Leipzig's old centre is compact enough to cross in a quarter of an hour, and it was shaped by trade fairs, merchants and music. This guide covers four places close together: the Old Town Hall on the Markt, the small Naschmarkt square behind it with the Old Stock Exchange, Auerbachs Keller, the cellar made famous by Goethe's Faust, and the Mende Fountain on Augustusplatz. Three of them are stops on our Leipzig scavenger hunt, and the fountain stands on the square where the route begins.
Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus)
The long Renaissance building on the east side of the Markt is the Old Town Hall, and it was put up remarkably fast: in 1556, in less than a year, under the direction of the mayor and master builder Hieronymus Lotter. Notice that the tower is not in the middle of the façade. Along the front runs a long band of inscription, and the ground floor has arcades that once sheltered market stalls.
The building burned out in an air raid in December 1943 and was restored after the war. In December the Christmas market fills the Markt in front of it. Since 1909 it has housed the Stadtgeschichtliches Museum, Leipzig's city history museum, with rooms on the trade fairs, the guilds and the city's famous residents. The Old Town Hall is one of the stops on our Leipzig scavenger hunt.
- The off-centre tower, which gives the long façade its odd balance.
- The inscription band running the length of the building.
- The bronze Bathing Girl in a niche on the market side, a replica installed in 2000 after the original was stolen in 1992.
Naschmarkt and the Old Stock Exchange
Walk through the passage of the Old Town Hall, past the small bronze Bathing Boy by Carl Seffner, and you reach the Naschmarkt, a smaller square behind it. Its centrepiece is the Alte Handelsbörse, the Old Stock Exchange, built in the late 17th century as a meeting house for merchants. It is one of the first Baroque buildings in Leipzig, with a balustrade topped by statues and a grand outside staircase. Today its hall is used for concerts, readings and receptions.
In front of it stands a statue of the young Goethe, who studied law in Leipzig in the 1760s; the sculptor Carl Seffner shows him as a student. On the side of the square opposite the entrance to the Mädler-Passage, the Lion Fountain has two cast-iron lions. The Naschmarkt is a scavenger hunt stop.
- The young Goethe on his pedestal in front of the Old Stock Exchange.
- The two iron lions of the Löwenbrunnen.
Auerbachs Keller
Under the Mädler-Passage, a few steps from the Naschmarkt, lies Auerbachs Keller, one of the best-known restaurants in Germany. A wine cellar has existed here since the 16th century, and Goethe, who knew it as a student, set a scene of Faust in it: Mephistopheles and Faust join a group of drinking students, and Faust rides out of the cellar on a barrel.
At the top of the stairs from the arcade, two bronze groups show the scene: Faust and Mephistopheles on one side and the bewitched students on the other. Rubbing Faust's shoe is said to bring luck, which is why it shines. The cellar is still a working restaurant, so you can eat where the scene is set. Auerbachs Keller is one of the scavenger hunt stops.
Mende Fountain on Augustusplatz
The Mende Fountain stands on Augustusplatz, Leipzig's largest square, in front of the Gewandhaus concert hall. The Mendebrunnen is the largest fountain in the city, inaugurated on 2 September 1886 and paid for by the bequest of Marianne Pauline Mende, a merchant's widow. The architect Adolf Gnauth designed it, Hugo Licht completed the design, and Jacob Ungerer made the figures.
Its obelisk rises almost 18 metres, and around the basin a crowd of water creatures plays: Tritons, sea horses and Nereids. The fountain was dismantled and reinstalled more than once in the 20th century, most recently restored in the late 1990s. It is not a stop itself, but Augustusplatz, where it stands, is the first stop of the scavenger hunt.
Kroch high-rise
On the corner of Augustusplatz stands the Krochhochhaus, built in 1927 and 1928 for the banker Hans Kroch and designed by German Bestelmeyer. It is often called Leipzig's first high-rise. Look up at the top: two bronze figures strike a large bell, an idea borrowed from the clock tower on St Mark's Square in Venice, and below them a Latin inscription reads Omnia vincit labor, work conquers all. Today the building belongs to the university and houses its Egyptian Museum. The high-rise is the second stop of the scavenger hunt.
How to see them in one walk
Start on Augustusplatz at the Mende Fountain, with the Gewandhaus, the opera and the university buildings around you. Walk west along Grimmaische Straße, past St Nicholas Church, to the Mädler-Passage and Auerbachs Keller. Take a moment to look at the passage itself, an elegant shopping arcade built in the years before the First World War. Step out onto the Naschmarkt, then go through the passage of the Old Town Hall onto the Markt. From there it is a short walk to St Thomas Church, where Bach was cantor, and on to the New Town Hall.
See Leipzig with World City Trail
Our Leipzig scavenger hunt turns the old centre into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops, from Augustusplatz to the New Town Hall. Three places in this guide are stops: the Old Town Hall with the city history museum, the Naschmarkt and Auerbachs Keller, along with the Kroch high-rise, St Nicholas Church, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Markt and St Thomas Church.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Leipzig.
Play the Leipzig scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Leipzig →
Play the outdoor escape game in Leipzig →
Facts checked in October 2026.