The Leipzig Book Fair 2026 will be officially opened with a ceremony at the Gewandhaus on Wednesday evening (start: 7 p.m.). The Croatian-Bosnian author Miljenko Jergović will be awarded the Leipzig Book Prize for European Understanding. The prize is endowed with 20,000 euros.
Before the ceremony begins, there will be a protest demonstration in front of the Gewandhaus. Under the slogan "Against censorship and authoritarianism", it is directed against Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer (independent). He has recently been criticized several times.
First, Weimer had three left-wing bookshops removed from the nomination list for the German Bookstore Award due to "findings relevant to the protection of the constitution". Then he completely canceled the award ceremony planned for the fair. Finally, it became known that he had decided against a long-planned extension to the German National Library in Leipzig. Weimer will also have several appointments at the book fair on Thursday.
Weimer will give a speech at the opening ceremony. He canceled a tour of the book fair planned for Thursday afternoon due to a Bundestag debate in Berlin. Later that evening, however, he plans to take part in a panel discussion on freedom of expression at the National Library.
