Hello Leipzig: Here’s how Friday 14 August 2026 kicks off the weekend LVB Update

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Second-hand clothes can look good, even when someone else is wearing them. Mental health issues are no reason to hide away. That’s why the MUT-TOUR is stopping off in Leipzig today. In the Kolonnadenviertel, a gallery is opening that stretches from Plagwitz closer towards the city centre, whilst the Bach Organ Festival draws to a close at St Thomas’s Church. And Leipzig’s little giraffe prince is being named today.

Hole in the road spoils LVB’s celebrations

After all, there’s always something! Yesterday afternoon, the waterworks and Leipzig Transport Authority (LVB) were able to announce the successful completion of several major construction sites – but shortly afterwards, a nasty pothole in west Leipzig gnawed its way up through the track bed from below.

At around 6.15 pm, the road surface collapsed right in front of the Nachbarschaftsschule. A hole about one metre deep and wide now gapes between the tracks of line 7. The necessary repair work is affecting local public transport.
According to the LVB, buses on route 74 will therefore continue to operate via a local diversion in both directions between the Lindenauer Markt and Uhlandstraße stops until 4.30 pm today. The E.-Köhn-Straße stop will not be served during this time.

Also until 4.30 pm today, tram line 7 will run on a diversion route from the Lindenauer Markt stop to Miltitz. Passengers can use bus 74 between Lindenauer Markt and Leutzsch or take bus 80 from the Credestraße stop to Leutzsch S-Bahn station. In addition, a rail replacement service has been set up between Lindenauer Markt and Böhlitz-Ehrenberg.

Regardless of the disruption, it’s time to ‘breathe a sigh of relief’. With the start of the new school year, the regular timetable for Leipzig’s local transport network is back in force. Another new development is an additional stop on tram line 2 on Philipp-Rosenthal-Straße: from today, the Curiestraße stop will be served between the German National Library and the Old Exhibition Grounds. This should make the Old Exhibition Grounds and the schools in this area more accessible.

At the same time, Leipzig Waterworks is completing the first phase of construction work on the east side of the main station as scheduled. This means that, as the new school year begins, car traffic can once again flow without restrictions on the east side of the main station.

Last weekend of the summer holidays at the zoo

With the naming ceremony for the latest giraffe calf and a special programme for children starting school, Leipzig Zoo is bidding farewell to all the children as their local summer holidays draw to a close, before the classrooms fill up again on Monday.

Following around 1,700 name suggestions and a final vote involving five finalists, the name that the five-week-old male giraffe will bear in future will be announced today at 1.15 pm in the Kiwara Savannah. The choices were Jaro, Kato, Sima, Jabari and Nkosi. Zoo fans were able to vote online for the final name until last Tuesday.

According to the zoo, the calf of the Rothschild giraffes Sipiwe and Matyas continues to thrive and confidently explores the savannah every day.

The name announcement also marks the start of the ‘First-Year Pupils’ Weekend’ on Saturday and Sunday. On both days, all Year 1 pupils will be granted free entry. There will be games and craft activities, puzzles provided by various partners, and a puppet show in the afternoon. Chase from the popular children’s TV series ‘Paw Patrol’ and the zoo’s mascot, Tammi, are also expected to attend.

The Leipzig-Zentrum police station is also taking part in the event weekend and will be providing information on road safety as the new school term begins. Full details of this final summer holiday programme at the zoo can be found ONLINE HERE.

Swap instead of buying

Today, the Raum der Zeit e.V. association is once again hosting a ‘Leipzig-East Clothes Swap Party’. Visitors can swap well-preserved items of clothing they no longer wear for other clothes, thereby enabling their sustainable reuse. Both those bringing clothes and those who simply wish to browse are expressly welcome. According to the organisers, even those who do not have anything to swap can take part.

In addition, donations will be collected for the Leipziger Tafel food bank. Clothing swap parties are considered non-commercial swap markets where second-hand clothing is passed on free of charge and reused. The idea is intended to contribute to the conservation of resources and a more conscious approach to clothing.

