Hello Leipzig: Here’s how Tuesday 3 November 2026 begins

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Will the planned airport expansion come to a crash landing in court? The Higher Administrative Court is hearing ten legal challenges against the aviation hub from today. This evening sees the start of this year’s EURO-SCENE dance and theatre festival; the city is honouring outstanding contributions to regeneration and heritage conservation – and there are a few traffic bottlenecks lurking on the A14 motorway again today.  

Airport expansion in court

Some already find it a nuisance, whilst others feel it is still far too small: Leipzig Airport, situated right next to the Schkeuditzer Kreuz junction. Today, Tuesday, at 10 am, the 7th Senate of the Saxon Higher Administrative Court will begin hearing ten lawsuits against the planned expansion of Leipzig/Halle Airport

. The hearings will take place at the Bautzen branch of the Görlitz Regional Court. Further hearing dates are scheduled for 4 and 5 November, and 16 and 17 November.

The lawsuits challenge the decision approving the amended planning scheme for an expansion project involving investment of around 300 million euros. Among other things, the DHL

apron is to be extended by approximately 39 hectares. New taxiways and operational facilities are also planned. The Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt regional branches of the Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND), the town of Schkeuditz

, four business owners and three private individuals are challenging the approval.

Among the legal proceedings is the case with reference number 7 C 34/24. It centres on the consequences of the expansion for local residents, local authorities, the environment and the climate. Among other things, BUND

questions whether the statutory aircraft noise limits are still constitutional in light of new medical findings. Other points of contention relate to the protection of already degraded flora and fauna habitats, the consideration of climate impacts, the rights of affected local authorities, and health risks posed by ultrafine particulate matter, for which there are no statutory limit values.

During the previous planning approval procedure, the Saxony Regional Directorate had dealt with more than 8,000 objections and drawn up noise abatement regulations. The public hearings begin at 10.00 am each day. Due to security checks taking place, it is advisable to arrive around 9.30 am. Citizens’ initiatives opposing the airport expansion have announced a vigil outside the courthouse today from 11.30 am.

Risk of traffic congestion on the motorway

There will be two traffic restrictions today on the A14 motorway in the Leipzig area. At the Leipzig-Nord junction, the exit from the direction of Birkenwald towards Halle will be completely closed from 9 am to 1 pm. This is due to clearance work following an accident. However, the motorway itself remains open to traffic in this area.

Construction work has been underway since 7.30 am between the Schkeuditzer Kreuz junction and the Schkeuditz junction in the direction of Leipzig and Nossen. At motorway kilometre 95, one of the three lanes will be closed over a stretch of around 600 metres. Drive slowly (the speed limit is 80) and stay alert! Such narrowings carry a risk of traffic jams. The two remaining lanes remain open to traffic. The works are due to be completed by 4.00 pm.

Between 9.00 am and 1.00 pm, both measures will overlap. This may cause delays, particularly for commuters and commercial traffic on this important route between Leipzig, Halle and Leipzig/Halle Airport. Motorway users can check the current traffic situation and any changes via the roadworks map at www.autobahn.de.

Lotter Prize for the Beauty of Age

The Leipzig Cultural Foundation is today presenting the Hieronymus Lotter Prize for the Preservation of Historic Buildings for the 17th time. Awarded every two years, the prize recognises exemplary renovations and restorations of historic buildings. According to the foundation, the public award ceremony will begin at 3 pm in the Richard Wagner Hall of the Alte Nikolaischule on Nikolaikirchhof. Which developers and buildings will be honoured remains a secret for now.

Usually, three prizes are awarded, along with honourable mentions where applicable and a special award for public developers. The winners receive certificates and bronze medallions bearing the likeness of the Leipzig architect Hieronymus Lotter, which can be affixed to the buildings. Private and public developers with completed heritage conservation projects were eligible to apply. The deadline for applications was 4 September. Submissions had to include, amongst other things, property descriptions, photographs and details of the restoration work and the planning firms involved.

The winners are selected by a jury comprising Thomas Dienberg, Leipzig’s Councillor for Building and Urban Development; Matthias Forßbohm (President of the Leipzig Chamber of Crafts); architecture journalist Lisa Korschewski; Annekatrin Merrem (Office for Building Regulations and Heritage Conservation); and Mathis Nitzsche (Saxony State Office for Heritage Conservation). The prize recognises investment in historic buildings that contributes to the preservation of Leipzig’s cityscape.

This year’s award ceremony will take place two days before the start of the European Heritage Fair, which is being held in Leipzig from 5 to 7 November. Free admission applies exclusively to the award ceremony, not to the fair. Hieronymus Lotter (c. 1497–1580) was a Leipzig merchant, master builder and served as mayor of the city on several occasions. He played a decisive role in shaping Leipzig’s Renaissance cityscape. Among the best-known buildings he was involved in creating are the Old Town Hall, the Old Weigh House and the Moritzbastei.

Opening the doors to dance and theatre

The 36th euro-scene Leipzig begins today, 3 November, with ‘Magnificat & Henri Michaux: Mouvements’ by the Canadian company Marie Chouinard. The performance runs from 7.30 pm to 9.30 pm on the Main Stage at Schauspiel Leipzig (Bosestraße 1). Prior to this, the European dance and theatre festival will be officially opened in Foyer 1.

Those due to attend include Leipzig’s Councillor for Culture, Dr Skadi Jennicke; Geneviève Rolland, Québec’s General Delegate for Germany, Austria and Switzerland; and Aline Fiedler from the Saxon Ministry of Culture. Athena Lucie Assamba will be presenting a performance. The performance will be followed by a celebration in the foyer.

Marie Chouinard’s ‘Magnificat’, which premiered at the Madrid en Danza festival in 2025, translates Johann Sebastian Bach’s ‘Magnificat BWV 243’ into contemporary dance. The musical work premiered in Leipzig in 1723. ‘Henri Michaux: Mouvements’ is based on drawings and texts by the French-speaking artist Henri Michaux and combines dance with projections and electronic music by Louis Dufort. The choreography was first performed in 2011 at the ImPulsTanz festival in Vienna.

euro-scene Leipzig is an international festival for contemporary dance and theatre that brings together artists from at least nine different countries. A total of 36 individual events are on the programme until next Sunday, including three world premieres and three European premieres. There is a particular focus on five productions from the Canadian province of Québec.

The full programme, including performance times, venues and ticket prices, is available at www.euro-scene.de.