The neighbourhood chronicler

Eckart Roßberg

Eckart Roßberg never stands still. He was born on the Sonnenberg and never wants to leave. He works on the neighbourhood newspaper "Der Sonnenberger", is a member of the district council, but above all Eckart Roßberg is the district chronicler as a member of the Sonnenberg History Working Group. In an interview in Rüdiger-Alberti-Park on the corner of Fürstenstraße and Zietenstraße - in the heart of Sonnenberg - he tells us how he came to take on this task in 2008 and what drives him.

What do you associate with Alberti Park?
Eckart Roßberg: On the one hand, this square is one of my favourite places on the Sonnenberg and on the other, it means a lot to me because its name was created by the Sonnenberg History Working Group. When the city planned to design the square in 2016, it was to be called Fürstenplatz. However, our honorary member of the Sonnenberg History Working Group, who sadly passed away recently, came up with the idea of including Pastor Alberti in the town's memory, as the square is not far from St Mark's Church. Rüdiger Alberti was imprisoned in the Sachsenburg concentration camp in 1935 and was a priest at St Mark's Church at the time. The city agreed to the proposal and so we inaugurated the park on Rüdiger Alberti's 120th birthday on 13 July 2018.

You are a member of the "AG Sonnenberg-Geschichte" association and compile a chronicle every year. What motivates you to do this?
I've always been from Sonnenberg, I was born here and have always been interested in history. I retired in 2005 and had more time, so I joined the Sonnenberg History Working Group. The working group has published two books: "Life on the Sonnenberg" in 1997 and "The sun gave the name" in 2008. Both books contain a chronicle of the Sonnenberg over a long period of time. The up to twelve events per year were not enough for me, however, because so much has happened in the years since then and I thought it should be recorded. I then took on the task of continuing the chronicle and created one every year.

How do you compile the chronicles?
I try to attend events such as the neighbourhood festival or the "Hang zur Kultur" on the Sonnenberg myself as much as possible. I've always taken a lot of photographs and wanted to combine a text and a photo in the chronicle. That was enough for the first few years, but the chronicles became more and more extensive as more and more cultural organisations gained a foothold on the Sonnenberg. So many new things were created: for example, the cultural pubs "Kaffesatz" and "Lokomov", the "Komplex" theatre and the denkART gallery. A lot has happened. I also used to walk around the Sonnenberg and take photos of everything that was being demolished, renovated or newly built. I tried to capture everything. The great thing is that my wife, who was also born on the Sonnenberg, is also interested in all of this, so we are together almost everywhere.

Eckart Roßberg's numerous chronicles can be read at http://www.ag-sonnenberg-geschichte-in-chemnitz.de and https://sonnenberg-chemnitz.de. If you prefer to read without a screen, you can pick up the chronicles in printed form from the Chemnitz native himself. He has all the chronicles on paper at home so that he can leaf through them again and again and read about the exciting things that have happened on the Sonnenberg in recent years.

What goes into the chronicles?
I do research in various newspapers to find out what dates are coming up and what is happening, collect it all together and collate it all. Everything I experience myself is also included. I've only been travelling with my camera for 15 years and have followed many construction sites. For example, I documented the conversion of Dresdner Platz from A to Z and even filmed the final assembly of the girders with my camera after midnight at -5 degrees. For the 25th anniversary of AG Sonnenberg Geschichte, I also presented this in the off-theatre "Komplex", which provided us with the space. I also followed the stadium renovation from start to finish and went on every tour of the stadium with the builders, so that by the fourth or fifth time, the site manager said to me: "You've been there so many times, you can actually tell people everything now." I prepared presentations on the renovations of the stadium and Dresdner Platz, which I gave at the historical society, for example. In 2013, I created the chronicle in two parts for the first time. The first part with pictures and text covers the most important events and the second part is entitled "What else happened". This is where I included all the negative things that happened, such as break-ins, punctured tyres and other minor events. Of course, it can never be complete, but that's where I list the things I've learnt about Sonnenberg from newspapers, the internet or my own experiences. I collect this over the course of a year and at the beginning of the next year I sit down and summarise everything. The previous year's chronicle is usually finished by March. Each year there are around 80 to 100 photos in a chronicle, so I have a huge archive at home and have to select the best pictures.

Are there more people involved in the chronicle?
Hellfried Malech, the head of the denkART gallery, also takes a lot of photos. Whenever something is missing somewhere, he helps me out. But I do all the writing myself.

Eckart Roßberg has had another job since this year: he works on the editorial team of the neighbourhood newspaper "Sonnenberger". He writes some articles for the printed version and the website sonnenberg-chemnitz.de and also provides his photos for it. His articles are often related to the history of Sonnenberg and he really enjoys writing them. But that's not all:

You are also a member of the neighbourhood council. What do you want to achieve on the Sonnenberg?
I would like to be involved in events and consultations such as Lessingplatz or the Bazillenröhre and contribute my opinion. I would also like to support our neighbourhood manager in his difficult work with my experience. There are also many projects from Sonnenberg that are submitted by citizens or associations. The neighbourhood council decides whether they are eligible for funding or not. That's not easy, but I'm also happy to get involved.

You have lived in Sonnenberg for a very long time. The neighbourhood now tends to have a bad reputation. Why do you think that is?
Yes, unfortunately it's had a bad reputation for a long time, and that has to do with industrialisation. After Chemnitz got a railway connection in 1852, the Sonnenberg was also built on from Dresdner Straße via Humboldthöhe. At that time, many tenements were built in which many people lived together in a very small space. And there was a pub on every corner, but little culture. But this milieu, these residential neighbourhoods for the "proletariat", can no longer be compared with today's Sonnenberg. You shouldn't just look at the history, but also the present and see what has grown and developed here - both in terms of architecture and culture. That's why it always hurts when people say: "What?! You live on the Sonnenberg?!" I, on the other hand, am happy about everyone who says. "I come to Sonnenberg, I can develop here."
Sonnenberg is alive, it is becoming more and more colourful, lovable and liveable. We will do everything we can to keep things moving forward, even if it's not always easy.

For Eckart Roßberg, the special thing about Sonnenberg is that he can always rediscover it and that it is constantly evolving. The Alberti Park alone, where there were only prefabricated buildings and hardly anything flourished, is an enormous enrichment for the neighbourhood, says the pensioner. That's why Eckart Roßberg is certain: "I was born here and I never want to leave."

What do you want for Sonnenberg in the future?
Above all, I hope that the people of Sonnenberg from different cultural backgrounds live well together. I hope that those who talk about Sonnenberg don't use old clichés, but say to themselves: "I'll walk around Sonnenberg, look at everything, talk to people and then form my own judgement." I also hope that the cultural offerings will continue to develop, that buildings will continue to be renovated and that Sonnenberg will become even more beautiful. My wish for the people behind Sonnenberg is that they carry on as before and don't get discouraged.