Wednesday, 21 October 2026: Young cyclist killed in an accident, track extension on Georg-Schumann-Straße approved, spooky atmosphere in Belantis Park

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It has been a deeply sad morning in Leipzig today. A cyclist, aged just 20, was killed in a road accident on Arthur-Hoffmann-Straße. The investigation is ongoing. Saxony has approved the track extension on Georg-Schumann-Straße. And: Belantis is kicking off its Halloween programme. The LZ summarises the key events in Leipzig and beyond on Wednesday, 21 October 2026.

Young cyclist killed in accident

A young cyclist lost her life in a tragic road accident on Wednesday morning. According to the Leipzig Police Headquarters, the 20-year-old had been cycling along Arthur-Hoffmann-Straße heading out of the city at around 10 am. She apparently fell at the junction with Scharnhorststraße and was then run over by a lorry travelling behind her. The woman sustained such serious injuries that she died at the scene of the accident.

The traffic accident investigation unit is now looking into exactly how this fatal accident came about. The 63-year-old lorry driver, who was uninjured in the accident, is also under investigation for “negligent homicide in connection with a traffic accident”. Arthur-Hoffmann-Straße was completely closed whilst the accident was being investigated, and tram line 9 had to be diverted.

Unfortunately, it was too late to help the 20-year-old cyclist. Photo: Benjamin Weinkauf

Track extension on Georg-Schumann-Straße approved

The Saxony State Directorate (LDS) has approved the extension of the tram infrastructure along a section of Georg-Schumann-Straße in Leipzig. The planning approval decision covers the section between the Delitzscher Straße/Eutritzscher Straße junction at the Chausseehaus and Böhmestraße. This approves part of the planned complex construction project, which is to be carried out by Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe (LVB).

The project involves a comprehensive renewal of the tracks, catenary systems and traction power supply. The track layout will be widened to allow the future use of tram trains with a carriage width of 2.40 metres. These offer up to 20 per cent more seats and are intended to increase the passenger capacity of the local public transport network. Sections of the tracks leading both out of and into the city will also feature a green track bed. A new tram stop with step-free access is planned between Ehrensteinstraße and Prellerstraße.

The 5.4-kilometre-long Georg-Schumann-Straße connects the north of Leipzig with the city centre and runs through Zentrum-Nord, Gohlis-Süd, Möckern and Wahren. Tram line 10 operates on this route between Lößnig and Wahren, whilst line 11 runs between Schkeuditz and Markkleeberg-Ost.

The planning approval decision will be made available for public inspection in Leipzig. The city will give prior notice of the public inspection in accordance with local practice. In addition, the State Directorate will publish the decision on its notice portal. Further implementation is the responsibility of the LVB. The City of Leipzig provides information on the project on its website.

Spine-chilling fun at Belantis Park

From today, Wednesday, until 1 November, there is a real risk of being spooked at Belantis Leisure Park, as the 2026 Halloween programme has begun. To tailor the intensity of the scares to different age groups, the programme has been divided into two sections for the first time: Until 4 pm, the ‘Spooky Days’ are aimed at families with younger children; from 4.30 pm, things are ramped up a notch with the ‘Horror Nights’, for guests aged twelve and over.

On all ten days of the event, the park will remain open until 9.00 pm. For the first time, all the spooky mazes are included in the standard admission price at no extra charge. Three mazes are available during the day, and five in the evening. New additions include ‘The Secret of the Royal Crypt’, suitable for children aged six and over, as well as ‘Spurs of Evil’ and ‘Wrath of Anubis’ for guests aged twelve and over.

Set designer and decorator Thomas Reuter worked on the design of several new attractions, having already begun preparations in the spring. Several hundred square metres of polystyrene, as well as filler and paint, were used for the sets. Light, shadow and carefully selected scents are designed to immerse visitors in the stories of the mazes. In the ‘King’s Tomb’, the plot takes visitors back to ancient Egypt.

For the horror maze ‘Spurs of Evil’, Belantis is collaborating for the first time with the French specialist FX3, which also develops and implements horror attractions for other Compagnie des Alpes theme parks. Halloween is one of the busiest times of the year at Belantis. Due to the high demand last year, the 2026 programme has been condensed into ten event days for the first time. Day tickets start at 29 euros and include access to the regular attractions, a light show and a fireworks display on each day of the event.

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What the LZ reported on today:

Local politics, global thinking: Alan Tovar Prado invites you to the “Gallo Negro” for a discussion with Wolfram Günther

Hello Leipzig: This is how Wednesday, 21 October 2026 begins

The best recipes from Saxony-Anhalt: With eyes wide open, from north to south through the ‘hyphenated’ state.

Letter to the Federal President: Thousands of signatures from Leipzig calling for a ban on the AfD.

Severe damage: The bridge over the railway tracks on Torgauer Straße must also be renovated in 2027.

Invoice amount: 0.00 euros: Citizens’ initiative presents the municipality of Großpösna with the ‘participation bill’ after ten years

Other important news:

A security vulnerability with an extremely high risk potential has been discovered in the widely used programming language PHP. This could allow cybercriminals to cause damage to servers and access data. The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) has issued an official cyber security warning.

After almost 50 years, the feminist magazine EMMA, founded and edited by Alice Schwarzer, is to be discontinued. The final issue – the 398th in total – is due to be published on 8 December. Schwarzer stated that the closure was not for economic reasons: “We are leaving because we believe: Enough is enough! EMMA has held its ground across three generations of feminists, has withstood all fads and has taken a stand against so much nonsense in the name of feminism. So please allow us to say: We are now weary.”

Poland’s restrictive abortion laws could now be relaxed. The Polish parliament has voted in favour of two corresponding bills. Both had been supported by Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Firstly, abortions and assistance with them are to be partially decriminalised. Secondly, the aim is to overturn a Constitutional Tribunal ruling which refused to accept even severe foetal malformations as a legal ground for abortion. However, the national-conservative President Karol Nawrocki can still veto the two parliamentary resolutions that have now been passed.