Friday, 18 September 2026: Capa Forest saved by relocation of the Kleinmesse; teenager injured; huge thanks at Auensee

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Is the Capa Grove actually safe now? A new proposal from the city council could offer a compromise on this hotly debated issue. A 14-year-old girl narrowly avoided being hit by a car and was injured whilst trying to get out of the way. And: Little ones at Auensee say THANK YOU! The LZ summarises the key events from Friday, 18 September 2026, in Leipzig and beyond.

Will the Kleinmesse be moved to the Festwiese?

A solution appears to be emerging in the debate over the preservation of the Capa-Wäldchen. As the City of Leipzig announced today, the Kleinmesse could find a home at the Festwiese in the medium term. This would enable RB Leipzig to carry out the planned expansion of its training facilities on the Kleinmesse’s current site. That, in turn, would save the Capa-Wäldchen from the initially proposed and highly controversial deforestation.
In its statement, the city identifies several advantages to relocating the Kleinmesse to the approximately four-hectare Festwiese. These include, for example, the very central location, the links to public transport and the potential synergies with the stadium and arena. However, issues relating to heritage protection and noise control, as well as the potential costs of upgrading the Festwiese to accommodate the fairground rides, must first be examined. And ultimately, the city council would also have to approve this course of action.

Nevertheless, this new development has sparked mixed feelings amongst the Green Party’s city council group. “Capi is staying! The protest by environmental organisations has had an effect – we are so glad that there is no majority in this city for the originally absurd plans and that the mayor has had to adjust his plans,” says environmental policy spokesperson Nicole Schreyer-Krieg, expressing her delight on the one hand.

Nevertheless, she remains critical of a training area on the current Kleimesse site: “This will not achieve a genuine strengthening of the green corridor along Cottaweg, which is the narrowest part of the floodplain forest. In our view, we should actually be giving nature more space there, as envisaged by the Integrated Urban Development Concept (INSEK).’ Our LZ colleague Ralf Julke will cover this topic in greater detail in an article tomorrow.

14-year-old injured whilst swerving

A 14-year-old girl was injured on Wednesday evening in the Mockau-Nord district after having to swerve to avoid a dark VW Polo. The Leipzig Police Headquarters announced this today. The driver of the car had continued their journey without stopping.

The incident occurred at around 7.30 pm at the junction of Essener Straße and Friedrichshafener Straße. According to current information, the teenager was attempting to cross Friedrichshafener Straße correctly in the direction of Mockauer Straße. The pedestrian lights were showing green for her at the time. However, at the same time, a dark-coloured VW Polo was travelling out of town along Friedrichshafener Straße, apparently without noticing the girl. To avoid a collision, the 14-year-old jumped to the side and was injured in the process. She subsequently had to be treated as an outpatient at a hospital.

The traffic accident investigation unit is now looking for witnesses who can provide information about the unidentified vehicle or the accident. Anyone with information should contact the Leipzig Traffic Police Station, Schongauerstraße 13, on 0341 255-2850 (during the day) or 0341 255-2910.

A big thank you at Auensee

On Friday morning, Year 3 and Year 4 pupils from the Schule am Auensee in Leipzig took part in the ‘Thank you, Schulstraße!’ campaign on Stahmelner Straße to promote safe and child-friendly routes to school. In the newly designated school zone in front of the school, the children joined together to form the message for around 15 to 20 minutes. According to the School Route Safety Working Group, their aim was to show how important a safe journey to school is to them and to celebrate the introduction of the school zone.

The campaign took place almost exactly one year after the “Schools Streets Now – Less Traffic!” campaign day. On 19 September 2025, pupils, parents and supporters had drawn attention to the traffic situation around the school. The focus at that time was on safe routes to school and reducing car traffic in front of the school.

The school street prohibits motor vehicles from entering between 7.30 am and 8.30 am, Monday to Friday. According to the school, this allows the children to experience first-hand how their school environment can change. Reduced traffic therefore creates more space and safety for children travelling to school on foot, by bike or by scooter, as well as for other people out and about there in the mornings.

What the LZ reported on today:

Should a headteacher’s ‘overtime’ be paid? The Frank Post case before the Federal Administrative Court

The right tone is missing: Princess Leia and the CDU – a commentary

Hello Leipzig, this is how Friday 18 September 2026 kicks off the weekend

The Gordian knot: Why the handling of the Capa Forest in Leipzig is merely a symptom of a wider crisis

Smart.Home.God.: What is technology actually doing to our real lives?

Upcoming premiere at the Theater der Jungen Welt: ‘Alles gut!’ takes a slapstick and humorous look at the failings of adults

Next BookTalkWalk on 19 September: Through Leipzig with Emmanuel Lévinas

What else was important:

Investment legend Warren Buffett has handed over the chairmanship of the board of directors at Berkshire Hathaway to his son Howard (71) shortly after his 96th birthday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has placed the Swiss food conglomerate Nestlé under temporary compulsory administration by decree. As a result, the company has now lost access to its business operations. The same applies to the French supermarket chain Auchan.

As a result of the war in Iran, the price of diesel in Germany has already climbed to a new all-time high for two days running. The national average stood at just over 2.47 euros per litre.

Hundreds of criminal offences have been committed during the Berlin election campaign over the past month and a half. This is according to statistics from the Berlin police obtained by rbb. In addition to verbal abuse and the destruction of posters, there have also been 39 attacks on party members and campaign workers.