Chemnitz Peace Day on 5 March
22nd Chemnitz Peace Day: In search of peace
On 5 March, hundreds of people from Chemnitz remembered the bombing and destruction of the city 78 years ago and the victims of the Second World War as well as the victims of wars in Ukraine and other countries around the world with events and actions under the motto "Peace for the city - a city for peace".
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Main event "Search for peace"
In the evening, the main event took place at 6 p.m. on Neumarkt square under the title "Searching for Peace". Mayor Ralph Burghart and the deputy mayor from Łodz, Adam Wieczorek, commemorated the victims of past and present wars together with all those present.
Refugees from current war zones spoke about their experiences of war and their wishes for peace. Christoph Magirius also embarked on the search for peace with his "Appeal to Reason".
Finally, the children's and youth choir of the Chemnitz Theatre under the direction of Lorenz Höß sang "Ode to Joy" together with the visitors.
After an ecumenical peace service in St Jakobi's Church, the Peace Day ended at 9 p.m. at the Peace Cross under the memorial and prayer bells of the Chemnitz churches.
Actions in the city centre
Numerous activities organised by the Peace Day working group and other civil society actors shaped the entire Peace Day in Chemnitz, including at Neumarkt.
Films were shown in the walk-in peace cross and visitors were able to write down their wishes for peace.
Various exhibitions were shown on Neumarkt, including the "Peaceful Cities" exhibition with pictures by young Chemnitz residents who took part in the "Mayors for Peace" painting competition.
On the subject of "90 years of book burning", authors read from books that were burned from 1933 onwards.
More than 100 cyclists took part in the "Cycling for Peace" cycling parade.
Entry in the Golden Book
A delegation from the Polish twin city of Łódź visited Chemnitz for the first time on the occasion of the Chemnitz Peace Day. Deputy Mayor Adam Wieczorek was accompanied by Mariusz Goss, Head of the Heritage Protection Office in Łódź.
In the run-up to the main Chemnitz Peace Day event, Adam Wieczorek signed the City of Chemnitz's Golden Book in the presence of Mayor Ralph Burghart.
Wreath-laying ceremony at the municipal cemetery
The wreath-laying ceremony at the municipal cemetery traditionally marks the start of the Chemnitz Peace Day.
Mayor Ralph Burghart: "For us Chemnitz residents, 5 March is a day of remembrance and reflection. And it should and must remain so. We, those of us alive today, are not personally to blame for the genocide that began in Germany seven decades ago. But we bear a great responsibility for ensuring that what happened remains unforgotten and that the historical truth is passed on from generation to generation. We will continue to face up to this responsibility."
Ecumenical peace service
The church service following the main event at Neumarkt was entitled "Rearming - Disarming - Retooling".
The sermon was delivered by the President of the German Protestant Church Congress 2023 in Nuremberg, former Federal Minister of the Interior and Federal Minister of Defence, Dr Thomas de Maizière.
Peace banner at the town hall
On 24 February, peace banners were once again displayed at Chemnitz town hall in the run-up to the Chemnitz Peace Day.
Last year, 46 new banners were created, nine at André-Gymnasium Chemnitz, seven at Annen-Oberschule, five each at Pestalozzi-Förderzentrum and Entdecker-Schule. With 13 new banners, the Montessori School once again contributed the largest number and seven banners were designed at Zwönitz Grammar School.
The banners are displayed at the town hall, at and in the Roter Turm gallery, at the opera house and in the Jakobi church. The total number of seven-metre-long banners has thus grown to 254, which corresponds to a length of 1,778 metres. Over the past 12 years, horizontal banners and other formats have also been designed, bringing the total length to 2,750 metres. A Guinness World Record for the largest youth art project is to be achieved in 2025.
| 10.00 am Municipal cemetery | Memorial service with wreath-laying at the memorial to the victims of the bombing on 5 March 1945 Entrance Augsburger Straße |
| 11.00 a.m. Neumarkt | Start PEACE - Running for Peace (meeting point and finish Neumarkt / Friedenskreuz) The Lauf-KulTour e.V. and the Stadtsportbund Chemnitz e.V. want to run the PEACE sign in two groups as a symbol for peace. The distance is 10 kilometres each, is tracked via GPS and appears on the map in real time. Anyone who would like to take part is cordially invited. > Further information The running project can be followed in real time on 5 March: > map.lauf-kultour.de |
| 11.00 a.m. New Saxon Gallery in the TIETZ | LONGING_PEACE Collage concert with the formation Ent_Rüstet and Arna Aley - texts and songs for reflection and hope. Pieces from the time of the Thirty Years' War to the present day. |
| from 11.00 am Neumarkt | Peace cross on the Neumarkt: The citizens' association FUER CHEMNITZ e. V. and the Chemnitz Peace Day working group ask the people of Chemnitz for their PEACE WISHES in the walk-in peace cross.
