Leipzig's opera which looks back on three hundred years of tradition is the second oldest music stage in Germany.

In May 1723 Johann Sebastian Bach began working in Leipzig as choir master, organist and musical director, responsible for the music in the four main churches of Leipzig, up until his death on 28. July 1750.
His legacy is kept alive by the Bach archives and Bach museum, the Thomaner chior and the Gewandhaus orchestra.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe studied law in Leipzig from 1765 to 1768.
One scene in his epochal play "Faust" is set in Auerbachs Keller, a beer cellar in the city centre. It was here, according to myth, that in 1525, seduced by Mephisto, Dr. Faust went on a fantastic beer barrel ride.
Auerbachs Keller is not only the second oldest pub in Leipzig but is also listed as one of the five most famous restaurants in the world.

The Gewandhaus orchestra is renowned world wide and is the oldest civil orchestra in Europe. It plays in the Gewandhaus at the Augustusplatz.