Hello Leipzig: Here’s how Monday 7 September 2026 begins

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Child psychology and fine weather are setting the tone for the start of the week in Leipzig. And building sites. Things wear out and need replacing. More than 40 per cent of eligible voters in Saxony-Anhalt have come to the conclusion that this can be done using plans from the day before yesterday. It remains to be seen whether forming a government will be as straightforward for the election winners as winning votes.

Will Anhalt get off lightly?

Before we turn our attention to the roadworks in Leipzig’s traffic, let’s first look at one that’s right on our doorstep – and which will probably keep us occupied for much longer than a temporary full closure of Prager Straße

in Leipzig.

What some media reports are describing as an electoral earthquake is reshaping the political landscape (though that comes as little surprise). The AfD has emerged as the clear winner of the state election in Saxony-Anhalt, with its result confirming previous forecasts. According to the provisional final results, the party received 43.8 per cent of the vote, achieving its highest ever share of the vote in a state election.

Minister-President Sven Schulze’s CDU follows in second place, some way behind. It secured 17.2 per cent, marking its worst-ever result in a state election in Saxony-Anhalt. The wide gap between the AfD and the CDU highlights just how significantly the political balance of power in the state has shifted since the previous election. It is considered out of the question that any of the parties, apart from the AfD, that enter the next state parliament could agree on a joint coalition.

It remains to be seen whether the alliance led by former communist Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) – which plays a negligible role in federal politics – will help the far-right AfD secure a majority and thus contribute to the formation of a government. Several prominent BSW representatives have recently resigned from the party due to the party founder’s attempts to build bridges with the right-wing populists.

The political constellations remain up in the air. However, it is clear, from a purely pragmatic point of view, how things will proceed for the time being: as of today, the verification and final confirmation of the election results in Saxony-Anhalt are underway. First, the district returning officers will check the election records of the polling station committees for completeness and correctness.

By 14 September 2026 at the latest, the district electoral committees will convene for public meetings at which, following reports from the district returning officers, the final results for the individual constituencies will be determined and confirmed. In doing so, the committees may correct any arithmetical errors made by the polling station committees, rectify incorrect allocations of validly cast votes and reach different decisions when assessing the validity of votes.

At the same time, the district electoral committees determine which candidates have been elected in the respective constituencies. The elected candidates are then notified by the district returning officers. At state level, the State Returning Officer examines the minutes of the district electoral committees and the constituency results recorded therein. On 22 September 2026, the State Electoral Committee will meet in public session to determine and confirm the overall result of the election based on the State Returning Officer’s report and the State electoral nominations.

The State Electoral Committee may also make mathematical corrections to the findings of the district electoral committees. The overall result simultaneously determines which candidates from the state electoral lists have been elected and who is listed as a substitute. The State Returning Officer then informs the candidates elected via the State Election Lists. Following the meeting of the State Electoral Commission, the final results are published.

Even after the final confirmation, a review of the State Parliament election remains possible. In the event of any objections, the State Parliament examines both the validity of the election and the acquisition of membership of the State Parliament. Any person entitled to vote and any group of persons entitled to vote may lodge an objection; it is also possible to do so in an official capacity. The objection must be submitted in writing, stating the grounds, to the State Parliament of Saxony-Anhalt, Domplatz 6–9, 39104 Magdeburg. The deadline for this is one month after the publication of the final election result in the Ministerial Gazette.

The State Parliament decides on any objection. Its decision may subsequently be challenged before the Constitutional Court of Saxony-Anhalt.

Clean pipes are essential for water

Road users must once again prepare for new restrictions today. Particularly extensive works are set to begin on Prager Straße between Gerichtsweg and Ostplatz. From 7 September until mid-December 2026, Leipzig Waterworks will be refurbishing the drinking water and wastewater infrastructure there. According to the waterworks, this is due to repeated incidents of damage in this section of the road.

The combined sewer will be renovated, as will three manhole covers and drinking water pipes. Traffic heading into the city will be diverted onto the carriageway normally used for outbound traffic and will return to its regular carriageway at the Prager Straße/Gerichtsweg junction. It will still be possible to turn off Prager Straße into Gerichtsweg; however, the lane on Gerichtsweg heading towards Prager Straße will be closed.

