Discover history: The "Fritz Heckert" residential area

History until 1990

The first plans for a housing estate at this location date back to 1919, when housing was to be built for workers in the Altchemnitz industrial estate and the Siegmar-Schönau industrial estate. From the end of the 1950s, urban development plans envisaged the future growth of the town along Stollberger Strasse to the south. Development work began in 1972 with the so-called construction area 0 - Irkutsker Straße. With these 2,400 flats, the logistics of industrial housing construction were tested, which was later practised on a large scale in the subsequent eight construction areas.

The official laying of the foundation stone for the "Fritz Heckert" residential area took place in October 1974, as part of the 25th anniversary of the GDR. By 1990, approximately 32,300 flats had been built, in which around 90,000 people lived, through redensification and the expansion of the plans from seven to eight construction areas. In terms of population, this was the second largest inner-city development area in the GDR after Berlin Marzahn-Hellersdorf. With the political change in 1989/1990, construction work was stopped and the residential area remained unfinished. The plan was to build 42,300 flats for 116,000 residents.

The large housing estate with its north-south extension of 4.5 kilometres and construction costs of 2.7 billion GDR marks was designed as part of the complex urban planning. All the facilities necessary for living were provided. In 1980, the Karl-Marx-Stadt city limits were moved and 107 hectares of Neukirchen land were incorporated to expand the residential area to include the Hutholz district for additional flats. Thanks to its peripheral location and distant views towards the Ore Mountains, the newest residential neighbourhood, Hutholz-Süd, is also known as the "balcony of the Heckert area".

The "Fritz Heckert" residential area has been eligible for various federal and state urban development programmes since 1994. By 2023, over €80 million in funding had been invested, with the City of Chemnitz contributing at least one third of this amount. The upgrading of the area and overcoming the challenges of demographic change, climate change and loss of function due to the declining population will continue to be supported by funding from the EU, federal government, state and city until 2028. The residential area is now attractive and worth living in.

From 1994, funding initially concentrated on redensification and completion of the infrastructure in the "Urban development of large new housing estates" programme. This further development of the large housing estate was soon hampered by the exodus of young people and growing vacancy rates. Up to 50 % of the residential buildings were vacant. Through contracts between the housing companies and the city, buildings were vacated in an orderly fashion and the residents were helped through social plans. As part of the "urban redevelopment", almost 11,000 flats in the area were demolished with €38 million in funding from the urban redevelopment programme. In addition, the technical and social infrastructure was adapted in an organised manner with around €3 million in funding. New green and open spaces were also created in the process, significantly loosening up the residential area.

Urban development concepts were developed and implemented from 2006 with the participation of local residents. The contemporary redesign of the pedestrian zones, for example, increases the quality of stay. The refurbishment of day care centres and schools creates good spatial conditions for childcare and teaching. From 2007, funding also focussed on the social needs of local residents with model projects and ESF projects. Up to €40 million in funding has been invested in urban and social neighbourhood development up to 2023.

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