Auerbachs Keller © Travel Signposts

Auerbachs Keller (Auerbachs Cellar) owes much of its fame to Goethe who immortalized the wine tavern in Faust I -  In part V, Mephistopheles, the demon, takes Faust to the tavern in an attempt to ruin him, but fails.

Goethe frequented Auerbachs Keller as a student and called it his favorite wine bar. It is for this very reason that we’ve come to check out this most famous and second oldest of Leipzig restaurants, even though it was a bit too early to eat or drink.

Auerbachs Keller is located below Leipzig’s famous shopping arcade, the Mädlerpassage. Even before you descend into the cellar, the sculpture of Faust and Mephisto gives a hint of which famous individual has strong links here.  If you’re wondering why Faust’s left shoe is lighter in colour than the right, locals believe that if you rub his foot, you will receive good luck.

There are four historical dining rooms in Auerbachs Keller, including one named after Goethe: the Fasskeller (Barrel Cellar), Lutherzimmer (Luther Room), Goethezimmer (Goethe Room), Alt-Leipzig (Old Leipzig), and since 1913 the Großer Keller (Large Cellar). If you just want a drink, the Mephisto Bar is on the floor above.

A Brief History on Auerbachs Keller

Auerbachs Keller’s origin can be traced back to 1525 when Heinrich Stromer, a medical professor from Auerbach, opened a wine bar in the cellar of his house. In 1528, Stromer had the 200-year-old building torn down and a new house with an enlarged cellar built, with the Hexenküche, Fasskeller, Lutherzimmer and Goethezimmer rooms surviving to this day.

Mephisto and Faust © Travel Signposts

In 1911, Anton Mädler purchased the building, with the intention of demolishing it and replaced it with an elegant trade fair building. Auerbach Keller was part of the demolition plan, however due to worldwide protests, Mädler not only retained the Keller, but he also enlarged it with the inclusion of the very elegant Großer Keller.

But it hasn’t always been plain sailing for the Auerbachs Keller. The restaurant was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1995 when its then owner, a ‘construction magnate’ got the restaurant caught up in his dodgy financial deals. Thankfully a new owner arrived on the scene the following year and the restaurant’s door reopened.

Auerbachs Keller Today

The cuisine at the Großer Keller restaurant is marketed as hearty home-style cooking, supplemented with international dishes. Looking at the elegant restaurant, one might expect prices to be rather expensive, but the meals are at “family-friendly” prices.

At the Gift Shop, visitors can buy all kinds of Goethe and Faust-themed souvenirs, and for Euro 2.60 you can even buy a facsimile of a receipt for champagne that was made out by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1804.

Mädlerpassage is at Grimmaische Straße 2 in Leipzig’s historical district, close to the market.

Map of Leipzig:

Bach's Tomb © Travel Signposts

Leipzig is a city which is associated with many famous composers of the 18th to the 20th century.  Johann Sebastian Bach worked in Leipzig from 1723 to 1750, Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig in 1813 and Leipzig was the most important and influential period of Felix Mendelssohn’s creative life. Other eminent composers with strong Leipzig connections included Gustav Mahler, Hanns Eisler, Edvard Grieg, Robert and Clara Schumann.

Today, this city of great musical renown, offers a great variety of places for visitors to discover – places where illustrious composers lived and worked. Classical music lovers can discover this legacy on three different tours:

• Leipziger Notenspur (5.1 km)
• Leipziger Notenbogen (5.0 km)
• Leipziger Notenrad (36.6 km)

The Leipziger Notenspur tour covers the key sites where famous Leipzig composers and musicians lived and worked, as marked in the city centre by a striking logo. This tour can be complemented by the Leipziger Notenbogen tour, a ‘musical’ stroll leading through the Gründerzeit district to the west of the centre. Both of these tours can be enjoyed on foot.

The Leipziger Notenrad cycle route is the perfect way to discover sites of musical and historical interest that are further afield, many in charming riverside landscapes with their rural charm. The Leipziger Notenrad tour starts at St. Thomas’ Church, Bach’s final resting place, and ends at the new Gewandhaus concert hall, the two quintessential symbols of Leipzig’s musical history. It’s a wonderful way to combine musical heritage with exercise in natural surroundings.

Visitors can also enjoy a flavour of Leipzig’s musical diversity at its many concerts, events and festivals.  Two of international stature are the annual Leipzig Bach Festival and the International Mahler Festival.

