A historical guide to Leipzig and its surroundings from the year 1890, featuring 60 black-and-white illustrations based on original drawings by Ernst Schlemo and a city map of Leipzig and its suburbs. Leipzig was first mentioned in 1015 when Thietmar of Merseburg referred to it as urbs Libzi (City of Lindens). The Leipzig-Dresden railway, the first long-distance railway in Germany, was opened in 1839. Leipzig gradually developed into the most important transportation hub in Central Germany. On April 2, 1843, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy established Germany's first music conservatory, and the same year saw the publication of the first edition of the Illustrated Newspaper. Due to industrialization and various incorporations of surrounding suburbs, the population surged dramatically by the end of the 19th century. In 1871, Leipzig reached a population of 100,000.