2024: The final year of preparations
2024 was an important year on the road to becoming European Capital of Culture. The European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH has taken decisive steps in recent months and has set important cultural accents that will have a lasting impact on the path to becoming the Capital of Culture.
The review of 2024 shows that Chemnitz is ready to make 2025 an unforgettable year. New event formats, collaborations with national and international artists and numerous civic projects have put the city at the centre of Europe's attention.
The EU expert panel was impressed by Chemnitz's progress towards becoming European Capital of Culture 2025 and recommends the awarding of the Melina Mercouri Prize.
Anticipation and outlook
Kosmos Chemnitz 2024: A day full of music, art and society! More than 50 bands, DJs, artists and numerous workshops and stages at the Schloßteich - all free of charge.
Art on the way
The Purple Path has continued to grow
The Purple Path, a central project of the Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 programme, has evolved in 2024 and now comprises 22 installations in 38 partner municipalities. Numerous new works of art enrich the region and invite visitors to discover landscapes, castles, museums and craft workshops.
New installations this year include these works of art:
Art on the way
The Purple Path has continued to grow
The Purple Path is not a classic hiking trail, but a symbolic network of artworks that connects the communities. The installations tell stories of people, crafts and industry, emphasise regional identity and build a bridge between the past and the future. Under the motto "Everything comes from the mountain", the importance of mining and technology for the Ore Mountains, Central Saxony and the Zwickau region is emphasised. The aim is to establish the region as a sustainable cultural and tourist attraction.
Review of the Maker
The team from the main "Makers, Business & Arts" project organised and supported around 100 events over the course of the year. The development of a materials initiative is progressing so that leftover materials from cultural organisations can remain in circulation for longer and be used by associations and initiatives. With the creative tour "C the Unseen", 50 guests from Saxony discovered the creative scenes of Chemnitz. In September, the Serious Games Maker Days produced seven new game prototypes on topics such as technology education and sustainability.
In November, 500 visitors discovered the creative workshop in Buntspeicher Zwönitz. It is one of nine maker hubs in Chemnitz and the Capital of Culture region - places where people learn from each other and create new things together.
The Makers, Business & Arts team will be presenting the project at the opening ceremony on 18 January 2025 from 11 am to 6 pm around the Lux room in the Silva Foyer of Chemnitz City Hall and is looking forward to welcoming many curious visitors.
This is what happened on the intervention sites
Keyword intervention areas
The city will change in the coming years, as the European Capital of Culture 2025 is also an urban development project. On a total of 30 so-called intervention areas in the city and neighbourhoods, places will undergo a transformation in very different ways.
Around 30 million euros are available for the construction projects. In addition, the city of Chemnitz is expecting further funding from specialist funding programmes for the properties totalling around 30 million euros.
This is expected to enable an investment volume of around 60 million euros.