See what’s on in Leipzig and book your Leipzig music event here.>

Search for Leipzig hotels, read hotel reviews and make your Leipzig hotel booking here.>

Thomaskirche - Leipzig © Travel Signposts

Leipzig’s Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church) is famous as the place where Johann Sebastian Bach worked as the choirmaster from 1723. Here too is the resting place of the master composer.  Although Bach’s remains were originally buried at Johanneskirche, his tomb now lies in the Nave of Thomaskirche.

Johanneskirche was destroyed during World War II and Bach’s remains were moved to Thomaskirche in 1950.  Thomaskirche itself did not escape the Allied bombing of Leipzig.  Its tower was damaged and required repairs. The roof of the church above the rib vaulted ceiling is one of the steepest in Germany.

Built between 1482-1496 in magnificent late-Gothic architecture, Thomaskirche is a Lutheran church. Although the current altar was only installed in 1993, the altar itself is the former Gothic altar of the Paulinerkirche, the university church of Leipzig University which was destroyed in 1968 by the Communist authorities.

Famous visitors to Thomaskirche include Martin Luther in May 1539 when he gave a sermon introducing the Reformation to Leipzig, Mozart played the organ here in May 1789 and Richard Wagner was baptized here in August 1813.

The church was used to store munitions by Napoleon’s troops in 1806 and during the Battle of Leipzig (Battle of Nations) St. Thomas was used as a military hospital.

After 100 years of neglect, Thomaskirche benefited from a total restoration after the reunification of the two Germanys in 1990. The badly needed repairs were completed on July 28th, 2000 in time to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Bach’s death. During this time St. Thomas Church also received the new Bach-Organ.

Thomaskirche’s choir, the Thomanerchor, is one of the oldest and most famous boys’ choirs in Germany. Founded in 1212, it is headed by the Thomaskantor, an office that has been held by many prominent composers and musicians, including Bach from 1723 until his death in 1750. Today, the choir still sings on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons. In the summer months, you can attend organ concerts here as well as at St. Nicholas.

Fans of the master composer will most certainly want to make a visit to Bach’s tomb on any visit to Leipzig.

Touring Germany is a pleasure, whether you drive yourself, take a coach or relax on a boat; that’s because there’s a lot to see and the roads are excellent, so travel is easy.

Whether you’re looking for romantic castles, picturesque villages with twisting alleys and narrow gabled houses, mountain landscapes or vibrant nightlife in a modern metropolis, everything is within easy reach.

Try this Tour Route

You’ll notice that my suggested general tour route below misses out Duesseldorf, Stuttgart etc. because although major cities they aren’t really what people go to Germany for (unless you’re picking up a Mercedes or BMW).

This Europe tour roughly goes in a circle, so you could go either direction. No problems driving in Germany. You could do the Rhine cruise bit at the beginning if you wanted. The tour would take around 17 days to do, but it would be nice to take a bit longer.

Note: links to the towns go to photo albums on the Travel Signposts website

Frankfurt – Remagen – Cologne – Bremen – Hamburg - Lubeck - Celle (Luneburg Heath) – Hannover – Berlin – Leipzig – Dresden – Weimar – Erfurt – Wartburg – Wurzburg – Bamberg – Bayreuth – Nuremberg – Rothenburg – Romantic Road – Nordlingen - Dachau – Munich – Lake Chiemsee – Berchtesgaden – Garmisch (Bavarian Alps): Linderhof/Ettal/Oberammergau/Steingaden/Neuschwanstein – Lindau (Lake Constance) – Meersburg/Konstanz (ferry) – Freiburg – Lake Titisee (Black Forest) – Baden-Baden – Heidelberg – Rudesheim/Boppard (Rhine Cruise) – Koblenz – Cochem – Rudesheim – Marksburg Castle – Frankfurt

Don’t know where a place is? Try this map (opens in new window): Map of Germany

Or visit our zoomable Google Satellite Map Page

TRAVEL TO GERMANY WITH US: PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS

Other Germany pages:

Travel to Germany: a Europe Tour that’s a lot more than Beer, Lederhosen and Cuckoo Clocks!

When to travel to Germany for your tour: weather and seasons

Useful facts, dates and links to help you plan your tour of Germany

Book your sightseeing tours or day-trips in Germany online

Book your hotels in Germany online HERE

Coblenz

Kaiser Wilhelm’s Monument

Miltenberg

Nuremberg

Passau

Regensburg

Remagen

Rüdesheim