The Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO) focuses its research on the region between the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, and the Adriatic. From Late Antiquity to the present, it examines the characteristics, transformations, and interrelationships of this region within an increasingly globalized world. At the GWZO, experts from various humanities disciplines and scholarly traditions collaborate. The institute shares its research findings with specialists and the public through academic and non-academic publications, exhibitions, events, and digital knowledge resources. In this way, past and present developments in Eastern Europe are made more comprehensible.

As Leipzig’s first municipal school, the Old Nikolai School at Nikolai churchyard is one of the city’s most valuable cultural monuments. It first opened its doors in 1512. Famous alumni of the school include 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 origin of the Leipzig City Council Library and later the Leipzig City Library began from donations of 42 books from the estate of Dietrich von Bocksdorf (deceased 1466) and 253 books from town clerk and syndic Peter Freitag. By the end of the 19th century, the collection had grown to over 100,000 books, and the music department of the city library was established. By its 250th anniversary in 1927, the library had 155,000 volumes, including 660 early printed works (incunabula), and 1,702 manuscripts. Since 1991, the City Library has been housed in the old Grassi Museum at Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz. In addition to providing an extensive media offering and free access to information, the Leipzig City Library enriches the cultural life of Leipzig with events for all age groups and serves as a place of encounter and joint learning.

The Forum of Contemporary History Leipzig is a venue for political and historical 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.

The collection is regarded as the largest and most important university collection of its kind in Germany. It features unique archaeological discoveries, primarily from Lower Nubian Aniba.

The Else-Frenkel-Brunswik Institute (EFBI) at the University of Leipzig, founded in the fall of 2020, is named after the psychoanalyst Else Frenkel-Brunswik, whose research tradition the institute follows. The EFBI focuses on three key areas of research: attitude research, research in conflict areas, and the documentation of anti-democratic networks. Notable studies include the Berlin Monitor and the Leipzig Authoritarianism Studies. The results of the institute’s research are presented and discussed in numerous public events.

The Antikenmuseum of Leipzig University was founded in 1840, making it one of the oldest and most significant collections of Greek and Roman antiquities at German universities. Alongside the sculpture collection of the State Art Collections Dresden, it is now Saxony’s only museum offering comprehensive information on Greek and Roman antiquity. The museum is also deeply integrated into university teaching and research through various collaborative efforts.

The School Museum — Workshop for School History Leipzig is an institution of the City of Leipzig, in collaboration with Leipzig University and HTWK Leipzig. Its unique collections and library holdings offer a comprehensive documentation of Leipzig’s history of education and schooling. The museum features lessons from the Imperial Era and the GDR school system, along with exhibitions, workshops, and project initiatives that explore the intersection of education and resistance, offering fresh perspectives on these themes.

Founded in 1873, the Institute of Art History is one of the few art historical institutes globally that was established in the 19th century. The research and teaching of the professors, lecturers, and numerous teaching assistants from the art history field cover the entire spectrum of the discipline, from the Middle Ages to the present. The institute maintains contact with the public in Leipzig through numerous and close collaborations with the art museums in the city center.

In 1879, Leipzig University professor Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt (1832 – 1920) founded the world’s first Institute of Psychology. Many scholars from around the world attended Wundt’s lectures, participated in his seminars, and took part in experimental research in his laboratory. He wrote numerous highly influential books and provided assessments for 184 doctoral theses. At least 60 of his doctoral students came from abroad, including 18 from the United States. Today, ten university professors work at the Institute of Psychology, and three honorary professors serve as directors at the Leipzig Max Planck Institutes for Cognitive and Brain Sciences and for Evolutionary Anthropology. Their research spans all major fundamental and applied areas of contemporary psychology.

The Prehistoric and Protohistoric Collection was established shortly after setting up the chair in Leipzig in 1934 by the first professor, Kurt Tackenberg. It comprises earlier collections from local citizens and antiquarian societies in Leipzig, which were subsequently expanded through targeted acquisitions. Despite significant losses during World War II, the collection grew to over 10,000 artifacts. These original finds and replicas offer a comprehensive overview of all periods of prehistoric and protohistoric Central Europe, from the Paleolithic hand axe (1 million years ago) to the medieval stove tile (14th century). They continue to play a central role in the curricular activities on pre- and protohistory to this day. Visits are possible only by prior arrangement and during special events.