Hello Leipzig: Here’s how Tuesday 11 August 2026 gets off to a start

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A woman was injured in a fire in Connewitz during the night. At the zoo, a decision is being made on what to call the baby giraffe. For trainee teachers, the allocation of teaching placements begins today. Things are set to get lively this evening at the film nights. Dieter Thomas Kuhn will be popping in in person! And rail passengers should keep an eye on the route to Taucha this evening.

A decision on the baby giraffe’s name will be made today

Its big, wide-eyed gaze has been enchanting zoo visitors for the past five weeks. But it still doesn’t have a name: today at Leipzig Zoo, the decision will be made on what to call the little giraffe calf born on 16 June. You can still vote for one of five names HERE on the zoo’s website until 12 noon.

This follows a huge response to the naming campaign: more than 1,700 suggestions were received, from which the team of keepers in the giraffe house selected the five finalists. The search was for a name from eastern or southern Africa and thus from the natural range of the Rothschild’s giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi).

The choices are now Kato, a traditional name for second-born children (as the calf has an older sister), Jaro, meaning ‘shining’, Nkosi, meaning ‘the king’, and Jabari, meaning ‘strong and brave’. The fifth suggestion, Sima, refers to the names of the parents, Sipiwe and Matyas.

The suggestion that has won the most votes by midday today will be announced on 14 August at 1.15 pm at the Kiwara Savannah. Commentary sessions take place there daily at 1.15 pm and 4.30 pm, during which visitors can hear the latest updates on the cub’s development as well as interesting facts about the numerous animal species in the savannah.

Anyone wishing to see the as-yet-unnamed calf for themselves can do so daily during Zoo Leipzig’s opening hours, from 9 am to 7 pm. The little bull can be found in the Kiwara Savannah or in the Ungulate House. In the enclosure, he appears bold, curious and full of life, though he does occasionally retreat for age-appropriate rest breaks.

An odd bird lands at the racecourse

As we all know, there’s no accounting for taste – especially in this case. What’s beyond dispute, however, is his success: Dieter Thomas Kuhn is coming to Leipzig in person today for a special film screening. As part of the ‘Film Nights’ at the Scheibenholz racecourse, the music documentary ‘Und es war Sommer – Dieter Thomas Kuhn & Band’ will be screened from 9 pm. Doors open at 7.30 pm.

The film traces the unusual journey of Dieter Thomas Kuhn and his band, whose story began in the early 1990s as a light-hearted Schlager project amongst friends in Tübingen, and which developed into a cross-generational cult phenomenon over the following decades.

The 90-minute documentary centres on the major open-air tour of summer 2024, during which the eight-piece band travelled across Germany. Thousands of fans attended the concerts decked out in sunflowers, garish glittery outfits and stick-on chest hair toupees. Director Juliane Sauter combines footage from this tour with previously unreleased archive material, live scenes and behind-the-scenes insights.

It’s not just about the concerts and the musicians’ unexpected success. The film traces the story back to their first small gigs in the early 1990s, whilst also showing what a life spent for decades amongst tour buses, confetti and Schlager medleys means for those involved. Euphoric moments are just as much in the spotlight as exhaustion and the stresses of a daily life permanently shaped by life on stage.

The long-standing friendship between Kuhn and Philipp Feldtkeller, who will also be a guest at the Scheibenholz this evening, plays a particularly important role. A small subheading on the Filmnächte website reveals that the two eccentric characters will be bringing a guitar with them. It therefore stands to reason that it might well be put to musical use.

Anyone wishing to attend tonight’s screening should bear in mind that no fixed seats can be allocated at the Filmnächte. The organiser expressly points out: “There is no entitlement to a seat and no seat reservations can be accepted.” A purchased ticket therefore does not guarantee a specific seat.

As doors open at 7.30 pm – one and a half hours before the 9 pm start – arriving early could be well worth it, particularly for this special screening. According to the Film Nights Festival, there are a total of around 1,180 seats available on the site. Approximately 280 of these are in the covered grandstand. However, there is no entitlement to one of these weather-protected seats either.

We recommend using public transport (ideally bus route 89) or cycling to get there. Cyclists and pedestrians can reach the venue via Clara Zetkin Park; cycle parking is available right next to the event area. Due to the extremely limited parking available, travelling by private car is not recommended.

A real-world test for future teachers

Like a looming storm cloud, the phrase “teacher shortage” also hangs over the new school year, which begins next week. For those embarking on this important career, a crucial organisational phase begins today at schools in Leipzig and the surrounding area.

The “Centre for Teacher Training and School Research” (ZLS) at the University of Leipzig is opening its placement portal for schools that have been approached to host practical teaching placements during the 2026/27 winter semester. Schools now have until 4 September 2026 to decide which groups of teacher-training students they will accept for the so-called practical teaching placements (SPÜ or SPS II/III).

These are compulsory placements running throughout the semester, during which groups of four to six students regularly visit schools to gain practical teaching experience. Participating schools should register on the placement portal under ‘Winter Semester 2026/2027’. If a school accepts a request, it can either enter the weekday and time slot for the placement straight away or initially select the option ‘by arrangement’.

Schools must provide their feedback by 4 September 2026 at the latest. The university – or the relevant subject department – and the school will then agree on which teacher will act as mentor to the student group in question.

A wide range of subjects is on offer. The university lists, amongst others, German, English, French, Spanish, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Ethics, Protestant Religious Education, Social Studies/Legal Education/Economics, History, Health and Care, Physical Education, Economics/Administration and WTH/S. The regular placement period at the schools is scheduled to run from 26 October 2026 to 5 February 2027.

Bus instead of train

Passengers on the RE10 line should expect disruption this evening between Leipzig Central Station and Taucha. Due to engineering works, trains RE18398 from Leipzig Central Station to Cottbus and RE18397 from Frankfurt (Oder) to Leipzig Central Station will be cancelled on this section from 22:50 until approximately 23:40.

Buses will be provided as a replacement service for the trains. Their departure and arrival times may differ from the regular train timetable and may be either earlier or later. Passengers should also bear in mind that the replacement bus stops are not always located directly at the respective stations.

Restrictions also apply to the carriage of bicycles, wheelchairs and pushchairs on the buses. Bicycles will be carried on a priority basis; the bus crew will decide on a case-by-case basis whether they can be carried. The times for any necessary replacement bus services are summarised in a special timetable and can be viewed ONLINE HERE.

Fire in Connewitz

A 38-year-old woman was injured by smoke fumes during a fire in a residential building last night. A total of 30 people had to evacuate their flats on Wolfgang-Heinze-Straße. This was reported this morning by the Leipziger Volkszeitung.

According to the police, the fire broke out in an attic flat at around 2.30 am and subsequently spread to the roof structure. The flames continued to spread there and, according to the newspaper’s account, were at times clearly visible rising above the roof. Due to the intensity of the blaze, the fire service deployed a large number of crews to the scene.

Firefighters from the South and Central stations opened up sections of the roof to reach and tackle the source of the fire. Firefighting operations were still ongoing this morning, whilst thick plumes of smoke continued to billow from the roof.

The ground floor of the building housing the fire is home to the ‘Black Label’ pub, popular with the people of Leipzig, which, in addition to serving drinks, is best known for hosting small punk, metal, hardcore and rock gigs.