Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar: Zum deutschen Artikel.
A motorist in Grünau had a literally scorching experience today. His car caught fire whilst he was driving – all that remained was a wreck. Price hike for allotments: Leipzig plans to almost double the lease fees for allotments from next year. And: watch out for pickpockets! The LZ summarises the key events from Wednesday, 29 July 2026, in Leipzig and beyond.
Mercedes catches fire in Grünau whilst driving
Many people in Grünau were left speechless with shock today: in the early afternoon, a car was engulfed in flames several metres high on Schönauer Straße – right on the bridge in front of the Allee Centre. The Mercedes Vito, which had been travelling towards Ratzelstraße, caught fire at around 1.53 pm whilst (!) driving.
The driver, acting with quick thinking, managed to get to safety just in time and was uninjured. “On the bridge over the S-Bahn, I suddenly smelled something burning, and the brakes stopped working properly,” he later described the incident. “I steered the vehicle onto the kerb in the middle and got out. Passers-by were already shouting at me to move away from the car. Shortly afterwards, the first flames were already shooting out of the vehicle.” A few minutes later, the fire brigade, having been alerted, arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire. What remained, however, was the completely burnt-out skeleton of the car.
The fire brigade extinguished the car fire. Photo: Thomas Köhler
The intense heat has also severely damaged the road’s tarmac. The affected left-hand carriageway must therefore remain closed until repairs are carried out. The police headquarters also stated, when asked, that the structural integrity of the bridge had not been compromised by the accident.
City of Leipzig plans to increase allotment rent
A Scare for the Allotment Garden Enthusiasts: the City of Leipzig plans to almost double allotment rent from 1 January 2027. From just over 12 cents per square metre at present, the annual rent for municipal allotment plots is set to rise to 21 cents. This was discussed today at the Mayor’s staff meeting, according to a statement from the city administration. However, the City Council still has to approve this plan.
This substantial percentage increase is unlikely to cause financial hardship for allotment holders, however, as the total amount remains manageable. For a 250-square-metre allotment, the annual fee would then rise from 30 euros to 52.50 euros. For the city’s strained finances, however, this will generate around 694,000 additional euros annually. “These funds will remain in the municipal budget, from which support for allotment gardening is also financed under the specialist funding guidelines,” according to a statement from the town hall.
The “general price rises of recent decades” are cited as the reason for the increase in the lease rent. Until now, the amount payable had remained stable since 1998. To ensure the proposed adjustment is on a legally sound footing, the city commissioned the Expert Committee on Land Values. Its report determined that the statutory maximum lease rent was precisely 21 cents.
Beware of pickpockets!
In a statement issued today, the Leipzig Police Headquarters has issued an explicit warning about pickpockets. In the Eilenburg and Bad Düben areas, they have made off with just under 5,000 euros since the start of the year. According to the report, the main locations for these crimes are supermarkets. Here, the thieves are primarily targeting purses or handbags that are trustingly left in shopping trolleys whilst shopping. This plays right into the thieves’ hands, particularly when it is very crowded.
Accordingly, Mario Mucke, head of the Eilenburg police station, advises people to be more vigilant: “Never leave valuables lying openly in bags or shopping trolleys. What may seem convenient to you is often an open invitation to thieves. Vigilance and being mindful of your own valuables are the best protection,” explains the Chief Inspector. His station has already initiated several criminal proceedings to catch pickpockets. Victims should report the incident to the police as soon as possible.
What the LZ reported on today:
Hello Leipzig: Wednesday 29 July 2026 begins like this
Someone is always being deported: A guest commentary.
What else was important:
Pavel Durov, the founder of the messaging service Telegram, has been placed on a wanted list in Russia. The charge is: supporting terrorism. Ukrainian intelligence services and terrorist organisations are alleged to have used Telegram to recruit personnel in Russia for acts of sabotage and attacks. According to Russian sources, the messaging service is refusing to shut down the relevant chats and bots. However, Durov’s current whereabouts are unknown.
Federal Minister for Family Affairs Karin Prien (CDU) intends to provide the federal states with more funding for programmes to combat radicalisation. In response to the CSD attack in Berlin, five million euros from the “Demokratie leben!” funding programme are therefore to be allocated for this purpose. Scientific monitoring has shown that such anti-radicalisation programmes can be successful.
A specially fitted Airbus operated by the Australian airline Qantas has completed a record-breaking flight. The A350 flew non-stop from Melbourne in Australia to Toulouse in France. It spent 24 hours and 24 minutes in the air covering this route of over 23,000 kilometres. No aircraft has ever stayed in the air for that long before. The previous endurance record has been beaten by almost two hours. From next year, Qantas plans to start offering direct flights from Sydney to London. New York is set to follow later.
Empfohlen auf LZ
So können Sie die Berichterstattung der Leipziger Zeitung unterstützen:
There is one comment