Chemnitz offers a varied range of cultural activities. The city theatre is nationally and internationally prized with the Opera house, one of the most modern stages in Europe, and the theatre with spectacular performances and exceptional productions with the prestigious Robert-Schumann Philharmonic orchestra, the ballet and the puppet theatre. One of the largest private German collections of art found its place in Chemnitz in 2007: In the Gunzenhauser museum almost 2500 eminent works await the visitors. The works are of the Classic Modernism period, the art between the world wars and the second half of the 20th century among which is one of the largest collections of Otto Dix worldwide.

"DAStietz" offers a meeting place of culture and education which is unique across the whole of Germany. Today, the former department store unites under its roof the adult education school, the city library, the museum of natural history and the New Saxon gallery.

Permanent fixtures in Chemnitz's calendar of events are the festival "Chemnitzer Begegnungen", the Saxon Mozart festival, the Jewish culture days, the museum night or the memorial's open day.