Garage Campus
New life on a historic site
Bald öffnen sich die Garagen-Tore
On the former depot of Chemnitzer Verkehrs-AG (CVAG) in the Kappel district, with its 30,000 square metres steeped in history, a central and community-oriented cultural location has been under construction since summer 2021.
Garages offer space to store curiosities, but also to meet up, realise joint projects and celebrate parties. The Garage Campus combines all of this and symbolically opens its doors as a large garage to welcome Chemnitz, the region and Europe - far beyond the Capital of Culture year.
The site on Zwickauer Straße in Kappel has been part of Chemnitz's local transport history since 1880. Following the relocation of tram operations in 1995, the site lay fallow and parts were rented out or sold. The historic carriage shed from 1908 is now home to the Straßenbahnfreunde e.V., and the clock museum moved in in 2010. After extensive refurbishment, CVAG reopened the site in March 2025 as a garage campus with project, event and creative spaces. The realisation of this major project is to be continued in further construction phases, depending on the financial resources available.
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Facts and figures
As the owner of the site, CVAG was responsible for the work that began in March 2023. This included the demolition of the former administration building, the comprehensive roof renovation including the complete roof truss, the renewal of the skylights and the renovation of steel beams and columns.
This was followed in 2024 by the topping-out ceremony, the laying of new media and the installation of a sprinkler and ventilation system. Walls and floors were also renovated and new entrances, doors and sanitary facilities were created.
Investment volume: €8 million, €5 million of which came from the federal and state programme "Growth and Sustainable Renewal (WEP) - Zwickauer Straße development area".
Looking back: Topping-out ceremony at the Garage Campus
Topping-out ceremony on the building site
On 20 March 2024, the client Chemnitzer Verkehrs-AG (CVAG) celebrated the topping-out ceremony together with representatives of the City of Chemnitz, the construction companies involved, the planning offices, the architect and the sponsors.
"Our focus for 2024 is, on the one hand, on making the area usable for the Capital of Culture year 2025 and, on the other hand, on creating a place that will create long-term added value for the citizens of Chemnitz and the region beyond the Capital of Culture year," says Jens Meiwald, CVAG CEO. "According to the current state of planning, we will be able to put the various project and event areas into operation at the beginning of the second quarter of 2025. We are currently planning a varied programme for 2025 together with interested users and are working on the long-term orientation of the site," adds Jens Meiwald.
"For the city of Chemnitz and the further development of the Kappel district along Zwickauer Straße, the expansion of the site into a garage campus is a key function for the development of the area.
key function for the development of the redevelopment area. A total of around 5 million euros has been earmarked for the project using various funding programmes," adds Michael Stötzer, Mayor of Construction.
In addition, the Garage Campus team is currently in the middle of planning the programme for 2025. Alongside events organised by external partners, the Garage Campus will also offer its own programme. The rooms are open to projects, initiatives and organisations looking for a venue or a new home. Interested citizens are welcome to contact the Garage Campus team with their own ideas.
Urban development funding for redevelopment area
On 21 November 2022, the city of Chemnitz received 6.4 million euros in funding from the Free State of Saxony for investments in overall urban development measures. 1.6 million of this will go to the former depot and depot halls, among other things. State Minister Thomas Schmidt handed over the corresponding funding decisions to Lord Mayor Sven Schulze. The funding will provide the city with considerable support in eliminating the loss of urban development functions.
Concept and idea
In addition to the various utilisation scenarios, which should enable a permanent and sustainable revitalisation of the site - even beyond the Capital of Culture year 2025 - an architectural vision was presented that will make the Garage Campus a beacon for the city, the region, Germany and Europe.
The concept summarises all the ideas collected together and serves as a guideline for the next planning steps. It helps to make investment decisions, acquire funding opportunities, decide on initial commissions and test and realise uses. The Garage Campus is a long-term urban development project.
The development will take place gradually over a period of ten years. Both an obligation and a challenge in the development of the area is the achievement of a spatial-architectural as well as sustainable, participation-orientated modularity.