With its culture of remembrance and commemoration, the city of Chemnitz works to encourage people to engage with historical events. It encourages young people to engage with the history of the city of Chemnitz and to reflect on present-day references. Groups of victims are honoured and young people are actively involved in the organisation of commemoration days.

The city of Chemnitz is committed to peace work and specifically conveys basic European values in the context of the city's history.

Chemnitz commemorates various historical events throughout the year:

27 January - Commemoration of the victims of National Socialism

On 27 January 1945, the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated by the Red Army. The victims of National Socialist tyranny have been commemorated in Chemnitz since 1945. The anniversary of the liberation of the extermination camp became a German day of remembrance for the victims of National Socialism in 1996 on the initiative of the then Federal President Roman Herzog. In 2005, the United Nations declared 27 January as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Together with schoolchildren, elected representatives and contemporary witnesses, the memory of the crimes of National Socialism is kept alive with wreath-laying ceremonies, speeches and musical contributions. Learning from history in order to prevent such atrocities in the future should be a personal concern for all of us.

Traditionally, the commemorative event takes place at the memorial in the Park of the Victims of Fascism, which was created by the sculptor Hanns Diettrich (1905-1983).

5 March - Chemnitz Peace Day

Chemnitz Peace Day focuses on one of the most dramatic events in the city's history and reminds us of the importance of peace.

On 5 March 1945, Chemnitz was the target of a heavy air raid by Allied bombers. This attack, which lasted 31 minutes, destroyed 80 per cent of the city centre and claimed the lives of over 2,100 people. The attack was part of a series of bombing raids on Chemnitz during the Second World War, which severely damaged the city and claimed many victims.

Various event formats will frame the commemoration on this day.

8 May - Anniversary of the liberation from National Socialism

8 May 1945 marks the unconditional surrender of the German Wehrmacht and thus the end of hostilities in Europe.

Today, 8 May is remembered as the day of liberation from National Socialist tyranny and the beginning of a new, peaceful and democratic Germany. In this sense, it is also seen as a reminder not to forget the crimes of the National Socialists and to actively campaign for peace and democracy.

The anniversary of the 1953 popular uprising in the GDR will be commemorated with a public memorial event. The event is dedicated to the persecuted and victims in the Soviet occupation zone in the years 1945 to 1949 and later in the GDR, as well as to all victims of Stalinist dictatorships after 1945.

It will take place at the memorial stele on the site opposite the district court (Hohe Straße 23). The Halmstadt gneiss memorial erected there in 1999 bears the inscription "To the victims of tyranny 1945 - 1989".

In the immediate vicinity, the Kaßberg prison, a place of learning and remembrance, is a reminder of GDR injustice and German division as a former processing centre for the release of prisoners by the East German regime. https://gedenkort-kassberg.de/

9 November - Reichspogromnacht

The night of 9 November 1938 is one of the most horrific moments in German history. Throughout Germany, fascists systematically committed brutal acts of violence against Jews, destroying shops and synagogues. The night marked the turning point from discrimination to deportation and murder. Brutal attacks on Jews also took place in Chemnitz that night and the Chemnitz synagogue on Stephanplatz was also destroyed.

The memorial stele by the artist Volker Beier commemorates the burning of the Chemnitz synagogue during the Reichsprogromnacht from 9 to 10 November 1938 and is located on the site of the old synagogue, Stephansplatz. The memorial stele was dedicated on 13 November 1988. In addition to the German text, there is also the inscription "Thou shalt not kill" in Hebrew.

Stumbling blocks

The Stumbling Stones commemorate citizens of Chemnitz who were murdered, deported, expelled or driven to suicide by the National Socialists.

The ten by ten centimetre Stumbling Stones are set into the pavement in front of the house where the people being honoured had their last address. The victims' names and dates of death are engraved on the brass plate of the concrete stones. Anyone who sees them as they pass by should stumble over them in their mind, pause for a moment and read the engraving.

The Buntmacher:innen initiative and the Stumbling Stones Working Group thus commemorate the atrocities of the Reichspogromnacht and the subsequent genocide of millions of Jews.

Actors from Chemnitz civil society will gather at various Stumbling Stones and commemorate the victims of the pogrom night together at so-called light points.

All the locations of the Stumbling Stones can be found at www.chemnitz.de/stolpersteine. The photos of the actions will also be published on this page, as well as on the social channels of the City of Chemnitz and the Buntmacher:innen with the hashtag #lichterwege.