You're from Chemnitz and that says it all

Dr Sabine Wolfram

The fact that everything smells somehow "new" in this building is a strange, if not unpleasant, first impression. The former Schocken department stores', where the Saxon Museum of Archaeology will open in a few days' time, is a hive of activity. Around the future cash desk area, employees are receiving instructions, workmen are laying the final cables or setting up exhibition systems. Everything looks modern and inviting and somehow you start to look forward to the exhibitions and the whole museum on the ground floor.

On the 5th floor we meet Dr Sabine Wolfram. She has been in charge of the construction site for the past two years and will run a museum that is unrivalled in this form in the Free State of Saxony. In the midst of the hustle and bustle that prevails in all areas in the week before the opening, she appears business-like and experienced. She quickly clarifies important matters before the interview and is then focussed and ready to talk. It is a very modern impression that she and her museum convey and one that at first does not really fit in with ideas about an archaeological museum. However, this apparent distance between the subject matter of the museum and the appearance of the museum and its director creates a pleasant tension that makes you look forward to an official visit to the museum and dispels any preconceptions about modern archaeological presentations. This is also confirmed by Sabine Wolfram in conversation, who, in addition to her demanding work as museum director, also finds time to relax by playing tennis or reading, cooking or travelling. You can't tell she's a scientist during the interview, and so she can get to the heart of the matter when it comes to Chemnitz's museum landscape.

Sabine, the Stone Forest, vintage car exhibition, industrial museum and now the State Archaeological Museum: why does Chemnitz's image as an "old city" also manifest itself in its museum landscape?
Dr Sabine Wolfram: Yes, why not? A museum landscape is part of a city worth living in. Just like sports grounds and kindergartens. Museums have nothing to do with an "old city". Many museums have a very, very young audience. I think that's something that works completely independently of age. You can have a new perspective on museums and what they exhibit at any age.

The discussion in Chemnitz is still often along the lines of: "We don't necessarily need a new museum if there are problems elsewhere."
We are not a municipal museum, but a state museum. That is quite a difference. I think that the museum landscape as characterised by the art collections, the Gunzenhauser, the Industrial Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Schlossberg Museum is widely recognised. This has already given the city a positive image. I think we are a good addition in terms of content.

Are you completely familiar with the museum landscape in Chemnitz?
To some extent, yes. I haven't really got round to it in the last two years, but of course I've been to the big museums.

In your opinion, what are the historical highlights of Chemnitz?
One highlight is the industrialisation in the 19th century. That is what significantly advanced the city. Thanks to the textile industry and the extremely innovative mechanical engineering. This is a tradition that the city can be really proud of and that it is living again today. I think that's very good. They don't call it "the Saxon Manchester" for nothing, and that's meant as a compliment.

You mean it's alive again today?
I think so. As a city of mechanical engineering that develops new process technologies, for example, but also implements them.

You've been in Chemnitz for a comparatively short time now and have a time-consuming job. Is there still a place in Chemnitz where you can relax?
At home, around the Küchwald. Also in some restaurants. I'm quite happy here.

You run the State Museum of Archaeology.
The State Museum of Archaeology Chemnitz - smac for short.

Is that important?
Yes.

Can you still say how open the people of Chemnitz are to new things?
Our experiences so far have been very, very positive. We opened the construction site to the public several times last year, which was very well received. We now recognise quite a few visitors who were simply so interested that they wanted to see the construction progress several times. That's a lot of fun. And the fact that the old "Schocken" department stores' and then the city centre have become something again is something that many Chemnitz residents find very, very nice. Of course, there are also critical voices, but...

What do the critical voices say?
Well, people just like to grumble from time to time. But that's not typical of the people of Chemnitz.

That's not typical of the people of Chemnitz? Some people actually perceive it differently.
There would be just as many critical voices in other cities. I don't find that so problematic. On the whole, we have a very positive response, that's what counts. Last year, we took part in the Museum Night and had just fewer visitors than the Natural History Museum, even though we were a building site. So 3,700 visitors in one evening - that's fantastic. You also hear in direct conversation: "Oh yes, the Schocken is now becoming a museum."
There are two mainstays: the building and what we're doing now.

What have you learnt about the city during your time here? What surprises have there been?
I don't get out much, but I've always found the people of Chemnitz to be direct and helpful. That's very pleasant.

Archaeology basically looks into the past. What does the scientifically analysed past say about the future of the city?
There is nothing specific about the future of the city here, we are a regional museum. Chemnitz is part of the Free State of Saxony. We don't just look at Chemnitz, that's one thing. And the other is historical development. What we study in archaeology is process history: How do structures change in the long term? And you can see that many of the questions that concern us today are actually universal questions that have always preoccupied us humans. And you can also see that what you do has consequences. The way we behave has consequences for the social and natural environment and that is something we try to show in our house.

Is Chemnitz a city for you to grow old in?
There's not much left, but yes, why not!

You come from Hesse. Did you have any problems adapting in terms of dialect or mentality?
I don't come directly from Hesse. I previously worked and lived in Leipzig for six years.

But the people of Leipzig have a slightly different mentality and a different Saxon dialect.
They are certainly different to the people of Chemnitz, but no, I'm flexible.

The motto is: "The city is me." How do you define that for yourself?
I've already made my contribution in the form of a letter. If you have a great job, it's really easy. And I have a lovely home in Chemnitz, my husband also feels at home here. So everything is just right.

The people of Chemnitz are very self-critical. Do you need to encourage the people of Chemnitz more? How would you try to do that?
I don't think you have to admit to anything. You're from Chemnitz and that says it all. And I don't have to encourage them either. You see, I worked in Hanau, I studied in Sheffield. These are all cities that were heavily bombed and destroyed and also have an industrial history. And they are always overshadowed by other cities. Ultimately, many people find Chemnitz very endearing. And you shouldn't actually be interviewing me about Chemnitz, but rather my young employees, who consciously say: "We don't want to leave here, we feel at home." In this context, I actually find it more exciting to talk to middle-aged "best agers" who say: "We were born here, we feel good here and we don't want to leave." There are also quite a few who come back - and not just when they retire.