Discover history: The Rosenhof
This street owes its name Rosenhof to around 5,000 roses that were planted here in 1965. The roses came from places of the war of extermination on the territory of the former USSR and from former concentration camps and were intended to commemorate the suffering and horrors of the Second World War. The former city centre residential area with Holzmarkt and Roßmarkt was completely destroyed in 1945.
In the 18th century, it was once one of the wealthiest residential neighbourhoods in Chemnitz. The magnificent buildings of important tradesmen and the Hotel de Saxe dominated the appearance of the Roßmarkt, as did the first theatre in Chemnitz, which opened its doors to visitors in 1806. From 1828, the first Catholic parish with a church was located on the Roßmarkt. Both markets lost their original function as a trading centre for horses and timber with the industrial development of the city and simply remained pretty squares.
From 1893, the Roßmarkt was home to the Saxonia Fountain. The bronze Saxonia, protector of industry and trade, was melted down in 1943 for "war-related" purposes, as were the smaller sculptures of a spinner and a blacksmith. A smaller reconstruction has stood on Johannisplatz since 2013.
During the reconstruction of the city centre, the historical layout was abandoned and in 1962 it was decided to build a modern, functional boulevard on this site. With the fundamental redesign, the historic building fabric was completely overhauled. The multi-storey residential development in large prefabricated slab construction represents, alongside the residential buildings along the Straße der Nationen, the earliest industrial housing construction in Karl-Marx-Stadt. The area was renamed Rosenhof in 1965.
The residential area was conceived as a social centre between the market and the then Fritz-Heckert-Platz. It was not only intended to help solve the housing problem, but also to be beautiful. Green oases and playgrounds were created between the houses, and the boulevard was intended to invite people to linger. The wind rose created by Gerhard Klampäckel from terrazzo mosaic stones formed the centre of the boulevard at the time. Today it can be found at the entrance to the Rosenhof from the market side.
Trade, services and catering were popular in the residential area, such as the Pionier children's department stores', the household bazaar, the picture cabinet, the Modestrumpf shop and the "Zum Güldenen Bock" restaurant.
The Rosenhof was modernised at the beginning of the new millennium. Since 2002, the Türmer commercial building at the beginning of the Rosenhof has formed the urban transition from the market to the Rosenhof boulevard. Shops, galleries and bistros are located between the wind rose at the Rosenhof entrance and the large fountain at the end, and rose beds, seating areas and water features have been created. In terms of its size and the number of shops, Rosenhof is the third largest retail location in Chemnitz city centre.