G as in Gohlis Palace

Caspar Richter, a Leipzig merchant and architect, commissioned the building as a summer palace in 1756. The land belonged to his wife, Christiana Regina Richter. The merchant died before the palace was finished – the construction took longer than anticipated due to the high payments he had to make during the Seven Year´s War.

Christiana Regina remarried and the interior construction of the Gohlis Palace was finished under the supervision of Johann Gottlob Böhme, her second husband who was a professor for history at the University of Leipzig.

In 1793 the Gohlis Palace became property of the city of Leipzig. During the Battle of the Nations near Leipzig it functioned as quarter for the military and later as a hospital. After the war the palace was opened to the public as “House of Culture”. For 30 years it was the seat of the Bach-Archive Leipzig.

The palace underwent extensive renovations from 1990 – 1998 during which it was restored to its original condition of the 18^th century. Now Gohlis Palace is used as a venue for exhibitions, theatre performances, concerts and weddings. It also has a restaurant and a café.

merchant (ˈmɜ:tʃ^ənt) – der Händler
to belong (bɪˈlɒŋ) – jdm gehören
to anticipate (ænˈtɪsɪpeɪt) – etw erwarten, mit etw rechnen
payment (ˈpeɪmənt) – die Zahlung
interior construction (ɪnˈtɪəriəʳ kənˈstrʌkʃ^ən) – der Innenausbau
supervision (ˌsu:pəˈvɪʒ^ən) – die Aufsicht, Überwachung

property (ˈprɒpəti) – der Besitz, Eigentum
to function as (ˈfʌŋ(k)ʃ^ən) – als etw dienen
extensive (ɪkˈsten(t)sɪv) – umfangreich
to restore (rɪˈstɔ:ʳ) – etw zurücksetzen, wiederherstellen
condition (kənˈdɪʃ^ən) – der Zustand
venue (ˈvenju: ) – der Veranstaltungsort
exhibition (ˌeksɪˈbɪʃ^ən) – die Ausstellung