City tour Leonberg

The city with the fur and other incidents. Heinrich Essig, his Leonberg dog, his town and his century.

Marktplatz Leonberg with Leonberger dogs statues

Do you know Leonberg?
City tour with Gerd Jenner about the Leonberg dog breeder Heinrich Essig (1808 – 1887) in English and German
City guide Gerd Jenner will follow in the footsteps of Leonberg dog breeder Heinrich Essig on his tour of the old town on Saturday, 28 September 2024. The tour starts at 10.00 am at the fountain on the market square.

Heinrich EssigDuring Heinrich Essig’s lifetime, the Oberamtsstadt Leonberg underwent enormous changes. The town gates, which were still closed in the evenings at the time of his birth, soon had to make way for the expansion of the town, as the population grew rapidly. The construction of the railway brought industry to Leonberg and an expansion towards the railway station. Heinrich Essig, open to all things new, used the faster means of transport to ship his Leonberg dogs. They developed into an export hit. In 1895, these companies won several first prizes at the dog shows in Basel and Munich, so that the local newspaper enthusiastically stated: ‘This is proof that Leonberg always has something good’. Despite all the innovations, people also proudly remembered the good old days; the stone memorial plaques on the Keplerhaus or the Schwarzer Adler bear witness to this.

As a local councillor, founding member of many associations and entrepreneur, Heinrich Essig played an active role in shaping ‘his era’.

Participation costs 5 euros per person, Persons under the age of 16 are free. Registration is not required.