The city is accepted again

Claudia Großkopp

From the outside, the tram museum doesn't really look like a typical museum. The large doors of the closed halls block the view into the detailed interior. Claudia Großkopp has been the museum director of the Chemnitz Tram Museum for four years and has been doing this full-time for two years. She actually came to this job by chance: - She was looking for a new professional challenge and the tram enthusiasts needed a new director. One thing led to another and within six months it was clear that she had developed a passion that you can literally feel.

When and why was the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Straßenbahnfreunde e.V. founded?
Claudia Großkopp: Almost 30 years ago, when narrow-gauge trams came to an end, some enthusiasts realised that history was in danger of disappearing and needed to be preserved. A collection was built up in small steps. Two years ago, we celebrated our 25th anniversary. That means the beginnings were around 1987/88. I think "why" is a very difficult question. I do believe that it was important to preserve the historic trams.

How is the association financed?
We get some money from the city, like many museums here in Chemnitz. But only part of it. This part is only earmarked for my position as basic funding. Then we have support from CVAG. Not so much in the form of funding, but rather through co-operation. Both sides benefit from this co-operation, CVAG and us. We finance ourselves through commercial operations and through the catering that we offer through the special trips. In this area we receive support from Braustolz and Edeka Kaufhalle Görner.

Do you receive membership fees from the members?
Of course, membership of the association is also linked to the payment of annual membership fees. However, these are largely passed on to the employers' liability insurance association to cover all the insurance. So we don't make any profits from the membership fees.

What is special about the Chemnitz Tram Museum? How does the Chemnitz Tram Museum differ from other tram museums?
One very important point is that we are still in the old carriage shed from 1908. So we are in the oldest narrow-gauge tramway operation in Chemnitz. It all started here with the horse-drawn tram. This hall lives simply because of its incredible uniqueness. Many other tramway companies that we know have a new building where it simply doesn't look like this. I think it's this originality here, this grandeur, that gives the tram museum its charm. Another great point is that this change of gauge in Chemnitz means that we actually have our narrow-gauge carriages in here. They no longer make journeys, but are purely museum objects.

To what extent is the tram museum a living museum?
You can go inside the carriages, you can ring the bell, you can sit down, you can try things out. And we really emphasise that. We definitely want children in particular to be able to try things out, because they learn a lot by touching and testing things.

Together with CVAG, you offer city tours and special trips on your trams and buses. How often are these trips booked?
These special trips are more popular than we can actually afford. The problem is that all these trips are organised on a voluntary basis. This means that conductors and drivers do this almost exclusively in their free time. And I could drive three times as much as I can afford.

So you need people who want to take part?
I really need people who are interested and who are interested in the history of the city. That would be great. The uniform is provided and the training is financed. The candidates have to undergo a medical examination. That's all fixed. So people who would like to pass on their interest in the history of the city are very welcome to join us.

The tram enthusiasts meet every Tuesday and Saturday for a so-called work assignment. What exactly is done there?
The work varies according to ability and interest. It starts on Tuesday afternoons because many people are at work. For us, the club work is always combined with full catering. That's not unimportant for many people (laughs). Some come here to screw and tinker, others come here to cook and cater for the others. Others sit at the computer and do the necessary work. However, the basic upkeep of the museum is always important. There is always something to clean here. Business operations must be maintained.

Do you rebuild the historic trams?
We are rebuilding historic trams. But I honestly admit that the restoration is a fraction. That does happen, but for the time being the preservation of the fleet, such as inspections, takes centre stage. We have the restoration of the historic railways carried out by a general contractor. And then we do the small jobs, such as refurbishing windows or some woodwork.

There is also a tram enthusiasts' youth group for young people from Chemnitz. How is it being received? Are there many enquiries from young people?
That has decreased massively. We had a youth group is actually a better description. The problem is that young people are not allowed to join us until they are 14. Then they've been here for two years, by which time you've actually got them to the point where you say "Now you can do something with them". And then they go off to do an apprenticeship or study and are gone. That's why there are only two people left from our youth group. But I wouldn't want to call it a youth group any more.

Why are young people only allowed to join from the age of 14?
Firstly, for insurance reasons and secondly, I have to say that if I work with young people under a certain age, I obviously have to have someone there who can provide supervision. And that's where it actually fails. For professional reasons, none of us can do that. And if you're really working with tools here and something happens to someone, then it's more difficult because of the insurance.

Your new special exhibition, which can be seen until 15 June, is about "The tram as an art object". How exactly can a tram be an art object?
Well, it can certainly be an art object from many angles. What we wanted to make clear is that the tram doesn't necessarily have to be sprayed to be considered an art object. We wanted to put that at the centre. So there will be no graffiti on any trams. Because we vehemently distance ourselves from that. We looked at how painters, photographers and modellers see and depict the tram as an object. This is a completely new step for us. Until now, we had organised our special exhibition around a very specific tramway theme. But the artistic aspect, because we really are a "hands-on museum", is something we have never done before. For us, this involves a lot of heartache as to whether it will work and whether we can really realise it well. I hope that visitors to the museum will like it.

What can visitors expect to see in the special exhibition?
Paintings, photos, models. Simply very different views of the tram. New and old. There are paintings of Variobahn trams as well as old narrow-gauge trams. Tatras are photographed from different angles. We also have something very special: the Schlossberg Museum has provided us with some of its railway panels. We are totally happy and very pleased about that. From 1870 onwards, the shooting club made a target board every year and the shooting club shot at it. And then they always stuck their names on their bullet extinguishers. There are six motifs measuring 1.20 metres by 1.20 metres with trams on them. We are also showing them and that is a highlight of the exhibition.

The tram museum is also opening its doors for Chemnitz Museum Night. What exactly can visitors expect on site? What highlights will there be?
Firstly, the special exhibition. Then we have once again invited the final-year classes of the Goethegymnasium. They will be carrying out chemical and physical experiments. We did that two years ago and it went down incredibly well. Then we have live music, food and drink. And we drive our vintage bus three times and do a night tour of the city. Of course, the old narrow-gauge railway also runs on our premises.

When was the last time you travelled by tram?
(thinks for a moment) Yesterday!

As a tram fan, you must enjoy following the city's development. What is your image of Chemnitz?
I think that too many people in Chemnitz still make their city look worse than it is. I find that a bit sad. Because museum visitors in particular, who come from out of town, say "Oh, it's nice here, I wouldn't have thought so". I think the people of Chemnitz have had an identity crisis with their city. Dresden was the historic city, Leipzig was the trade fair city and Chemnitz was always the working-class city or the dirty city. I don't think Chemnitz is like that any more. What I really like is that Chemnitz has changed in recent years. You can tell that people are falling in love with Chemnitz again. People are embracing the city centre again, you can go into the city centre at the weekends and there's something going on. I think that's great! For a while there was a feeling of "oh no... what do you want to do here, there's nothing going on."

Do you have to encourage the people of Chemnitz?
Yes, I think Chemnitz has a good chance.