A new dawn and the end of a system
The 1990s in Leipzig

25 September 2024 – 7 September 2025
Special exhibition
Leipzig Museum of City History, Böttchergäßchen Building, Böttchergäßchen 3, 04109 Leipzig

In Leipzig, the year 1990 heralded a tumultuous period full of both opportunities and challenges. After the peaceful revolution and the end of the GDR, the possibilities seemed almost endless: techno parties, squatting, sports events highlighted in the media, and new festivals. Culture was more open, and urban politics became more democratic. Overflowing supermarket shelves and western cars became part of everyday life – but not for everyone. A considerable number of companies were closed or had to downsize. Thousands took to the streets to demonstrate against the resulting mass unemployment. Many Leipzigers moved either to the outskirts of the city or to the west in search of a better life. The heritage of the GDR – from Stasi files to the destroyed St Paul’s Church – was hotly debated. At the same time, new companies and initiatives were set up. There was planning and construction everywhere: the new Leipzig trade fair, the airport, residential buildings, the new lake district developed in a former mining area (Neuseenland), and new sports facilities. In addition, people from western Germany and abroad also found a new home in Leipzig. Souvenirs, facts, and TV programmes bring the 90s to life – with its good and bad sides.

Today, Leipzig is a vibrant city of culture, a transport hub and a business centre. In spite of this, there are issues of poverty and inequality. It remains to be seen what the lasting impact of the 90s will be on people’s minds and on the cityscape.

The »free space« – the open forum of the exhibition - invites visitors to think about contemporary views of the 90s. The topics and contents were developed in conversations and projects involving many different people. This free space also offers room for personal stories: It will evolve in the course of the exhibition – through the addition of your opinions and memories.

Exhibition and accompanying program with the kind support of the Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung together with the Sparkasse Leipzig, also with funds from the Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur.

photo: © Christoph Sandig
Street scene in the Seeburg district, 1994