Hello Leipzig: Here’s how Monday 10 August 2026 gets underway

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From today, lost property is being put up for auction by the Lost Property Office to find new owners. The journey to school in Wahren will be safer in future, whilst roads in Mockau and Markkleeberg will have to be closed as the waterworks bring in excavators. An exciting exhibition invites visitors on a journey through the human body – and the German National Library has announced cuts to its services.

Road closures lead to diversions

Motorists in Leipzig and Markkleeberg must prepare for two new full road closures from today. In Leipzig, work is beginning on the road ‘Zu den Wiesen’ in the Mockau-Süd district. The section between ‘Am Tore’ and Beuthstraße is affected.

Leipzig Waterworks will be carrying out infrastructure works there until 30 October. This marks the start today, Monday, of a long-term traffic measure spanning several weeks, which is particularly significant for local residents, delivery vehicles and the local traffic flow.
A new closure is also coming into effect in Markkleeberg from today. There, Rilkestraße will be completely closed to traffic. According to the district’s official list of roadworks, the closure is scheduled to last until 14 August. The reason for the five-day full closure is the replacement of sewer manhole casings.

School in Wahren to be relieved of car traffic

New traffic regulations come into force today at the Schule am Auensee in Leipzig-Wahren: a section of Stahmelner Straße is being designated as a ‘school street’ for the first time. The regulations will apply from Monday to Friday, from 7.30 am to 8.30 am. During this time, through traffic is prohibited. The city aims to reduce avoidable motor vehicle traffic on the road during the morning drop-off period and to improve the safety of children on their way to school.

However, the reclassification as a ‘school street’ does not mean an unrestricted driving ban for all cars. The local traffic regulations provide for exceptions, including for emergency services, the police and the fire brigade.

The introduction of this measure was preceded by a lengthy discussion about road safety around the primary school. On 19 September 2025, parents and pupils had drawn attention to the situation with a day of action under the slogan ‘Make it a school street – less traffic!’. According to the parents, traffic on Stahmelner Straße and Linkelstraße in the mornings, immediately before school started, was causing particular problems.

The daily time slot from 7.30 am to 8.30 am specifically covers the particularly sensitive period before lessons begin. In addition to through traffic, the main obstruction was caused by cars – often referred to as ‘parent taxis’ – which stopped directly in front of the school building to let children out. This is no longer possible under the new regulations.

If it was mine, it’ll soon be yours

And suddenly it’s gone – the umbrella. But it’s not just small everyday items that get lost. Musical instruments, toolboxes and jewellery also end up at the lost property office when lost, in the best-case scenario. The City of Leipzig is launching a new online auction today for items that their former owners have not claimed.

These items are now being offered via the Zoll-Auktion platform. This is based on an official notice in the electronic Leipzig Official Gazette No. 13/2026. Up for sale are lost property items for which the six-month retention period under Section 973 of the German Civil Code (BGB) has expired. The Public Order Office has such items auctioned off publicly at regular intervals via an online auction.

According to the notice, claims to the lost property released for auction could be made until 7 August 2023, 12:00, at the Lost Property Office at Prager Straße 130, 04317 Leipzig. The Lost Property Office can be contacted on 123-8400.

So anyone who spots their hat – blown away by the wind – in the auction catalogue can only hope that no wealthier bidder comes along to claim it as their own. The City of Leipzig also provides further information at www.leipzig.de/fundbuero.

Humans: the unknown species

From today, you can feel like a tiny louse getting under other people’s skin. Until 22 August, the Allee-Center in Grünau invites you on a journey of discovery through the human body. A visit to the interactive exhibition “The Fascination of the Human Body – An Expedition into Your Body” is possible during the centre’s regular opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 10.00–19.00.

Instead of a traditional display behind glass cases, visitors to Grünau can look forward to a hands-on, experimental exhibition. Organiser EuroScience states that the current version features six exhibition areas with around 45 interactive stations. The content focuses on anatomy, metabolism, the senses, movement and health. The individual areas are named ‘Life and Wonder’, ‘Feeling and Thinking’, ‘Achieving and Loving’, ‘Running and Jumping’, ‘Touching and Sensing’ and ‘Nourishing and Breathing’.

At the stations, visitors can, amongst other things, take a closer look at the blood circulation, explore the anatomy of the hand, test their reaction times and brain functions, and generate thermal images of their own bodies. In addition, the exhibition clearly explains how digestion, muscles, the skeleton and the heart work.

‘Fascination: The Human Body’ was designed particularly for children, young people and families. The content is presented in an intuitive and playful way. Free guided tours are available for school groups, clubs and other groups, providing additional information on the various exhibition areas. However, due to capacity restrictions, prior booking is required via the Allee-Center’s visitor information desk. This can be contacted on 0341 426850 or by email at kontakt@allee-center-leipzig.de.

No booking is required for individual visitors. The Allee-Center is located at Ludwigsburger Straße 9 and can be reached by tram lines 1, 2, 8 and 15, bus lines 61, 65, 66 and 161, and S-Bahn line 1. In addition, according to the centre, 1,000 free parking spaces are available in its own car park.

Library opening hours to be reduced

The German National Library (DNB) in Leipzig is reducing its opening hours with effect from today. Staff at the service desks at the branch at Deutscher Platz 1, 04103 Leipzig, will be available from Monday to Friday between 9.00 am and 6.00 pm. The DNB explicitly announces the change on its website as a “reduction in opening hours from 10 August 2026”.

This restriction should be distinguished from the library’s general opening hours: Monday to Friday 9.00–22.00 and Saturday 10.00–18.00. Users may therefore remain in the library even after the end of service hours. This change particularly affects services relating to registration and use, as well as lending/access and advice.

The German National Library describes itself as “Germany’s central archive library” and maintains sites in Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main. Since 1913, the institution – founded in Leipzig – has been tasked with collecting, archiving and cataloguing all media works in the German language from both Germany and abroad.

After the war, the division of Germany made it necessary to establish a separate branch in the west of the country. In the wake of reunification, it was decided to retain and expand both sites.