The Alma Mater Lipsiensis was founded in 1409 on initiative of magisters and scholars from Prague, and in 1519 the Leipzig Debate marked the beginning schism between Rome and the Lutherans. Donations during the reformation turned Leipzig University into one of the riches universities in the Holy Roman Empire. Many famous scholars have studied and worked at the university, and major stimuli for emerging sciences were sparked in Leipzig. As leading university of Saxony it contributed substantially to the development of the region to a hotspot of trade and industry. This role was always facilitated by its strong international networking, as expressed by the university motto Surpassing boundaries out of tradition.

The Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO) was established 1995, with the mission to carry on the outstanding work of the GDR’s Academy of Sciences on the »Culture and History of East-Central Europe«. In the historical site “Specks Hof” in the center of Leipzig — right at a medieval crossing connecting the old trade routes connecting Europeans goods and knowledge — the institute’s research focus covers now studies ranging from migration and globalization to archaeological evidence for extreme weather events.

As Leipzig’s first municipal school, the Old Nikolai School on Nikolai churchyard is one of the city’s most valuable cultural monuments. It first opened its doors in 1512. Famous Nikolaitans included Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Johann Gottfried Seume, Richard Wagner and Karl Liebknecht. Today it houses a permanent exhibition on Richard Wagner and the Leipzig University Museum of Antiquities.

The Zeitgeschichtliches Forum Leipzig (English: Forum of Contemporary History) is a venue of political-historic education, and one of four museums of the Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland Foundation. The permanent exhibition Our History. Dictatorship and Democracy after 1945 takes visitors on a journey through history – from the years after the Second World War to life in former East Germany and today’s Federal Republic of Germany. Furthermore the forum presents special exhibitions on topics of relevance to the German civil society, and it offers a thriving cultural program with film exhibitions, talks, round-table discussions, and conferences.

Founded in 1873, the Institute for Art History It is one of the few art history institutes in the world that was founded in the 19th century. The research and teaching of the professors, private lecturers and numerous lecturers from the field of art history cover the entire spectrum of the subject from the Middle Ages to the present day. Contact with the public in Leipzig is ensured by numerous and close collaborations with the art museums in the city center.