Leipzig (Fr. Leipsic), the third commercial city of Germany, is situated in a large and fertile plain in the kingdom of Saxony, 80 miles by rail WNW. of Dresden, and 101 SSW. of Berlin, within 6½ miles of the Prussian border, and 3 miles above the junction of the three small streams, Elster, Pleisse, and Parthe. The inner or ancient town, the centre of the business activity, with narrow and crooked streets and quaint houses, is separated by a broad, tree-shaded promenade (laid out since 1784 on the site of the old walls) from the much more extensive modern suburbs, bounded in their turn by a girdle of busy manufacturing 'villages.' Of these last, Reudnitz, Eutritzsch, Gohlis, and others were incorporated with the city in 1889 and 1890. The pop. within the official city limits was in 1800, 32,146; in 1860, 85,394; in 1880, 149,081; and in 1885, 170,342, including a garrison of 3373; in 1895, including all the villages incorporated in the preceding years, the population was 399,963. Many handsome edifices have been erected, numerous fine streets laid out and built, and great civic improvements effected at Leipzig in the last quarter of the 19th century; but few of the public buildings are specially remarkable. The two principal city churches, the Thomaskirche and the Nicolai-kirche, date respectively from 1496 and 1525; the quaint old Rathhaus, or town-hall, from 1556. The old Pleissenburg (built in 1213, rebuilt 1551) was repeatedly besieged (in the Thirty Years' War) and taken; all but the tower was demolished since 1895. Amongst the modern buildings are the Municipal Theatre (1868), one of the largest and handsomest in Germany; the Museum (1856-58; enlarged in 1883-86); the new Exchange (1884-86); the Observatory (1861); the Booksellers' Exchange (1888), with an interesting museum; St Peter's Church (1885), a fine specimen of modern German Gothic; and the magnificent Imperial Law-courts, opened in 1895. The noble New Gewandhaus has since 1884 superseded the old Gewandhaus (so called because originally a drapers' hall), in which, since 1781, some of the best concerts in Europe were given. Leipzig contains numerous squares and open spaces, affording ample room for the stalls and booths of the retail dealers at the fairs. The largest is the Augustus-Platz; the quaintest the Market-place, in which a large war monument for 1870-71 was unveiled in 1888. The Rosenthal and the Johanna-Park are fine parks on the outskirts; while farther out are fine oak and beech woods.
Leipzig resembles Edinburgh in being an important legal, educational, and book-publishing centre, though in its other commercial interests it far outdistances the Scottish capital. It has been the seat of the supreme court of the German empire since 1879. The foundation-stone of a new building for this tribunal was laid here in 1888. The university, founded in 1408 by a secession from Prague, has 182 professors and lecturers, and more students (averaging over 3000) than any other German university except Vienna, Berlin, and Munich. The Augusteum, or main building, is in the old town; but it is supplemented by spacious medical and physical laboratories and other 'institutes' (forty-eight in number) in other parts of the town, including a new library-building containing 350,000 vols. and 4000 MSS. The City Library has 100,000 vols. and 1500 MSS. Among the numerous other educational establishments are two gymnasia, a justly famous School of Commerce, a conservatory of music (400 pupils), reckoned amongst the first in Europe, and many literary, artistic, and scientific institutions. The hospital system of Leipzig is one of the best developed in Europe, and has largely benefited the medical faculty of the university. As a seat of trade Leipzig is inferior only to Hamburg and Berlin among the towns of Germany. The chief articles of commerce are furs and skins, cloth, leather, and books. The famous Leipzig fairs are held at Easter, Michaelmas, and the New Year, and last from three to five weeks. Their origin is traced as far back as 1180; their importance dates from about 1500, and they reached their greatest prosperity at the end of the 17th and the end of the 18th centuries. The accession of Saxony in 1833 to the German Customs Union (Zollverein) gave another fillip to the business of these fairs; but since 1865 the growth of railways and telegraphs, and the greater numbers of commercial travellers have gradually reduced their importance, though they are still attended by about 30,000 strangers, including Jews, Turks, Greeks, Armenians, Persians, and even (of late) Chinese. Transactions to the extent of over £10,000,000 sterling are said to take place at the Easter fair. Leipzig ranks next to London and Paris as a seat of the bookselling and publishing trade. Nearly 500 houses are engaged in the book-trade, and there are also about eighty printing establishments; while type-founding has here its chief centre in Germany. The German booksellers have established a common exchange and clearing-house at Leipzig; and at the annual settlements of accounts at the Easter or Jubilate fair six thousand principals are said to be here represented by their commissioners. The wool-market, in June, is still much frequented, though the amount of wool offered for sale in 1888 (about 218,000 lbs.) was less than half that offered in 1878.
Among the chief manufactures (carried on mainly in the 'villages') are pianofortes, paper, chemicals, oils, scientific instruments, spirits, beer, tobacco, and some textiles. Iron-founding is also carried on. The wax-cloth industry is declining.
Leipzig, formerly Libzk or Lipzk (from the Slavic Lip or Lipa, a 'lime-tree'), originally a Wendish settlement, is first mentioned as a town in 1015. In the latter part of the 12th century it had from 5000 to 6000 inhabitants, and it rapidly grew in importance and prosperity under the fostering care of the margraves of Meissen, who granted it numerous commercial privileges. Leipzig suffered greatly in the Thirty Years' War, in which it was five times besieged and taken, and again in the Seven Years' War; and although the commercial changes connected with the French Revolution at first affected it very favourably, yet it suffered not a little amidst the terrible struggles of the years 1812 and 1813, when it was alternately in possession of the French and of the allies. In 1866 it was occupied for some months by Prussian troops. In recent years Leipzig has been noted as the headquarters of the Socialistic party in Germany. The famous Leipzig Conference between Luther, Eck, and Carlstadt, which took place in the Pleissenburg in 1519, and the Leipzig Interim (see INTERIM) of 1548 are important in the history of the Reformation. Leipzig was the birthplace of Leibnitz and of Wagner; J. S. Bach was director of music in the two chief churches, and 'cantor' in the Thomasschule from 1724 till 1750; and Mendelssohn was director of the Gewandhaus Concerts from 1835 till 1841. In literary history Leipzig is famous as the seat of the Saxon or Leipzig school of criticism, headed by Gottsched (q.v.). One of the scenes in Goethe's Faust is placed in Auerbach's Keller, in Leipzig, still shown, with old frescoes illustrating the legend used by the poet.
The immediate neighbourhood of Leipzig has been the scene of two battles of great importance in the history of Germany and of Europe—the battle of Leipzig, or of Breitenfeld (q.v.), on September 7, 1631; and the great battle of Leipzig—called the Battle of Nations—from the 16th to the 18th of October 1813. The latter was one of the most bloody and decisive of those which effected the deliverance of Europe from French domination. The troops under Napoleon in this battle amounted to about 180,000 men, and those of the allies, commanded by Prince Schwarzenberg, Marshal Blücher, and Bernadotte, Crown-prince of Sweden, to almost 300,000. The loss of the French was reckoned at about 30,000 killed and wounded, and 38,000 prisoners; that of the allies at about 52,000. The victory of the allies was complete, and the French had to evacuate Leipzig.
See works on Leipzig by Grosse (1837-42), Sparfeld (1851), Kneschke (1870), Wuttke (1873), Hasse (1878), Hirschfeld (1887), Moser, Benndorf, &c.