Lord Mayor Sven Schulze welcomed around 150 guests from Germany and abroad to City Hall today as part of the opening of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025. The participants from politics and society included ministers from Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia, the mayors of the cultural region, representatives from seven partner cities, from several embassies and from other future and past European Capitals of Culture (ECoC family).
Among others, Glenn Micallef, EU Commissioner for Intergenerational Justice, Youth, Culture and Sport, Claudia Roth, Minister of State for Culture and Media, Carsten Schneider, Federal Government Commissioner for Eastern Germany, and Barbara Klepsch, Saxon Minister of State for Science, Culture and Tourism, took the opportunity to congratulate the city of Chemnitz on its title as European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025.
It was a special meeting for the representatives of the culture ministries of Germany (Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth), Slovenia (Minister of Culture Dr Asta Vrečko), the Czech Republic (Deputy Minister of Culture David Kašpar) and Poland (Deputy Minister of Culture Marta Cienkowska), who jointly signed the City of Chemnitz's European Capital of Culture book.
The embassies of Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Flanders, the Netherlands and the United States of America also sent representatives. The twin cities of Kirjat Bialik, Tampere, Düsseldorf, Łódź, Timbuktu, Ústí nad Labem and Taiyuan were also represented at the reception in the Wandelhalle of Chemnitz City Hall. Lord Mayor Sven Schulze also welcomed partners from various international networks as well as former and future European Capitals of Culture to the reception. This included a large delegation from the second European Capital of Culture 2025 with the Mayor of Nova Gorica, Samo Turel, and the Mayor of Gorizia, Rodolfo Ziberna.
Lord Mayor Sven Schulze: "The cultural region, consisting of 39 municipalities, has proven to be a strong network in which each city and each municipality makes its own unique contribution - be it through its history, its cultural institutions, its creative actors or its citizens. Together, we have developed a vision for the Capital of Culture that has both local and supra-regional significance.
But the networking with our partner cities and the commitment of the culture ministers of Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Poland throughout the preparations for this title year are also exemplary and reflect the spirit of European togetherness. Cooperation across borders is a wonderful example of how culture can serve as a bridge - a bridge that connects people, creates understanding across cultures and ultimately promotes peace and togetherness."
Daniel Röthig, Mayor of the municipality of Callenberg: "The opening of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 is an important moment for our entire region. Projects such as the Purple Path are an impressive demonstration of how the entire cultural region and its 39 municipalities are getting involved. Especially for smaller municipalities like Callenberg, the Purple Path is a great opportunity to be part of this European network and to make our cultural strengths visible. It not only connects places, but also people and ideas - a symbol of what the Capital of Culture stands for: Cooperation, diversity and a vibrant Europe."
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