Buchkinder Leipzig e. V., a local association known for helping children write and bind their own books, plans to open its second BuchKinderGarten in Lindenau, in Leipzig’s west, in January 2027. Before then, families can visit an open day on Saturday 14 November to learn about the new childcare centre.
What happened
According to the Leipziger Internet Zeitung, the new centre will be in the former Gustav-Leuchte-Fabrik, an old factory at Demmeringstraße 61. The site is called “am Leuchte-Turm”, meaning “at the Leuchte tower”, after the old factory chimney. The association says it has spent about ten years preparing the project.
The centre will be an integrative Kindertageseinrichtung, the official term for a daycare centre, usually shortened to Kita. “Integrative” means it is designed to include children with different developmental needs and family backgrounds. It will have 140 places for children aged one to six: 30 Krippenplätze (nursery places for the youngest children) and 110 Kindergartenplätze (places for older pre-school children).
Buchkinder has worked with children and young people since 2001. Over 25 years, the newspaper reports, children in its programmes have created about 1,000 book titles and almost 16,000 hand-bound books. The association has won several awards, most recently the Deutscher Verlagspreis 2026, a German publishing prize. In 2013 it opened Germany’s first BuchKinderGarten, on Josephstraße in Leipzig. The new site builds on 13 years of experience there.
The teaching approach starts from the children’s own interests and questions. Staff turn these into stories, plays and, in the end, printed and bound books. The association says language skills should grow from children’s wish to communicate, not from early school-style lessons. Children who cannot yet express themselves confidently in words can use pictures, movement and materials instead. The centre uses a teiloffen (partly open) structure, so children belong to a group but can also explore other areas on their own. The association also expects parents and carers to take part in daily life at the centre.
The building dates back to 1913 to 1917 and is a listed industrial monument. It is being fully rebuilt. The historic façade stays uninsulated, with a new insulated shell set about 1.5 metres inside it, which creates covered spaces and loggias between the group rooms. There will be an atrium, a roof terrace, an entrance hall about eight metres high and a book printing workshop.
What it means for you
If you live in Lindenau or elsewhere in Leipzig’s west and need a daycare place for a child aged one to six from early 2027, this centre is a new option. The association’s managing directors, Birgit Schulze Wehninck and Sven Riemer, told the newspaper that the centre is part of the City of Leipzig’s Bedarfsplanung, the city’s official plan for how many childcare places it needs. They said it responds to rising demand for high-quality early education.
The open day runs from 9:00 to 14:00 on Saturday 14 November at the BuchKinderGarten site. It is open to parents, families and childcare professionals. The teaching concept will be presented at around 10 and again at around 12 o’clock. Children can try a mobile writing and printing workshop.
The Leipziger Internet Zeitung does not say how places will be allocated, how to apply, or what fees will be charged. If you are thinking of applying, the open day is the best place to ask about these points, including whether the centre works in languages other than German. Childcare professionals looking for work may also find the open day useful, since the event is aimed at them too.
What to watch next
The main date is the planned opening in January 2027. The newspaper does not give an exact day. The association also wants to replace the top of the old chimney, which had to be shortened by 2.5 metres for structural reasons, with an illuminated crown. Funding for this has not yet been secured. As at its first site, Buchkinder says it wants the new centre to be open to the neighbourhood, and the first site offers a public book-swap library, readings and exhibitions.
Source: Leipziger Internet Zeitung
Sources
- Leipziger Internet Zeitung: Buchkinder eröffnen im Januar 2027 zweiten BuchKinderGarten im Leipziger Westen: Tag der offenen Tür am 14. November, accessed 6 November 2026
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