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| 1.00 pm Neumarkt | "Peace for all Kids" - creative T-shirt design |
| 1.15 pm Neumarkt | Presentation of the peace banners 2023 Pupils from Chemnitz present their peace banners, which were created in a joint project with Aktion ©. There will be bookmarks of all banners. |
| 1.30 pm and 4.15 pm Neumarkt | Readings in memory of the authors whose books were burnt at the stake in March 1933 Chemnitz authors, librarians and booksellers will be reading. |
| 14.00 hrs Neumarkt | My favourite book" - creative project to mark the 90th anniversary of the book burnings Children from the primary schools "Rosa Luxemburg", Adelsberg, Euba and Gablenz, the day care centre "Sonnenblume e. V." and the "Zeisigwaldfüchse" pre-school group will be exhibiting their pictures, which deal with the importance of the written word - on site: creative offer for your own thoughts and pictures on the subject of "My favourite book" |
| from 14.00 hrs St Jakobi City Church, Jakobikirchplatz 1 | 14.00-16.00 Children and young people from the municipal music school play music |
| from 15.00 hrs Town Hall, City Council Chamber | Films with contemporary witnesses from Chemnitz who experienced the Second World War and the bombing of the city: |
| 4.00 pm Spinnbau - puppet theatre Altchemnitzer Straße 27 | "What the rhinoceros saw when it looked on the other side of the fence" A parable about adaptation, courage, injustice and inhumanity by Jens Raschke. |
| 17.00 hrs | Start of the Chemnitz Peace Trails at five starting points:
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| 5.30 pm | Chemnitz peace bells - Carillon in the town hall |
| 18.00 hrs | Main event "Search for peace" at the town hall Mayor Ralph Burghart and the deputy mayor from Łodz, Adam Wieczorek, commemorate the victims of past and present wars together with all those present. Refugees from current war zones will talk about their experiences of war and their wishes for peace. Christoph Magirius will also embark on a search for peace with his "Appeal to Reason". Afterwards, the children's and youth choir of the Chemnitz Theatre under the direction of Lorenz Höß will sing "Ode to Joy" together with the visitors. |
18.00 hrs | Stefan Heym: "Der große Hanussen" - The story of a swindler |
20.00 hrs | Ecumenical peace service This year's service is entitled "Rearming - Disarming - Retooling". The sermon will be given by the President of the German Protestant Church Congress 2023 in Nuremberg, former Federal Minister of the Interior and Federal Minister of Defence, Dr Thomas de Maizière. Followed by a walk to Neumarkt. |
20.30 hrs | History of a German. The memoirs 1914 to 1933 by Sebastian Haffner. |
| 21.00 hrs Neumarkt | Closing of the Chemnitz Peace Day under the ringing of the bells of the Chemnitz churches |
| from 24.02., 09.30 a.m. | Peace banner at Chemnitz town hall |
| 03.03., 18.00 hrs Town Hall, City Council Chamber | Presentation of the Chemnitz Peace Prize 2023 Since 2004, the citizens' association FUER CHEMNITZ e.V. and the city's migration officer have been bringing people together once a year who would probably never have met otherwise: at the Chemnitz Peace Prize awards ceremony. A prize awarded by citizens for citizens of this city who stand up for basic values such as tolerance and democracy, who are committed to the peaceful coexistence of people from different cultures, who take a stand against all forms of marginalisation, xenophobia and racism, who actively work for peace and promote and support non-violent coexistence. |
| 09 March, 19.00 hrs St Johannis Youth Church in Chemnitz Theresenstraße 2 | "Paths to peace - a joint reflection" How can the war in Ukraine be ended? With military support for the attacked country? Or with diplomatic efforts? Or ...? The discussion will be guided by theses that could already be read on the Chemnitz Peace Day on 5 March at the Chemnitz Neumarkt, where visitors were able to express their views in writing on a poster wall. Moderator: Stephan Brenner, admission: free |