Augustusplatz (Augustus Square), Leipzig

Frederick Augustus III, King of Saxony and Duke of Warsaw in the early 19th century, struggled to establish Poland as an independent country. He failed. But in 1839, the main square of Grimma in Leipzig was renamed Augustus Square (Augustusplatz) in his memory.

The square, within the city walls in 1785, was designed by city architect Johann Carl Friedrich Dauthe. In 1928 a Socialist government named the site Karl Marx Square. Nazis renamed it Augustus Square. In 1953 it was Karl Marx Square again. In the 1990 reunification of Germany, it was restored to the memory of Frederick as Augustus Square.

Augustus Square is the largest square in Leipzig. Before World War II, it was one of the most beautiful squares on the continent. On December 4, 1943, the allied Air Force reduced the square to ruins. Restorations took place, but the site lost its stylistic unity. Buildings around the square show eclecticism rather than a unity of style.

The Opera House of Leipzig, with its fountain, dominates the northern part of the square. The Mendebrunnen, representing an obelisk and a fountain, stands in front of the New Concert Hall. University of Leipzig buildings, including the 36-story City-Skyscraper (City-Hochhaus), are on the west side.

An underground car park with eight illuminated glass stairwells looks like "milk bottles," locals say.