Hundreds of people from Chemnitz commemorated the bombing and destruction of Chemnitz on 5 March 1945 at numerous events and actions today, 5 March.
The main event in the evening on Neumarkt was entitled "Staying Peaceful", organised by the Chemnitz Peace Day working group. Thoughts on peace were expressed by Lord Mayor Sven Schulze, Christoph Magirius, honorary citizen and long-standing member of the Chemnitz Peace Day working group, Michael Veihelmann, theological director of the Zeisigwaldkliniken Bethanien and winner of the Chemnitz Peace Prize 2008 for the free medical treatment of children from war and crisis zones, and Dr Christoph Dittrich, director of Chemnitz Municipal Theatre, which has supported the Peace Day from the very beginning.
Soloists from the Chemnitz Ballet under the direction of ballet director Sabrina Sadowska provided the artistic organisation.
Lord Mayor Sven Schulze: "A look at the world shows us that peace cannot be taken for granted, that peace is fragile. This is precisely why this year's motto for our Chemnitz Peace Day is so apt: remain peaceable.
Peaceable does not mean naivety. It means attitude. It means standing up resolutely for tolerance, democracy, dialogue and humanity. It means clearly and unequivocally opposing all forms of hatred, racism and violence. Remaining peaceable also means passing on the memory. Staying in dialogue: in families, in schools, in clubs, in our urban society. So that our children and grandchildren can live in a world in which conflicts are not resolved with bombs, but with words. Peacefully."
The day began in the morning with the traditional commemoration ceremony at the municipal cemetery. Wreaths were laid at the memorial to the victims of the bombing of the city of Chemnitz. Lord Mayor Sven Schulze, President of the State Parliament Alexander Dierks and pupils from secondary schools in Chemnitz commemorated the night of the bombing in Chemnitz on 5 March 1945.
Lord Mayor Sven Schulze: "Remembering doesn't just mean looking back. Remembering also means taking responsibility for the present and the future. We, the people living today, are not personally responsible for the crimes of National Socialism and the war of extermination started by Germany. But we are responsible for ensuring that this history is not forgotten. And that it is not repeated. We have a responsibility to name the causes: Contempt for humanity, racism, anti-Semitism, exalting ourselves above others, nationalism and the will to violence. And we have a responsibility to ensure that the commemoration of the German victims of the Second World War is not misused, relativised, instrumentalised or played off against others."
Since the morning, Chemnitz residents have been able to formulate their wishes for peace at the peace cross on Neumarkt. Throughout the day, Neumarkt was the central location of the Peace Day with numerous action stands centred around the theme of F-R-I-E-D-E-N.
In addition to the peace banners of the youth art project Aktion C, which adorned the town hall and Neumarkt, participants were able to take advantage of information and dialogue offers from civil society initiatives, readings, musical contributions and interviews, hands-on activities for children and families as well as exhibitions on democracy, diversity and the culture of remembrance. In addition, the Chemnitz Peace Day working group looked back on a quarter of a century of intensive voluntary work with its own exhibition.
The exhibition "#DieUNundWIR" by the German United Nations Association was opened in the exhibition room in the town hall at midday. It provides information about the UN's most important areas of work: peacekeeping, human rights, the environment and development. Multimedia and interactive elements explain how the United Nations works and how it is organised. The exhibition will be on display until 10 April 2026, Monday to Thursday from 8 am to 6 pm and Friday from 8 am to 4 pm.
This year, too, contemporary witness films convey personal memories of war and destruction and make history tangible, especially for younger generations. The film series, which was shown from 12 noon in the town council chamber in the town hall, opened up individual perspectives on the events of the Second World War and their significance for the present day.
Once again this year, numerous Chemnitz residents took part in the Peace Walks through the city of Chemnitz. Groups set off from various locations in the city area on their way to Neumarkt. The routes from ten different starting points, including churches, social institutions and meeting places, led to the main event at Neumarkt. Representatives of the City of Chemnitz, the Buntmacher and other participants met with contemporary witness Brigitte Glänzel at the Turnstraße 39 stele and recalled the bombing during the Second World War before walking the Peace Path to Neumarkt together.
After the main event on Neumarkt, many participants will attend the ecumenical peace service (starting at 8 pm) entitled "Restoration of Justice" in St Jakobi's Church. Pastor Anne Straßberger, chaplain at Chemnitz Prison, will be a guest. During the service, the Cross of Nails will be sent on a journey: It will visit Chemnitz Prison and the Christuskirch parish in the weeks following the Peace Day.
Chemnitz Peace Day 2026 will end with a collective moment of pause at the Peace Cross on Neumarkt and the traditional commemorative ringing of the bells of all Chemnitz churches at 9 pm.
The Chemnitz Peace Day is a cooperation between the Chemnitz Peace Day Working Group and the City of Chemnitz.
Impressions at www.chemnitz.de/friedenstag and www.chemnitzer-friedenstag.de.