holidays fit and well and have all diligently completed their training programmes. They’re all fit, so we can start playing football,” said sporting director Toni Wachsmuth, clearly pleased. Alongside newly signed goalkeeper Felix Daffner (who joined from RB’s U19s), the session also featured home-grown U19 player Samim Bigi and four new trialists.

These included centre-back Anton Lange (20), who most recently played for Hannover 96 II in the Regionalliga Nord; attacking midfielder Patrick Vuc (22), who joined from CSC Selimbar in the Romanian Second Division; defensive midfielder Gabriel Sadlek (20), who played for MSV Duisburg in the 3. Liga; and centre-forward Noah Wallenßus (21) from Lower Saxony’s Oberliga side Schwarz-Weiß Rehden. From tomorrow, Lok U19 prospect Hannes Schneider (18) will also be joining the team, followed on Saturday by U19 goalkeeper Nuno Hannß (17).

“These are all young players whom we simply want to have a look at here and give the chance to prove themselves and play in two friendly matches,” Wachsmuth explained to the LZ. Due to the relegation play-offs and the search for a new manager, the action on the transfer market is only really getting underway for him now. The focus here is particularly on the attacking line-up. And another goalkeeper is definitely set to be signed. The sporting director is taking the slight delay in getting started in his stride. “It’s not about having the whole squad together for the first training session,” he says.

However: “When we head off to pre-season camp in three weeks’ time, we naturally want to have a few new signings with us, as it won’t be too long until the matches start. We’ll definitely still be signing players after the first few matches, though. There’ll still be five weeks left in the transfer window, and one or two players might come onto the market who are currently weighing up other options. That’s always a chance to sign good players relatively late in the day.”

The blue-and-yellow supporters, who have been rather spoilt by success over the last two years, will be watching the new manager, Torsten Ziegner, closely. We’ll be able to get a few first impressions as early as this coming weekend, when Lok take to the pitch for their first two friendly matches. On Friday 26 June, they’ll play at 6 pm against district league side Droyßiger SG at the ‘Sportplatz am Wald’. A day later, on 27 June, the kick-off will be at 2 pm against Sachsenklasse side VfB Zwenkau at the “Sportplatz am Eichholz”.

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Please, Merkel!

Angela Merkel (CDU), who served as Chancellor for many years from 2005 to 2021, is to receive the 2026 Leipzig Mendelssohn Prize. This was announced today by the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Foundation. The Foundation is thereby honouring Merkel’s “outstanding contribution to the unification and integration of Europe and its cohesion as a community of peace and shared values”.

Over many years, she has “had a decisive influence on Europe and, in times of the euro crisis, the refugee crisis, Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic, has shown the utmost sense of responsibility and demonstrated her ability to take action”. Her commitment to overcoming the East-West division of Europe, in light of the experiences of German reunification, is also being recognised. “In doing so, she was always guided by the humanist ideals also championed by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, and by her deep faith in humanity, reason and culture.”

In the ‘Music’ category, Prof. Jörg Widmann was also named as a laureate. The Foundation thus honours “the internationally successful clarinettist, conductor and composer for his impressive versatility and outstanding artistic achievement. (..) He regularly performs his works as a soloist and conductor worldwide and, in 2016, composed a paraphrase of Mendelssohn’s Wedding March from *A Midsummer Night’s Dream*. He is also deeply committed to promoting young talent in music and composition, most recently at the Barenboim-Said Academy in Berlin”.

However, the prize will not actually be awarded until 1 November at the opening concert of the Mendelssohn Festival. Leipzig’s Lord Mayor Burkhard Jung (SPD) will then present it to him in person.

What the LZ reported on today:

No surprise: Leipzig’s CDU fields Michael Weickert as its candidate for the 2027 mayoral election

Planned sale of the Capa-Wäldchen: Greens call for a change and support a demonstration

Hello Leipzig: Here’s how Wednesday, 24 June 2026, begins

Energy transition, part two: hurdles for the direct sale of self-generated electricity

Tomorrow will be different: a novel set in the far from cosy world of highly trained AI

29 June is the big day: Nonnenstraße is to become a cycle-priority street.

Other important news:

The Saxon State Parliament today passed the controversial new Police Act. Votes from the CDU, SPD and, in part, the BSW were enough for a narrow 60:53 majority. Here are some reactions to this decision:

Minister of State for the Interior Armin Schuster (CDU):
“The new law allows the police to do what they need to be able to do in light of today’s security situation and digitalisation. The new regulations have been legally confirmed and fleshed out during extensive consultations and a widely observed public consultation process, including by recognised experts. This means we are also keeping pace with the times when compared with other federal states. The Saxony police force is being given a thoroughly modern police law for our security operations, equipped with state-of-the-art tools, and will thus be able to tackle new forms of crime decisively.”

Marco Böhme (Chair of Die Linke Saxony):
“The coalition is turning a Constitutional Court ruling against surveillance into even more surveillance. The case law, which stems from a successful legal challenge by the Left Party and the Green Party parliamentary groups, is being turned on its head. We are defending fundamental rights – the coalition is attacking them even more fiercely. This is an affront to the Constitutional Court and a slap in the face for everyone who fights for freedom and civil liberties.”

Albrecht Pallas (Spokesperson on Home Affairs for the SPD parliamentary group):
“With the amendment to the law passed today, Saxony is gaining a modern police law that strengthens security without compromising civil liberties. Crime and security threats are changing as a result of digitalisation. That is why the police need modern tools that are clearly defined within the rule of law. As the SPD parliamentary group, we have focused our negotiations on reconciling security interests with civil liberties. We have secured clear safeguards: stricter rules for biometric identification, the introduction of judicial authorisation and a documentation requirement for all forms of automated data analysis, and a ban on the use of personal data in the training of AI systems.”

Ronny Wähner (Spokesperson on Home Affairs for the CDU parliamentary group):
“With this law, we are making life difficult for serious criminals. Terrorists, extremists and organised criminals use encrypted communication, digital platforms and state-of-the-art technologies. With the new Police Act, we are ensuring that our police can keep pace with them. Officers will be given the tools they need to protect the people of Saxony effectively. This Act not only strengthens security but also the rule of law. We are implementing the courts’ requirements, clarifying the thresholds for intervention, expanding control mechanisms and strengthening judicial oversight. At the same time, we are improving the protection of victims of domestic violence through longer residential orders and extended contact and approach bans. “For us, security and freedom are inseparable.”