Review of 2024: October to December
A memorial in honour of Justin Sonder
This piano accompanied 15-year-old Salomo Margulies and his Jewish family on their escape from the Nazis to Palestine. Now it returned to the city on 3 October as part of the exhibition "From Chemnitz. A Piano" exhibition, it returned to the city after 84 years.
For half a century - 50 years of Stadthalle Chemnitz
The Chemnitz City Hall, built between 1969 and 1974, celebrated its 50th birthday in October. It is a striking example of GDR architecture and has characterised the cityscape for decades. When it opened, a new socialist centre was created. Its characteristic architecture with Rochlitz porphyry and a honeycomb
honeycomb structure of moulded stone is unmistakable. With the addition of the Carlowitz Congress Centre, it developed into a modern cultural and congress centre. The artistic design of the interior, such as the walls made of concrete and cracked spruce trunks or the Jehmlich organ, make it a special place.
The surrounding park area with sculptures and fountains rounds off the ensemble. With the adjoining hotel - one of the largest in the GDR - the complex became a cultural centre of the Karl-Marx-Stadt district. Today, the entire complex is a listed building.
A lantern for Prague
Lord Mayor Sven Schulze presented the Mayor of Prague, Bohuslav Svoboda, with a historic Chemnitz lantern, which will become part of an international work of art on a new bridge in Prague.
Modern wall painting: creative façade design
With the artwork by Claudia "MadC" Walde on Johannisplatz, Chemnitz has gained another highlight for the Capital of Culture 2025.
The internationally renowned graffiti artist has designed a façade that incorporates the view from the Red Tower and the Straße der Nationen. The mural draws the eye to the city and is also a work of art in its own right. The work is part of the "Hallenkunst" programme, which brings numerous international artists to Chemnitz and turns the city into an open gallery.
Konkordiapark gets a colourful basketball court
The new basketball court in Konkordiapark was given a unique, artistically designed vinyl surface that meets international FIBA standards. With bleachers, lighting and barrier-free access, a modern sports centre is being created there.
Exhibition about Anne Frank visits Chemnitz
Until mid-November, Chemnitz hosted the travelling exhibition "Deine Anne. A girl writes history", which took place in the St. Johannis youth church.
The exhibition utilised the concept of "peer education", in which 24 young people volunteered to guide their peers through the exhibition. In total, around 1,300 people, including over 1,000 young people, took part in 38 school visits and 33 public tours. The aim was to promote active engagement with historical and contemporary issues.
Cycling through the city
Numerous campaigns such as the rally and the #chemnitzdrehtamradtour motivated citizens to get on their bikes again this year. Chemnitz set a new record for city cycling: 3,152 participants cycled over 573,416 kilometres together, saving around 95 tonnes of CO2. Despite the bad weather, the cyclists showed great commitment to climate protection. Mayor Knut Kunze presented the winners with their prizes in November.
winners their prizes in November and emphasised the importance of cycling for environmental protection. Also in the Capital of Culture year 2025 on the bike: The next city cycling event will take place from 1 to 21 September 2025.
Light art festival attracts thousands of visitors to the city centre
Music corps from all corners of the Ore Mountains travelled to the Great Mountain Parade on 1 December. Almost 1,000 participants made music on the theatre square and on the route through the city centre.