The pavements will remain accessible throughout the construction period. Trams and buses are expected to run as normal. There may be brief interruptions to the drinking water supply whilst individual property connections are being connected; affected households will be informed in advance.

A new road closure period is set to begin in the Klingerweg/Könneritzstraße area. The Leipzig Group’s construction site overview indicates a full closure there from 7 September 2026 to 16 April 2027. Unlike the situation on Prager Straße, however, the underlying construction project did not begin today: Leipziger Wasserwerke have been working on the water infrastructure between Klingerweg and Könneritzbrücke since 7 July 2026, and the second phase of construction has been underway since 24 August.

Könneritzstraße between Könneritzbrücke and the junction with Anton-Bruckner-Allee is already closed to motor vehicles. Since 24 August, the waterworks have been advising cyclists to use the Karlbrücke as an alternative route; a temporary pedestrian traffic light has also been in place at the junction of Könneritzstraße and Anton-Bruckner-Allee since that date. Anton-Bruckner-Allee will generally remain open to traffic in both directions, and the Könneritz Bridge will remain accessible to pedestrians. Tram lines 1 and 2 are expected to run as normal throughout the construction period.

From 4.30 am today, the route of bus 74 in the west of Leipzig will also change. This is due to pipework on William-Zipperer-Straße. The LVB have announced that the restriction will be in place from 7 September at 4.30 am until 18 September at 11.59 pm. This affects bus route 74 towards Leutzsch, Straßenbahnhof. From Lindenauer Markt, buses will follow a local diversion to Uhlandstraße.

During the works, the Erich-Köhn-Straße stop will be served at an alternative location on Friesenstraße; the LVB also states that Lindenauer Markt and Uhlandstraße will be affected. The published information does not indicate a corresponding diversion for the opposite direction.

Loving the little tyke and living with him

With all the confusion and annoyances, you can certainly reach the breaking point of your nerves. And when your own child – for whom you’d actually do anything – can’t even bring themselves to cross the threshold because their shoes are the wrong colour or the fourth hair from the back on the left is pointing the wrong way – well, it might not be the end of the world, but your patience is certainly wearing thin.

How parents can deal with their children’s tantrums and other intense emotions is the focus of an event at Leipzig City Library today. The event begins at 3 pm. The venue is the ‘Huldreich Groß’ room on the 4th floor of the City Library at Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz 10–11, 04107 Leipzig. Admission is free.

The workshop centres on tantrums, tears and arguments, as well as the question of what might lie behind a child’s anger. It will also discuss how children learn to manage their emotions and how parents can support them when they are experiencing strong feelings. However, the focus will also be on the adults themselves: the focus is on how they can manage their own emotions and remain capable of acting in difficult situations without losing the connection with their child.

According to the organiser, two neighbourhood helpers will be on hand for parents who wish to have their children looked after during the event.

One more extra lap of swimming

The outdoor swimming pool season came to an end in Leipzig at the weekend. However, as exceptions can be made for special occasions, two of them remain open and will extend their opening hours until the end of this week.

Whilst the Kleinzschocher Summer Pool will be open daily from 10 am to 6 pm until next Sunday evening, visitors can use the Schreberbad at the Stadthafen daily from 12 noon to 7 pm. At the same time, the sports pools are combining this extra week of outdoor swimming with a special offer: from 7 to 13 September, holders of a sports pool pass may bring one additional person into both pools free of charge.

With the end of the outdoor swimming season, operations are now shifting back more heavily to the indoor swimming pools. The permanent staff of the Sportbäder are returning to these facilities, whilst the indoor pools are reverting to their usual opening hours. From Monday 14 September, all indoor swimming pools are due to be open as normal again, including at weekends.

One week after the extended outdoor swimming season begins, sauna services will also resume: both the sauna at the Sportbad an der Elster and the sauna at the Grünauer Welle will open from 14 September. Further details on the indoor swimming pools’ opening hours will be published by Leipziger Sportbäder on their website.