Short answers, pulled from the story.
The name Leipzig first appeared in written records during the year 1015 within the chronicles of Bishop Thietmar of Merseburg. This earliest mention used the form Libzi, which challenges modern assumptions about the city's Slavic roots.
Two major medieval trade routes intersected at this location: the Via Regia running east to west and the Via Imperii going north to south. This geographic position made the city a natural hub for merchants traveling across Europe.
Carl Friedrich Goerdeler served as mayor until 1937 when he resigned over the destruction of a Felix Mendelssohn statue. He later became an opponent of the Nazi regime and was executed by them on the 2nd of February 1945.
A census taken in 1933 recorded over 11,000 Jews living within the city limits. By January 1942 only 2,000 Jews remained after years of persecution and forced emigration.
New industries were attracted partly through infrastructure improvements including the opening of the Leipzig City Tunnel on the 14th of December 2013. This tunnel now forms the centerpiece of the S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland public transit system operating across four German states.