Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar: Zum deutschen Artikel.
It’s derby time again in Leipzig! Around 10,000 football fans are set to watch the Regionalliga clash between 1. FC Lok and BSG Chemie at the Bruno-Plache-Stadion tomorrow. How are both teams shaping up? Following a failed supermarket robbery, the police are now searching for the perpetrator. In addition, hackers have accessed tens of thousands of records from the University of Halle. And: Glockenstraße is set to become a quieter, greener place. The LZ summarises the key events in Leipzig and beyond on Friday, 16 October 2026.
Anticipation for the Leipzig derby
Tomorrow, Saturday 17 October, the ever-popular derby classic between 1. FC Lok Leipzig and BSG Chemie Leipzig kicks off at 2 pm at the Bruno-Plache-Stadion. Over 9,100 tickets for this Regionalliga fixture on matchday 13 have already been sold, 1,300 of them to the visitors from Leutzsch, meaning their supporters’ section is now sold out. A good 2,000 tickets are still available for the rest of the stadium. The maximum capacity in Probstheida is 11,301 spectators.
“We’re taking Chemie extremely seriously,” said Lok manager Torsten Ziegner – for whom this is his first Leipzig derby in this role – at the press conference. “We watched all of Chemie’s matches during pre-season. We know everything about Chemie. We know exactly what to expect. We know what sort of football Chemie will play and wants to play.” He expects the opposition to show a little more commitment, passion and toughness in the derby – “possibly even some provocations”. But he believes his team is well prepared.
“The team are training exceptionally well at the moment. They’re very focused. We’ve made excellent progress over the last few weeks and are definitely on the right track. Now it’s a matter of translating that onto the pitch on Saturday to give the fans a treat with a home win.”
His counterpart, Chemie manager Alexander Schmidt, also feels well-informed about the opposition: “We know what to expect. I’ve been watching them; we know the players.” He sees the Blue-and-Yellows as the favourites. Nevertheless, he and his team naturally want to win the match. “We’re well aware, of course, of how important this is for our fans, for our team, and for the whole city. Accordingly, we’ll do everything we can to win the derby,” said Schmidt at today’s press conference.
However, he doesn’t want to put any extra pressure on his players. “Sometimes less is more. I don’t need to motivate anyone any further for tomorrow.” And anyway: “We can all make grand speeches and issue challenges, but what matters is what happens on the pitch.” According to Lok captain Djamal Ziane, for whom this will be his 16th Leipzig derby, it “probably won’t be a real treat for neutral spectators” – simply because both teams will be doing their utmost to avoid making any mistakes.
Armed robbery attempt at a Leipzig supermarket
An unknown man attempted to rob a supermarket on Käthe-Kollwitz-Straße in the Zentrum-West district on Thursday evening, the Leipzig Police Headquarters announced today. The perpetrator threatened a female member of staff with a stabbing weapon and demanded cash. When other staff members arrived, he fled without any loot. The incident reportedly took place yesterday evening at around 9.50 pm.
The Criminal Investigation Department is now investigating the incident as a robbery and is appealing for witnesses: the masked suspect is approximately 1.70 to 1.75 metres tall, between 25 and 30 years old and of a slim build. He has light-coloured eyes and was wearing a black cap, a black hooded parka, a red and black scarf, black trousers and black shoes. The Criminal Investigation Department at Dimitroffstraße 1 in Leipzig is accepting information on 0341 966 46666.
Leipzig to redevelop Glockenstraße near Petrischule
Glockenstraße in Leipzig’s south-east city centre will be subject to traffic-calming measures and greening from Monday, 26 October. The city council announced this today. The aim is to make the route to Petrischule safer and to enhance the surrounding area. At the same time, Leipzig Waterworks are renovating a drinking water pipeline.
In front of the school, a square-like area is being created featuring large concrete slabs, six trees, three raised beds with seating and two planted sunken beds. These are designed to store rainwater. There will also be cycle racks, benches and litter bins. The school entrances will also be given a design upgrade. The footpath leading to Brüderstraße will be refurbished and lined with eleven additional trees.
In future, some of the rainwater from the school roof is to be allowed to infiltrate on site, thereby contributing to groundwater recharge. It will only be channelled into the combined sewer system during heavy rainfall. The pilot project is intended to provide insights for further urban construction projects and to strengthen the natural water cycle locally. The additional greenery is also intended to improve the microclimate. The cost of the refurbishment is estimated at 1.2 million euros. The work is due to be completed in June 2027.
Hacker attack on the University of Halle: 51,000 applications affected
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) announced today that it had been the target of an attack on its IT systems. According to current information, unauthorised individuals may have gained access to around 51,000 applications for the 2026 summer term and the 2026/2027 winter term. The affected data records include, amongst other things, names, addresses, telephone numbers, private email addresses, as well as dates of birth and details regarding admission status and intended degree. It was also possible to access documents uploaded during the application process. The university currently assumes that the data has been accessed.
Following the discovery of the incident on 14 October 2026, the university set up a crisis management team led by Vice-Chancellor Claudia Becker and the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Digital Transformation and Transfer, Stefan Sackmann. IT staff have taken countermeasures and are working to investigate the incident. Those affected are being kept informed on an ongoing basis. The relevant authorities have also been notified. Furthermore, the university has filed a criminal complaint.
Further information is available on the university’s website at www.uni-halle.de/datenschutzvorfall.
What the LZ reported today:
Hello Leipzig: How Friday 16 October 2026 kicks off the weekend
Harkortstraße reopens: Traffic light timings readjusted and new cycle paths proving popular
Sport and death: A new magazine on extreme experiences, tragic deaths and grief in the stadium
Heat pumps replace fossil fuel heating: Heat supply at the Siemens plant in Leipzig is now CO₂-free
What else was important:
In order to drive forward artificial intelligence (AI) in German industry, the German government is arranging a partnership with the US chip manufacturer Nvidia – as reported by ZDFheute. According to the report, a sum in the hundreds of millions is to be invested in the project. This new partnership is set to be officially announced on Monday evening.
Germany and France have decided to water down the ban on internal combustion engines in new cars, which was originally planned for 2035. The CO₂ reduction target for new cars is to be lowered from 100 per cent to 90 per cent – without any further compensatory measures. This announcement caused shares in Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes to rise by just over three per cent on the stock markets.
Air traffic in Italy was severely disrupted for hours today. Problems with the Italian air traffic control data network are cited as the reason. However, the authority has ruled out sabotage or a cyberattack. Numerous flights, including those between Italy and Germany, were cancelled or suffered severe delays. Flight operations are now returning to normal.
Empfohlen auf LZ
So können Sie die Berichterstattung der Leipziger Zeitung unterstützen:
There is one comment