It won’t take too long via tram (bus, car, whatever) to get to the town of Leuna from Leipzig (25km away) or Halle (Saale), that’s only half the distance away.
So, why would you take the tram to this former industrial town? I guess for a multitude of reasons. Don’t look at me like that, of course I’ll tell you some of them.
One reason to come to Leuna is its Artists Colony. Sorry, it’s a Craftsman Settlement. It’s located near the former oil plant (it was one of the largest oil plants in production for the Nazis). Anyway, it’s now a large co-op of farms and artists plying their wares.
Leuna has an OK share of a historical side. Bronze Age grave hills where found within the area that included Roman glass and coins. Within the City Cemetery are the graves of 141 POWs that used to work in the Leuna Werke (the oil plant).
One of the best sites within Leuna is the Friedenskirche or Church of Peace (located in the village of Ockendorf), a Baroque church built in the early 1700s.
To blow off a little bit of steam the Waldbad is a good spot. This outdoor pool complex has a 100 meter waterslide and three springboards (at various heights, depending on how fearless you are) to jump right in. And it doesn’t cost all that much to enjoy a day of splashing around fun from May to September.
For more refined tastes, might I suggest a choir, dance, or theater performance at the appropriately named Culture House? It was built in the 1920s; and has been entertaining townsfolk for decades.
As nice as Leuna is most of the year, when there’s a festival or something going on its better. Let’s see, there is a Mill Day (held at the windmill) and a City Festival (in the village Kötzschau) in June; followed by the Bike Festival in July.
August kicks off with another City Festival and a Summer Nights Ball. And there’s also an Advent Festival and Christmas Festival at the end of November going into December.
They certainly are a fine way to end the year, or your trip to Leuna.