The form of organised clothes swap events that is now widespread internationally has its origins in San Francisco in 1994, where Suzanne Agasi launched the first regular ‘Clothing Swap’ events. Since the 2000s, such events have increasingly established themselves as an alternative to fast-fashion consumption and are often organised in cultural centres, clubs or neighbourhood meeting places, where the focus is not only on swapping clothes but also on socialising and community engagement.

The swap party is taking place at the club premises at Hedwigstraße 11 (Neustadt-Neuschönefeld); it is open today from 2 pm to 10 pm.

MUT-TOUR reaches the Sachsenbrücke

The nationwide MUT-TOUR is currently on the road – an initiative by people living with mental health conditions, their families and professional support workers (as reported by the LZ
). Today, the cycle procession is stopping off in Leipzig and inviting the public to an action and information day at the Sachsenbrücke in Clara-Zetkin-Park.

The programme begins at 1.30 pm; the tandem cyclists are expected to arrive at 2 pm. Several organisations and initiatives will be on hand to present their services, including the Leipzig Alliance Against Depression e. V., WEGE e. V. – an association for relatives and friends of people with mental health conditions, Mosaik Leipzig e. V. – a psychosocial centre for refugees, Das BOOT gGmbH – a social-psychiatric centre, and the SRH Vocational Training Centre.

Since 2012, the MUT-TOUR has been raising awareness of depression and mental health through tandem cycling and walking stages, working regularly with regional partners.

Art in the Kolonnadenviertel

A new project is emerging from the Mutschler & Friends art salon, founded in 2024 in the historic Plagwitz railway station: 20blue.arts, a new venue for art and social engagement, opens today at Kolonnadenstraße 9. Leipzig-based gallery owner and curator Anja Mutschler conceived the concept for the new venue, bringing together a gallery, art shop, salon culture and a club under one roof.

Right from the opening, attention is already turning to the first curated exhibition in the new premises. On display is a selection of artists from the community Mutschler has built up. The spectrum ranges from emerging artists to rediscovered talents. A defining feature of the exhibition is the bringing together of different generations and artistic perspectives.

On display are works by Susanna Hanna (1979, Erfurt/Barcelona), Jürgen Meier (1957, Leipzig), Bernhard Schipper (1970, Leipzig), pEpAs (1948, Berlin), Jerome Braun (2002, Leipzig), Micaela Pagener (1948, Cologne/Leipzig), Michael Mutschler (1947, Machern/Leipzig), Volkmar Petermann (1941, Cologne/Leipzig), Afaf Younes (1989, Damascus/Berlin) and Justina Kravcalyte (1995, Leipzig).

The opening will be celebrated today at 7 pm. The gallery will then be open regularly from Wednesday to Friday from 2 pm to 7 pm and on Saturdays from 11 am to 5 pm; further visits can be arranged by emailing arts@20blue.de.

Organ festival concludes at St Thomas’ Church

This year’s Bach Organ Festival ‘Bach-Tradition Leipzig’ concludes on Saturday 15 August with a performance by the Hamburg-based organist Wolfgang Zerer. The closing concert, entitled ‘Fantasie’, begins at 3 pm and brings to a close the festival series, which has been taking place on Saturdays in Leipzig since 4 July.

According to St Thomas’s Church, the programme features works by Georg Muffat, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms and Jehan Alain, as well as other compositions. In addition, the parish highlights arrangements of piano works by Bach and Brahms, Bach’s Trio Sonata in G major, and the Credo from the Organ Mass.

Born in 1961, Wolfgang Zerer is one of the most renowned German organists and harpsichordists of his generation. He taught for many years as a professor at the Hamburg University of Music and Theatre and is well known for his international concert career and numerous recordings.

He has also won awards at major competitions, including the International Organ Competition in Bruges. In 2013, he received the 5th Teaching Prize of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, worth 10,000 euros, for his work in education.

Tickets for the concert cost 15 euros, or 10 euros for concessions; holders of the Leipzig Pass pay 5 euros, whilst children and young people up to the age of 18 are admitted free of charge. Tickets are available in advance and at the box office. Saturday’s concert also marks the official conclusion of the 2026 Bach Organ Festival at St Thomas’ Church in Leipzig.