The Brühl is one of the oldest streets in Leipzig. Until the Second World War it had the reputation as the "World Street of Furs", was the most important street in the city and contributed significantly to Leipzig’s world reputation as a trade metropolis. For some time, the companies in the tobacco industry based there generated the largest share of Leipzig’s tax revenue. Richard Wagner was born in the building of the Zum red and white lion. The Brühl was largely destroyed in the Second World War. In the GDR it was characterized by high-rise residential buildings in a modernist style and by partially renovated old buildings. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, some of the houses were given their Art Nouveau façade and new buildings were built in contemporary postmodernity. The dismantling of the high-rise residential buildings on the Brühl resulted in a considerable construction desert in the city center. Business in the area complained of a sharp drop in sales, and property owners complained of increasing renting. In autumn 2012, the vacant lots were closed by the Höfe am Brühl and the street partially regained its importance as a central shopping street, which it had between the two world wars.