Hello Leipzig: Here’s how Wednesday 8 July 2026 gets underway

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A flat caught fire in Grünau during the night; the fire brigade managed to prevent the flames from spreading further. In the early afternoon, the 24th Radio Play Summer begins at the Richard-Wagner-Hain with the exciting story of ‘Taube Tilda’; the Neues Schauspiel theatre is hosting a football talk at its summer theatre – and the railways are building, building and building. Services to and from Leipzig are also affected.

Construction work is disrupting rail services

Take care when planning your holidays! Passengers on the railway line between Leipzig and Jena must prepare for significant restrictions on long-distance services. According to Deutsche Bahn, extensive construction work is underway on the ‘Saalbahn’, which is being carried out in three phases. The third and final phase has begun and is due to be completed by 5 am on 13 July.

Due to bridge works and the renewal of tracks and points, there will be diversions and cancelled stops. The IC 61 service between Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Nuremberg and Leipzig Central Station is particularly affected. During the current construction phase, trains will start and end their journeys in Nuremberg, meaning that stops at Erlangen, Bamberg, Lichtenfels, Kronach, Ludwigsstadt, Saalfeld, Rudolstadt, Jena-Göschwitz, Jena Paradies, Naumburg, Weißenfels and Leipzig will be completely omitted.

There are also changes to the Munich–Berlin service. ICE trains 904 and 905 will be diverted between Nuremberg and Leipzig, meaning that stops at Lichtenfels, Saalfeld, Jena-Göschwitz, Jena Paradies and Naumburg will be cancelled. On certain days, Erlangen and Bamberg will also not be served. As an alternative, the train will stop at Erfurt and, on specific days, additionally at Halle (Saale) or Würzburg. The journey time will be extended due to the diversion.

According to Deutsche Bahn, the construction work is part of infrastructure renewal on the heavily used “Saalbahn” line. Information on how to reach destinations via alternative routes is available on Deutsche Bahn’s travel information website.

Radio Play Summer kicks off with ‘Taube Tilda’

Lying on a green meadow, the scent of grass and blossoms in your nose, homemade lavender lemonade from the little green ‘ZierlichManierlich’ van to delight the palate – and ears pricked up for beautiful stories. A true feast for the senses!

Today marks the start of the 24th Leipzig Radio Play Summer at the Elster flood basin, transforming the Richard Wagner Grove once again for five days into a meeting place for radio play enthusiasts of all generations. The festival brings together a programme (available online) for children and adults, four renowned radio drama competitions and a varied live programme, and sees itself as a meeting place for established artists, up-and-coming radio drama creators and the audience.

It all kicks off today at 2 pm: Tilda the pigeon is considered the fastest in her town. Whilst her family are already celebrating her grandmother’s birthday, she nimbly decides to take a flight into the forest. There, she is caught in a violent storm that leaves her alone and injured. In this difficult situation, she encounters the Frechdachs. This unexpected encounter leads to a shared journey through the night-time forest, during which the two experience numerous adventures and face the challenges along their path.

Alongside traditional radio play performances, the programme also features live radio plays, performances, talks and workshops. The festival also includes the broadcast of entries from the International Radio Play Competition over two days, as well as other competitions, including the radio play script competition in collaboration with the Bauhaus University Weimar, the children’s and young people’s radio play competition, and the short radio play competition.

For young radio drama fans, radio drama workshops and hands-on activities round off the programme. The spacious open-air grounds of the Richard-Wagner-Hain on the riverbank offer plenty of space for picnic baskets, blankets and parasols. Admission to all events is free. Nearby bus stops are: Sportforum-Süd (lines 3, 7, 8 and 15), Klingerweg (lines 1 and 2) and Nonnenstraße (line 14). It’s best to check the Leipzig Transport Authority’s timetable information before you set off.

Football talk on the summer stage in west Leipzig

Today, on the summer stage of the Neues Schauspiel Leipzig, two literary formats are coming together that have been enriching the city’s cultural offering since the start of 2026. The series hosted by Rebecca Maria Salentin, “SpeakEasy – the only literary show that mixes facts, fiction and booze” (Cammerspiele) and “Balagan – Contemporary Jewish Voices” (Neues Schauspiel) will come together in the theatre’s cosy beer garden at Lützner Straße 29.

The guests are the author Anne Rabe and the journalist Ruben Gerczikow. Anne Rabe recently published the essay *Politik ja bitte* with Lampe Verlag, in which she argues: “Politics belongs in the stadium.” She works as a playwright, screenwriter and essayist. Her plays have won numerous awards, and as a screenwriter she contributed to the cult series “Warten auf’n Bus”. For several years now, she has been exploring the process of coming to terms with the past in East Germany through her essays and lectures. Ruben Gerczikow, together with Monty Ott, published the book “Juden auf dem Platz, Juden auf den Rängen” (Jews on the pitch, Jews in the stands) with Die Werkstatt in 2025, which examines the realities of Jewish life and anti-Semitism in contemporary football. Rebecca Maria Salentin is an author, speaker and presenter. From 2019 to 2023, she organised the literary show “Die schlecht gemalte Deutschlandfahne”. Her most recent bestsellers, “Klub Drushba” and “Iron Woman”, were reviewed by our editor Ralf Julke in the LZ.

The event is funded as part of “TACHELES – Year of Jewish Culture in Saxony 2026”, takes place in cooperation with the Literaturhaus Leipzig, begins at 7.30 pm and lasts 120 minutes, including an interval. Admission is based on a solidarity-based pricing system, with tickets priced at 13, 16 or 20 euros. Everyone can choose a price category according to their financial means.

Fire in Grünau

A woman was injured during a flat fire in a block of flats on Miltitzer Allee in Leipzig-Grünau last night. The Leipziger Volkszeitung was the first to report the incident. According to the newspaper, the fire broke out on the sixth floor of the building.

The police confirmed the details. The fire brigade managed to prevent the fire from spreading to neighbouring flats. The resident is believed to have suffered smoke inhalation and was treated in hospital.