At last, a stroll along the Parkbogen Ost: the Sellerhäuser Viaduct was opened on Friday

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After several years of intensive preparation, planning and construction, the moment finally arrived on Friday 2 October: the Sellerhäuser Viaduct, between the Liselotte-Herrmann-Straße bridge and the Theodor-Neubauer-Straße bridge, was opened as the first section of the Sellerhäuser Bogen. Where trains once ran, people will now be able to walk, linger and experience the east of Leipzig from a new perspective.

And they certainly made the most of it on Saturday. After all, there has never before been such a view over the east of Leipzig that offers such a pleasant place to spend time. The long, very long lead-up to realising this special project is now almost forgotten.

Thanks to the special landscaping, what was once a disused railway embankment has been transformed into a new green urban space offering a wonderful place to spend time.

And then the Department of Urban Development and Construction took a rather poetic turn, proudly gazing across the Atlantic: “Why shy away from a comparison with New York? Leipzig now has its own High Line Park: the elevated park on the Sellerhäuser Viaduct has been completed as of today, Friday 2 October. Situated on the former railway line, it now invites visitors to jog, cycle, socialise and relax – with a sensational view from a height of just over eight metres.”

The Parkbogen Ost

The viaduct is a central section of the Parkbogen Ost, which is set to encircle the east of Leipzig as a green activity corridor stretching some eight kilometres. It serves as a prime example of how unused infrastructure can be reimagined for the city’s future.

Speaking at the opening of the redeveloped route, Lord Mayor Burkhard Jung said: “There is sometimes only a fine line between a vision and a crazy idea. But here, a citizens’ initiative has inspired the administration and the city council with its idea – and now we are realising this vision together. A former railway structure has been transformed into a green, public urban space – one that makes a positive contribution to the urban environment, opens up new routes for the neighbourhood and offers a quality of life that is unique even for Leipzig.”

In recent years, the viaduct – the 250-metre-long and 8.80-metre-wide listed building with its striking natural stone arches – has been professionally restored. A defining new design feature is the greenery: 58 climate-adapted trees, 6,500 perennials and grasses, as well as numerous shrubs and geophytes – that is, perennial plants with bulbs – have been planted on the viaduct. Specially developed planters and water-retaining substrate are being used for this purpose. Rainwater is collected and reused for irrigation.

The viaduct is being transformed into a climate-adapted open space that invites visitors to linger, even during hotter and drier summers.

Planning since 2019

The idea for the Parkbogen originally emerged from the local community and was developed over many years in collaboration with residents, planners, local authority staff and other partners. The now-completed viaduct is therefore also the result of this long collaborative process. As the winners of the open-space planning competition for the design of the Höhenpark, Sinai Landscape Architects have been supporting the planning process for the Parkbogen Ost since 2019.

The cost of the completed construction phase amounts to around 8.1 million euros. Two-thirds of this was funded by the federal programme “National Urban Development Projects”, with the remaining 2.6 million euros provided by the city.

The opening of the viaduct will be followed by the next phase of the Parkbogen: the approximately 450-metre-long garden park
between Liselotte-Hermann-Straße and Theodor-Neubauer-Straße is due to be developed from the end of this year. Work heading north is also progressing. The new bridge over Eisenbahnstraße is due to be completed before the end of this year, whilst work on the extension to the Volksgarten and the crossing over Torgauer Straße will begin next year.

Work on converting the old, 1,500-metre-long railway embankment into the Parkbogen Ost began in 2022
. However, cost overruns
meant that the city initially focused on constructing the Sellerhäuser Viaduct.

Planning has just begun for the section between Volksgarten and Portitzer Straße (Nordspange), as the aim there is also to enable cyclists to leave the railway curve heading towards the city centre.

The redesign of Polygraphplatz at the former East Fire Station is also still pending.