The story of Dr Uhlmann

Dr Wolfgang Uhlmann

History teacher, chairman of the Chemnitz History Society, history author, co-founder of the Chemnitz Industrial Museum: Dr Wolfgang Uhlmann's interests are obvious: dates, facts and figures about Chemnitz's history just gush out of the 80-year-old. Mayor Barbara Ludwig honoured him for his many years of commitment and his unwavering interest in reappraising Chemnitz's past with an entry in the City of Chemnitz's Golden Book. In this interview, he reveals how he came to his passion.

Why are you so fascinated by the history of Chemnitz in particular?
Dr Wolfgang Uhlmann: I was born in Dresden and when I went to school, I had a teacher there who taught us a lot about Dresden's past. That made a big impression on me. I then became a history teacher myself and taught in Chemnitz for many years. As a non-Chemnitz resident, I naturally had a lot of gaps in my knowledge and that's when I began to take a closer look at the history of Chemnitz. I wanted to convey this to my students in the same way as my teacher in Dresden had once done.

What tip would you give a modern-day history teacher to make their lessons more tangible?
You have to start with material evidence that still exists. For example, if you are teaching about the medieval town, you can still show parts of the town fortifications in the townscape, such as the merchants' hall at the town gate or the Red Tower. This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the events of 8 August 1919, when the armed clash between workers and soldiers of the Reichswehr took place, as evidenced by the monument at the main railway station. The monuments that are still there in the city should be utilised.

How did you acquire your extensive knowledge of Chemnitz?
I read a lot, studied a lot of literature and looked into many company histories, went to the Schloßberg Museum or the city archives a lot to acquire knowledge about the city's past. This then led to a dissertation at the University of Education in Dresden on the development of Chemnitz industry and the bourgeoisie in the period from 1800 to 1871. I then worked at the Technical University, where I had a working group on regional history. Thanks to my knowledge of industrial history, I was one of the initiators who promoted the founding of the Chemnitz Industrial Museum. I have been involved with the history of Chemnitz in many different ways.

But how do you remember all these historical facts?
I have always cultivated my knowledge. If you don't look after it, it gets lost. As I still publish on certain events, give lectures and lead city tours, I keep activating my knowledge. The historical society also often forwards enquiries to me. I can answer a lot of them off the cuff, but some things I have to look up again. But you constantly deal with the knowledge and keep it in your head.

In order to pass on your knowledge and history, you helped to set up and organise the Industrial Museum, among other things. What is special about this museum?
The idea was actually nothing new. There were already plans for an industrial museum in the 1970s, back then still called the Museum of Productive Forces. Objects had even already been selected for it. One was the Hartmannhalle on Fabrikstraße and the other was the old energy supply hall on Müllerstraße, which had already been demolished. However, the plan was shelved in the 1980s. When the big wave of scrapping began in the early 1990s, we decided that now was the time to set up an industrial museum to preserve the old machines. Then we founded a support association. Together with colleagues from Chemnitz University of Technology and retired factory workers, we got the whole thing off the ground.

Why should everyone from Chemnitz have been there once?
The museum shows the great industrial past in Germany. In this context, Chemnitz came to be known as the "Saxon Manchester". However, there are over 40 cities in Europe that have the nickname Manchester. For example Tampere, as the Finnish Manchester, Lodz as the Polish Manchester or Mulhouse as the Manchester of Alsace. It is important to show the people of the city what it once was, what the history of the city is. Not that these events are merely reflected in literature, but that there are also physical memorabilia, for example a Hartmann locomotive or the first spinning machines. Ultimately, these are not only exhibits of industrial history, but also of social history. This contributes to identification with the city.

You were also a co-founder of the Chemnitz History Association. How did the idea of setting up the association come about?
The history association didn't come out of nowhere. There was already a predecessor, the Kulturbund. I was already active there. We wanted to build on the tradition of the Chemnitz History Association. Reunification in 1990 called many old structures into question. This led to the founding of the Chemnitz History Association.

After nine years, you are now handing over your position as Chairman of the Chemnitz History Association to your successor, Dr Jens Beutmann. What are your hopes for the future of the association?
I hope that we can maintain and increase our membership. Most of our members are already at an advanced retirement age. Many of our members die, move away or retire. But that's not unique to Chemnitz - it's the same for many historical societies. The association and its activities should also be recognised more in public, that would be very desirable.

Dr Wolfgang Uhlmann is a walking history book. And even though he is relinquishing the post of Chairman of the Chemnitz History Society, he is not retiring just yet. Together with his wife Hildegard, who also took a liking to the history of Chemnitz through him, he is currently painstakingly cataloguing former Chemnitz industrial companies.

Which historical development of the city interests you the most?
I always find the period I'm currently working on the most exciting. I've published two books on Chemnitz's industrial history so far, one on early industrialisation from 1800 to 1871 and the other on high industrialisation from 1871 to 1914. At the moment I'm working on the period from 1915 to 1946. I hope that I have a few more creative years ahead of me so that I can finish the book.

Chemnitz is applying to be European Capital of Culture 2025? What do you think of that?
The application was the starting point for my proposal to publish a new city history together with the History Association, the Schloßberg Museum and the Industrial Museum. We then formed a working group on the city's history, which is led by the city archives. Will we win the title? It will be difficult, with Dresden and Gera we have two competitors who should not be underestimated. But the application is in itself a good opportunity for people to take a closer look at their own history.