Calling Leipzig a “secondary” German city is an understatement. There may be fewer than a million people living here, but this industrial centre, so heavily damaged by Allied bombing at the end of the Second World War, has emerged as an exciting urban renewal story in a country full of them. Yes, there are the typical German economic attributes: here, an enviable convention centre; booming regional offices for Porsche, BMW, Amazon and others; a cargo airport with DHL’s global hub; and, impressively, some of the most affordable housing in Europe. But there is also growing global interest in the city’s arts and culture, with Lonely Planet declaring Leipzig “ready to take over as Germany’s coolest city.” A lot of the buzz is around Spinnerei, a 19th-century cotton mill adapted into a community hive housing more than a dozen galleries and hundreds of artists’ studios. The centre also features indie cinema, a restaurant and a beer garden. Expect the city’s #37 Theatres & Concerts ranking to ascend rapidly. The cultural lineage of Leipzig is well earned: Wagner was born here, and Bach, Mendelssohn and Mahler all lived and worked in the city. Also naturally endowed, Leipzig ranks #22 in Europe for Climate Risk.