Why Did the Peaceful Revolution Start in Leipzig?

Interior of St. Nikolai Church where reunification movement began.

Why was Leipzig the cradle of the Peaceful Revolution that led to the reunification of Germany?

In the opinion of Leipzig’s Cultural Commissioner, Dr. Georg Girardet, it had a lot to do with the city’s own special personality and culture.

Leipzig had always been a bit more liberal than other cities in the former East Germany, he notes. This was largely due to the Leipzig Trade Fairs that brought western visitors regularly to the city. The communist regime wanted to avoid exercising repressive measures on people in front of international traders so they tended to put fewer controls on Leipzigers.

The second factor, says Dr. Girardet, was the personality of Saxons. “Saxons are known to have a strong sense of humor, are active and are willing to take their fate into their own hands.”

The third, and perhaps most critical element was the city itself. Leipzig’s St. Nikolai Church started having gatherings every Monday at 5 p.m. for “Peace Prayers”.

“I would say that 90% of the people who came to those meetings were not ‘Christian’ but they came to take advantage of the church as a safe haven to be able to talk about the country’s growing political problems and lack of democracy. Even Berliners would come to join in.”

Looking back, he says, these conditions existed only in Leipzig. A small movement had started in the Prezlauerberg district of Berlin but it was carefully monitored by the State and heavily infiltrated by the Stasi, the secret police. Another center of activity was Dresden but there too the central government had a great deal of ideological control. —