Leipzig VIII - Nikolaikirche

The side of the church, with a poster advertising an upcoming performance of Bach's St. John's Passion next month (March). Bach lived and worked in Leipzig for 23 years, but was pretty much forgotten 75 years later. Mendelssohn came into possession of the score of St Matthew Passion and organized and conducted a performance in Berlin, which was instrumental in reviving interest and public awareness of Bach for a new generation. The statue of Bach in front of the Thomaskirche was financed by public donations, for which Mendelssohn gave charity recitals, proceeds going to the fund.The church and the square above, between the church and the Nikolai school, played an important role in the fall of East German communism. Monday prayers for peace had been held in the church for several years, centering around nuclear nonproliferation. In the late '80s they morphed into prayers for individual freedoms, and the numbers of participants increased dramatically. East German police would surround the church and sometimes arrest some people as they left. Nonviolence was emphasized, and seems to have been maintained. By October of 1989 peaceful demonstrations had spread to other cities; a huge demonstration in that month had the city on edge, wondering what the police response would be. Kurt Masur, at that time music director of the Gewandhaus, and other leaders of the city worked hard to ensure nonviolence on the part of the demonstrators. He and five other men formed a "committee of six" and started holding discussion forums at the Gewandhaus. The Berlin wall fell Nov. 9 -- Leipzig is generally given the credit for getting the ball rolling. (I apologize for the oversimplifications.)

Artists had a difficult role to play in communist countries. Kurt Masur played a leading role in not only the demonstrations that led to the downfall of East Germany, but also later on the side of reunification with West Germany. After Aleksander Solzhenitsyn won the Nobel Prize in 1970, he stayed at the home of Mstislav Rostropovich, until 1974, when they were both kicked out of the country. Rostropovich was born in Baku, which has absolutely nothing to do with this tale, but I thought I'd mention it since I've been there.

Below is an announcement for the Monday prayers, every Monday at 5:00. It is on display in the back of the church.

An odd amalgamation of architectural styles, mostly because of the renovated interior. After seeing the sturdy Romanesque exterior, I wasn't prepared for the modern interior (modern meaning 1790-ish, compared to the exterior). Both are nice.