Exchange with Graz in 2003
With this question in mind, Dagmar Ruscheinsky, Councillor for Social Affairs, Youth, Health, Sport and Culture, and Stefan Schmidtke, Managing Director of Kulturhauptstadt Europas Chemnitz 2025 GmbH, travelled to Graz, Austria – the capital of Styria – on 7 July.
During discussions with Provincial Councillor Dr Karlheinz Kornhäusl whilst visiting the ‘City of Design’ office, on a tour of the Kunsthaus Graz and during a walking tour of the city, Mayor Ruscheinsky and Stefan Schmidtke learnt that Graz had developed enormously as a result of the European Capital of Culture project.
The success of Graz 2003 was particularly evident in economic terms. Combined with consistent
city marketing, active European-oriented cooperation and the bid for the UNESCO title ‘City of Design’, an increase of almost 20 per cent was achieved in hotel overnight stays alone. Similarly, developments that emerged during the Capital of Culture process, such as the Kunsthaus, the Mur Island and the Literaturhaus Graz, continue to attract tourists. Furthermore, numerous existing festivals, such as the ‘steirischer herbst’ and the ‘Diagonale’ film festival, were further developed. The ‘UNESCO City of Design’ title is not a direct result of Graz’s year as Capital of Culture, but it builds on the city’s profile as a centre of culture and creativity, which was strengthened after 2003.
Provincial Councillor Dr Karlheinz Kornhäusl compares the development since 2003 to an extended comet’s tail
– an effect that has a lasting impact. He also stated that it was now time to “knock on the doors of the castles and palaces”, to dare to try something new and to promote new developments.
In discussions with colleagues from the provincial capital, it became clear that Chemnitz’s 2025 volunteer programme
was unique. The exchange between Chemnitz and Graz will be further developed in this regard. In discussions with the head of the ‘City of Design’ department, Andrea Keimel, and the officer Karin Hoja-Talaber, Mayor Ruscheinsky and Stefan Schmidtke discussed the requirements for developing the focus on form and design, an area in which Chemnitz has gained international recognition
thanks to figures such as Marianne Brandt, Henry van de Velde and Carl Clauss Dietel, amongst others. The recommendations included entering into and maintaining partnerships, and consciously utilising the interplay between business, academia, design, architecture and tourism as a criterion for urban development.
The invitation to Graz was extended as early as May 2025, when the Head of the Department of Culture, Europe and Sport for the Province of Styria,
Patrick Schnabel, and the Head of the Cultural Heritage and Folk Culture Unit for the Province of Styria, Evelyn Kometter, visited Chemnitz 2025. During their stay in Chemnitz, they were impressed both by the high-calibre exhibition programme and the wide range of events extending throughout the region, and by the enthusiasm for the Capital of Culture
among the general public, as well as within the catering and hospitality sectors. The active engagement with the legacy of the Capital of Culture was also seen by the guests as exemplary.
Graz was the European Capital of Culture in 2003 and, at that time, did not yet follow a formal legacy process,
which has been part of the EU strategy for Capitals of Culture since 2006. Rather, the strategy focused on creating sustainable infrastructure, strengthening existing cultural institutions and further developing international networks.