background information
FROM AND FOR LEIPZIG
On the history and self-concept of the Museum of City History Leipzig
After various temporary homes, the collections of the museum, which evolved on the initiative of Leipzig citizens involved with the Leipzig history association - established in 1867, found a permanent home at the Old Town Hall in 1909. This site survived massive war damage as well as political and ideological exploitation during both German dictatorships. Following the opening of the new building (Haus Böttchergässchen) in 2004, the museum (which is operated by the city) now has a flexible special exhibition area. This has enabled the museum’s transition to a modern structure shaped by various working fields, such as documentation, education and communication. While the branch museums are linked via the director’s office and the museum’s central administration, a foundation established specifically for this in 2012 is responsible for the reconstruction, preservation and day-to-day operation of the Monument to the Battle of the Nations.
BETWEEN TRADITION AND THE MODERN ERA – THE CITY’S MEMORY
Exhibition venues and historical sites of the Museum of City History Leipzig
Ever since its inception in 1909, the Leipzig Museum of City History has been the city’s historic memory. Its decentralised structure across eight sites makes it the place at which relevant historic subjects and formative aspects of life in the city are collected, researched and brought to life for education in the modern age. The interaction between authentic historic sites, multi-faceted collections and education and networking activities based on participation provides a very varied impression of the cultural history and development of a growing Saxon metropolis with a decidedly cosmopolitan approach.