Hello Leipzig: This is how Thursday 15 October 2026 begins

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If Mozart were to write it, it might be called ‘A Little Tram Music’ – doors open for a Leipzig tram concert. The swimming pool doors, however, remain closed. For staff, it means a full day of further training. The Saxon Literature Prize will be awarded at the City Library this evening, and for passengers on regional services, there’s a rail replacement bus service on the route to Görlitz.

LVB becomes a musical experience

No diversions, no delays – that’s what the ideal day of passenger bliss on a tram might look like. Because this state of affairs cannot always be achieved, despite all efforts, it is the little joys of everyday life that can provide pleasant surprises. There’s one such joy today, and it’s of a musical nature. A ‘Bimmel’ as a concert hall!

Leipzig Transport Services (LVB) are organising a free surprise concert in the early evening, featuring a total of three musical performances. The event kicks off with a special tram ride through Leipzig, followed by live music at the Sportforum Ost stop. According to consistent media reports, the concert tram is due to set off as early as 4.45 pm. Location: still a secret. The first musical act will perform during the journey.

Stops along the route are said to include the University of Applied Sciences for Technology, Business and Culture (HTWK), the Bayerischer Bahnhof and Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz. Passengers can board en route and enjoy the live music whilst travelling. The tram is due to reach the Sportforum Ost stop at around 6 pm. Two further performances are scheduled there, which are expected to last until around 8 pm. Visitors can also go there directly without having taken part in the special journey beforehand.

No ticket is required for the stop-based concert. The usual fares apply for the special journey and for travelling to and from the event on other public transport. Anyone wishing to experience the performances at Sportforum Ost should aim to be there by around 5.45 pm if possible. However, neither the full route nor the exact departure and stop times for the special journey itself have been announced. Nor have the names of the artists or any distinguishing features of the concert train been published as yet.

In the Leipzig group’s official events calendar at www.l.de/wir-fuer-leipzig/veranstaltungskalender/, the event is announced under the title ‘Hop on and join the party – surprise concert on the tram’ from 5 pm to 7 pm on the city centre ring line. So for now, the advice is to keep your eyes peeled and spot the secret ‘musicians’ tram’ before you can hop on and listen to the lively tunes.

There have already been a few occasions of live music on the tram in Leipzig. For instance, the Friends of the Forum for Contemporary Music have performed several times whilst travelling along the tracks. The programme included, amongst other pieces, the compositions *Schwarzfahrermarsch I/II* by Thomas Christoph Heyde, *Spielzeugstraßenbahn – Spur Ha Null* by Steffen Schleiermacher and *9:19 Spannung im Gelenktriebwagen* by Alexander Dreyhaupt. The transport authority plans to announce at 3 pm which artists – whose identities have been kept secret until now – will be performing today.

Leipzig is left high and dry today

Whilst the tram is opening its doors for a musical experience, those of the city’s swimming pools will remain closed to bathers today. Due to a joint training event for employees of Sportbäder GmbH, all nine pools and the saunas at the Grünauer Welle and the Sportbad an der Elster will remain closed for the whole day.

According to the company, staff are to address current developments in the swimming pool sector, further develop internal work processes and exchange experiences between the individual sites. As staff normally work seven days a week in rotating shifts, it is not possible to organise training for the entire workforce whilst the pools are open for regular use.

Managing Director Martin Gräfe explains the decision: “To ensure that absolutely all colleagues can take part, we are concentrating the training on a single day, which means we have to close our swimming pools.” At the same time, he highlights the importance of regular training for visitors’ safety: “We know that this closure means an inconvenience for our pool-goers. At the same time, regular training is essential to bring staff up to date and thus guarantee safe pool operations.”

From Friday, the facilities will reopen at their usual times. During the autumn half-term holidays, some pools will offer additional opening hours. The best way to find out which times apply at each individual location is to use the ‘Badfinder’ at www.l.de/sportbaeder. The usual admission prices will apply again for regular visits following the closure day. At the Sportbad an der Elster, adults pay €5.00 for one hour (concession €4.40) and €6.10 or €5.50 for two hours respectively. At the Grünauer Welle, one hour costs €5.00 (concession €3.80), whilst three hours cost €7.40 and €5.50 respectively.

