Images from Leipzig

Leipzig has a real buzz. It's easy to see why it is known as Germany's "Boomtown", with a high quality of living. It boasts an impressive transport system, in which the bicycle reigns, large well used parks, and interesting quarters. The years after re-unification saw a population decline , but it is now Germany's fastest growing city. Above all, it seems to be a city of young people.

Leipzig University was founded in 1409, and its alumni include Leibniz, Goethe, Nietzsche, Liebknecht, Wagner and Angela Merkel. It has one of the most famous Orchestras in the world and musical connections that include Bach, Wagner, Mendelson and Mahler (who wrote his first symphony here). It was here that Schiller wrote his "Ode to Joy".

And our host was a Russian photographer.

And in case you are wondering, after looking at the "Extras", like many towns in the former East Germany it still has a communal hot water system.