Discover Leuna: Garden City, architecture and the Saale Cycle Route

In Leuna, the history of the Garden City, modern architecture and paths along the Saale Cycle Route come together. The Garden City was established after the Badische Anilin- und Sodafabrik (BASF) was founded in 1916 and is designated as a protected historic area. A town walk of around 5 km takes in eight sights. Historic traces, modern architecture and the Garden City’s green character give the walk a variety of themes.

Explore on foot and by bike

The Leuna section of the Saale Cycle Route is considered idyllic and easy to cycle; the route is paved. It passes directly by the Leuna landing stage and the park with sculptures. A railway bridge on the Saale Cycle Route connects central Leuna with the settlements in the Saale floodplain for pedestrians and cyclists.

A pedestrian bridge leads from the Saale Cycle Route to the Waldbad outdoor pool. The pool is described as a summer spot for swimming and relaxing; check local conditions before your visit. The options along the route therefore offer different experiences: the park combines green spaces and art, while the Waldbad is intended for summer use.

The park with sculptures features landscaped green spaces, shady meadows and named trees, including the Zöschen maple. It also presents a permanent collection of sculptures and reliefs from the Moritzburg Art Museum Halle (Saale) using multimedia. The presentation technology may change. Alongside the trees, the park therefore also focuses on artworks and how they are presented.

Garden City, architecture and history

Christ the King Church stands on the eastern edge of Leuna’s Garden City and was designed in the New Objectivity style. Another architectural landmark is the Waldbad building: built in 1930–1931, it is considered a well-preserved example of a bathing establishment from the Weimar Republic era. The building is described as an example of Bauhaus architecture; its materials include steel, concrete and glass. Together, these two buildings offer different insights into Leuna’s architecture.

The ruins of St. Nicholas Church in Rössen house a permanent exhibition on Leuna’s Garden City. It is open year-round and free of charge; check local visitor information before your visit. Leuna is also connected with the region’s earlier history: the city gives its name to the Rössen culture, a Neolithic cultural period dating from around 4500 to 3500 BC. The term “Rössen culture” was introduced in 1900, after finds were made on the site of today’s Sculpture Park.

Getting here and choosing where to stay

Road connections provide access to the A9 and A38 motorways and the B91 federal highway. A tram line connects Leuna with Halle (Saale); Leipzig can be reached by car or train. Check connections and timetables before travelling.

If you are considering Leuna as a place to stay overnight, you can focus your search on what matters most to you: a town walk and the Garden City, cycling routes and parks, or architecture and cultural history. This lets you factor the range of themes into your travel plans without narrowing your stay to a single sight.

More cultural destinations in the wider Saalekreis travel region

The wider Saalekreis travel region also includes cultural destinations in their own right. Querfurt Castle is among the best-preserved castle complexes in Europe and is the largest castle complex in Central Germany. In Bad Lauchstädt, you can visit the Douche Pavilion, opened in 1778 and restored in 2016, which is now a museum about the history of the mineral spa. The Goethe Theatre in Bad Lauchstädt is a historic theatre that has largely been preserved in its original 1802 condition.

Wettin Castle extends for around 500 metres along a porphyry ridge running beside the Saale and is divided into the Lower, Middle and Upper Castles. Its grounds are freely accessible, and guided tours of the castle complex are available. The Petersberg Museum has an exhibition on the history of the historic Saalkreis district. These places complement Leuna’s Garden City and architecture themes with further perspectives on the Saalekreis’s history and cultural heritage.

Discover more destinations: Kabelsketal, Merseburg, Langenbogen, Schkopau, Bad Lauchstädt, Ostrau, Kötschlitz, Wettin-Löbejün.

View the wider travel overview: Saalekreis.