Chemnitz was, and is a city with a flourishing economy and inventive talent. In Chemnitz, the filing clip, thermos flask, laundry detergent and much more were invented. The "locomotive king" Richard Hartmann, the mechanical looms by Louis Ferdinant Schönherr and the founder of the West-Saxon knitwear industry Herbert Eugen Esche justify the reputation of the city as a centre for economy. The industry has not only developed successful products and achieved profits but laid the foundation for an excellent reputation of Chemnitz businesses that opens doors to this day.

Chemnitz today is once again a competitive centre for technological innovation.Previously prosperous industries such as the automotive supplier industry, machine construction and the textile industry are also engines for growth today. Companies value the central location in the EU, the good infrastructure connections to the city and the short decision-making processes of the administration.

Science and business have traditionally been closely linked in Chemnitz. About 50 research and development facilities ensure this along with a highly productive academic landscape and the most successful technology centre in the East of Germany. Studies certify Chemnitz and the surrounding Erzgebirge (Ore mountains) as the most investor-friendly environment in the East of Germany.

With the Smart Systems campus the site of the University of Technology Chemnitz is a prime example for the interaction of research and business. The park, which is almost 4.5 hectares large, combines short, direct routes to scientific-technical facilities with start-up talent, entrepreneurship and an economic revival in the immediate vicinity of the Technical University.

Furthermore, the Volkswagen group together with the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (Fraunhofer society) founded a "centre of excellence for automotive production" which will form a VW research factory on the site of the Fraunhofer Institute für Werkzeugmaschinen und Umformtechnik, IWU (Fraunhofer institute for machine tools and forming technology).

• Metropolitan region of the Saxon triangle
• The Technical University
• Smart Systems campus