Leipzig: Cradle of football and peaceful revolution

May 17, 2006, 15:52 GMT

Leipzig - Leipzig takes pride in being the cradle of the peaceful revolution which saw East Germany collapse and the Berlin Wall come down.

It is also the cradle of German football. On January 28, 1900, the German Football Federation (DFB) was constituted in this historical traditional city in the state of Saxony. Not surprisingly, it is also where the draw for the World Cup finals will take place on December 9.

Leipzig's newly constructed 45,000-seater Zentral stadium will host four group matches and one round of 16 tie.

The city`s top tourist area is the colourful 'Barefoot Lane' - the translation of the German 'Barfussgaesschen' - which is in truth a succession of bars and restaurants with ancient facades.

The great city, founded in the seventh century, became a bridge between West and East Europe, combining the privilege of organising trade fairs with the development of the arts.

In Leipzig the famous choir of Saint Thomas was founded in 1212, Johann Sebastian Bach was director of music of the city between 1723 and 1750. The city`s 'Gewandhaus', founded in 1743, is the oldest orchestra in Germany.

During World War II, Leipzig underwent the worst bombing in December of 1943. Even in the first years of the German Democratic Republic, or East Germany, it was the scene of workers` protests.

Almost four decades later, in the autumn of 1989, Leipzig returned to worldwide fame, this time as the cradle of reunification. In the so- called 'Monday demonstrations', hundreds of East Germans met to pray in the Church of Saint Nicholas, wearing down peacefully the wall that separated the two Germanies.

The city of 530,000 inhabitants has a long sporting tradition: Leipzig was the training centre for many athletes and was a German candidate to host the Olympic Games 2012.

Group games:

June 11: Serbia and Montenegro v Netherlands
June 14: Spain v Ukraine 
June 18: France v South Korea 
June 21: Iran v Angola

Round of 16:

June 24: WC v RD