Speech OB 15.05.2014
on the occasion of the opening ceremony of the "smac - Staatliches Archäologiemuseum Chemnitz" on 15 May 2014
The spoken word prevails.
Dear Federal Minister
Dear Mr State Secretary
Dear Minister President
Honourable members of the Saxon state parliament,
Honourable members of the Chemnitz City Council,
Dear Prof Rind
Dear Dr Wolfram
Dear Schocken family
Dear Mendelsohn family,
Ladies and gentlemen,
pure pleasure!
...this is how the country's architectural elite experienced the view of this building in 1930, in which we find ourselves today.
The issue of Wasmuth Monatshefte für Baukunst und Städtebau at the time enthused:
"With his new Schocken department stores' in Chemnitz, Erich Mendelsohn has reached a new pinnacle of his creativity."
The author, Werner Hegemann, naturally endeavours to maintain a matter-of-fact tone in this architecture magazine.
He tries to reassure himself with dry technical terminology: "column arrangement, oriel construction, horizontals, verticals, receding storeys".
In vain...
Again and again, an undisguised, almost unobjective enthusiasm breaks through:
"boldness of the construction", "incomparably beautiful department stores'", "fairy-like effect". For Erich Mendelsohn, the Schocken department stores' was a "triumph that could hardly be surpassed".
Mendelsohn had already designed two important department stores for the Schocken family.
In Stuttgart and Nuremberg. Both have since been demolished.
The Schocken department stores' in Chemnitz is therefore not only the largest and most architecturally sophisticated document of the inspiring connection between the Schocken family and the architect Mendelsohn.
It is also the only surviving one.
The department stores' concept is not that old. It originated at the beginning of the 20th century. Department stores were prestigious buildings in flourishing cities and an expression of growing prosperity.
As an outstanding architectural testimony of its kind, the Schocken department stores' says a lot about Chemnitz in 1930.
Eight years later, it says even more about Germany in 1938.
The Schocken family had been expropriated, the Jewish citizens expelled, persecuted, tortured and deported to extermination camps.
Yet it was Jewish merchant families, for example, who revolutionised trade and sales and - not only - built up this branch of the economy in Germany.
Around 1930, Salman Schocken gave lectures and published writings on the theory of the department stores'.
At that time, large companies were inextricably linked with names and personalities. Just like Tietz and Schocken.
Like many others, author and director Eberhard Görner remembers his childhood in an interview:
"Schocken is part of my childhood. I had great respect for this name.
When we travelled to Chemnitz back then, we didn't go to the HO department stores', but to Schocken."
This building will always remain the "Schocken". Such a strong building will always remain independent.
It took something outstanding to give this building an appropriate new purpose.
The State Museum of Archaeology has achieved this.
Thanks to the Free State of Saxony and its decision in favour of Chemnitz.
And thanks to the federal government for its part in the realisation.
Both were the basis for the fact that the building and the museum are now honouring each other. Form and content come together impressively.
Ladies and gentlemen,
But it was a long, very long road before the two really came together.
The story of this path would have deserved its own section in this exhibition due to its duration and the multitude of twists and turns, trials and tribulations, protagonists and antagonists.
But no, 300,000 years of history with archaeological witnesses - inspiringly staged - are of course the new lifeblood of this house. A new aura has taken hold, allowing the contemporary witnesses and testimonies to tell their stories and captivate visitors.
My thanks go to all those who wanted this house, who fought, argued, designed, built and paid for it.
We have made a successful start to a strong future.
A future that is in good hands with you, Dr Wolfram.
Thank you very much.