Connewitzer Kreuz

The Connewitzer Kreuz is an octagonal stone column made from Rochlitzer porphyry, standing about five meters high and displaying the Leipzig city coat of arms with religious symbols. The structure was built with geometric precision to serve as a clear marker within the urban landscape.

The Leipzig city council commissioned it in 1536 to replace wooden crosses that previously marked municipal boundaries and legal jurisdiction. This reflected the growing need to formally mark the city's territorial authority.

The monument served as the center of the Connewitz district, structuring daily life as a gathering place for residents. It still represents the historical importance of this location to the Leipzig community.

The original is now housed in the Stadtgeschichtliches Museum Leipzig, while a 1994 replica remains at the intersection of Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse. You can visit both versions to understand how the monument was preserved and adapted.

Master stonemason Hans Pfretzschner crafted it from regional Rochlitzer porphyry, a material valued for its durability and beauty. It remains the only surviving original boundary marker among all of Leipzig's territorial markers from that era.