At the Schwimmhalle Mitte, admission is €5.50 for adults and €4.30 at the reduced rate. At the Schwimmhallen Nord, Nordost, Süd, Südost and West, the corresponding prices are €5.00 and €3.80. A three-and-a-half-hour visit to the sauna at the Grünauer Welle, including use of the swimming pool, costs 18.00 euros or 15.80 euros at the reduced rate. The same rates apply for three-and-a-half hours in the sauna at the Sportbad an der Elster, although this does not include use of the swimming pool. A 10 per cent discount is generally available with the Sportbäder card.

Anyone wishing to find out about opening times or special offers before a visit can contact the general enquiries line for Leipzig’s sports swimming pools on 0341 969-2329, Monday to Friday from 9 am to 3 pm. The sports swimming pools ask their guests for their understanding regarding this one-day restriction.

Literature prize goes to Leipzig

Leipzig-based writer Heike Geißler is to be honoured this evening with the 2026 Saxon Literature Prize. The public award ceremony begins at 7 pm at the Leipzig City Library on Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz. Admission is free. The award recognises the author’s entire literary oeuvre to date and comes with a prize of 10,000 euros. The prize money is provided by the Saxon Ministry of Culture.

Saxony’s Minister for Culture, Barbara Klepsch, will attend the ceremony and deliver a welcome address. The laudatory speech will be delivered by Anke Schleper, co-owner of the Leipzig bookshop Rotorbooks. The honour forms part of the programme for the Literary Autumn, which takes place in Leipzig from 11 to 18 October. The award ceremony is being organised in collaboration with the Saxon Literature Council.

In selecting Geißler, the jury has honoured a writer who has been addressing political, social and economic issues for more than two decades. In its statement, the jury highlights the consistency with which Geißler explores social conflicts through her writing. “Wherever she goes, she fights,” states the official citation.

The decision was made by a five-member panel chaired by Oliver Zille, former director of the Leipzig Book Fair. The panel also included the journalist and literary critic Dr Katrin Schumacher, the literary scholar and editor Prof. Dr Silke Horstkotte, the events curator Odile Vassas, and the literary critic and author Dr Burkhard Müller.

Geißler was born in Riesa in 1977 and now lives with her family in Leipzig. She studied American Studies, Politics and Geography in Dresden, as well as Hispanic Studies and Literary Studies in Halle an der Saale. As early as 2001, she received the Alfred Döblin Encouragement Prize for her debut novel *Rosa*, published in 2002. Her other major awards include the 2023 Lessing Prize Sponsorship Award from the Free State of Saxony, the 2025 Klopstock Prize for New Literature, the 2025 Heinrich Böll Prize and the 2025 Bavarian Book Prize.

New railway sleepers on the route to Görlitz

Rail passengers wishing to travel from Leipzig via Dresden to Görlitz using the Deutschlandticket should expect longer journey times for one week. Due to the replacement of railway sleepers, the section of track between Löbau and Görlitz will be temporarily closed. According to the Upper Elbe Transport Association (VVO) and the rail operator trilex, services on the RE 1 Regional Express and the RB 60 Regional Train will be suspended daily between 6 am and 8 pm up to and including 22 October. Replacement buses will be running instead, which will add around 20 to 30 minutes to the journey time.

As an alternative, passengers travelling from Leipzig can take the RE 10 Regional Express via Falkenberg (Elster) to Cottbus and change there to the RB 65 Regional Train to Görlitz. Both services can be used with the Deutschlandticket. This route bypasses the closed section between Löbau and Görlitz. At the same time, another closure between Reichenbach and Görlitz/Zgorzelec, which has been in place since 8 October, is ending today. However, no exact time has been announced for the lifting of this restriction.