City portrait

Picture: Dirk Hanus |

Chemnitz - city of makers and doers

"C the unseen" - this is the motto of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025, inviting you to discover the hidden: the people who have shaped Chemnitz with ingenuity, courage, down-to-earthness and foresight. The discovery that Chemnitz is one of the most liveable cities in Germany today. At the same time, it is a reminder that Chemnitz, the third largest city in eastern Germany, is not yet recognised as an exciting travel destination, even though it is full of captivating, ground-breaking stories.

City of fractures

One of these stories is that of the "Saxon Manchester". Over 200 years ago, Chemnitz developed from a small community with 10,000 inhabitants into a leading industrial city within a very short space of time. With a great deal of knowledge from England, Saxony's first factory was built here. The city became the centre of the textile industry, producing the finest hosiery for the world and modern locomotives for Europe. Chemnitz was the leading industrial city in Germany. The devastating bombing raid at the end of the Second World War, which reduced the city to rubble, brought this era to an end on 5 March 1945.

After the war, a new transformation began: Chemnitz became the model socialist city of the GDR, renamed Karl-Marx-Stadt and characterised by wide boulevards, monumental buildings and the iconic Karl Marx Monument, which was erected in 1971 on today's Brückenstraße. This era made Chemnitz an important mechanical engineering location in Eastern Europe, known for its industry, a lively youth culture, a prestigious theatre and numerous world champions and Olympic champions.

After the political change in 1989, Chemnitz experienced another turning point: plant closures and mass redundancies led to the departure of around 70,000 people, mainly young people. However, many stayed in their city, which has borne its original name again since 1990, and started families and businesses.

Economically successful and a good place to live

Today, Chemnitz is once again a successful business location with more than 16,000 companies, characterised by the automotive industry and mechanical engineering. Chemnitz University of Technology, the Fraunhofer Institutes and numerous family-run companies are drivers of innovation and growth, as demonstrated by the many successful start-ups in future technologies. In the coming years, Chemnitz will also become one of the centres of hydrogen technology in Germany.

Chemnitz is a city of culture: a tradition-steeped and renowned five-section theatre, the Industrial Museum, the State Museum of Archaeology, the Chemnitz Art Collections and the Gunzenhauser Museum with one of the most impressive collections of classical modernism all stand for a rich cultural life.

In terms of urban development, Chemnitz reflects an exciting contrast of tradition and modernity. Kaßberg is one of the largest contiguous Gründerzeit districts in Europe, while renowned architects such as Helmut Jahn and Hans Kollhoff have redesigned the city centre over the past three decades. The development of the city centre campus around the Brühl and the Alte Aktienspinnerei brings education and science to the centre of the city.

Today, Chemnitz is one of the top 10 most liveable cities in Germany and scores highly with a wide range of offers for families and favourable rents. Chemnitz also has a lot to offer in terms of scenery: Recreational areas such as the Rabenstein reservoir, the castle pond, Küchwald Park and the historic city park invite you to relax and enjoy a variety of leisure activities. The Ore Mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019 for its world-famous mining tradition, are right on the doorstep.

Many celebrities are also associated with Chemnitz, including Olympic champions such as figure skating legend Katarina Witt and former discus thrower Lars Riedel and footballer Michael Ballack. The list of celebrities from the worlds of art and culture is just as impressive:
Expressionist Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, writer Stefan Heym or Bauhaus artist Marianne Brandt and mould designer Clauss Dietel. In addition, the indie rock band Kraftklub, actors such as Corinna Harfouch, Ulrich Mühe and Matthias Schweighöfer and the artist Carsten Nicolai. Famous scientists such as Georgius Agricola, the founder of geosciences, and Hans Carl von Carlowitz, the inventor of the concept of sustainability, round off the list of famous Chemnitz residents.

Chemnitz - a city full of contrasts, characterised by ruptures and new beginnings. The successful bid for the title of European Capital of Culture 2025 shows: Chemnitz is not a place of longing at first sight - but a city for exciting discoveries in every respect: C the unseen!