16th Chemnitz Museum Night: 10,500 visitors came despite rain and thunderstorms

Around 10,500 visitors took advantage of the offerings of a total of 34 participating museums, galleries and institutions, defying thunderstorms and downpours. According to current ticket sales, this is a good 1,800 visitors more than last year. Head of the cultural office Katrin Voigt is particularly pleased that around 1,750 of them were young people on a night-time tour of the museums, which is 500 more than in 2014, and 2,360 children who came accompanied by their families.

As every year, there was a very "special offer" for the Chemnitz Museum Night. For example, 1,350 visitors were drawn to Lichtenwalde Palace and Park for a night-time discovery tour outside the city gates. The joint team from the castle management and the Friends' Association is delighted. The organisers had not expected such a great response to the museum night programme with guided tours through the treasure chambers full of exhibits from distant cultures, organ concerts, hands-on activities for the whole family and activities in the park with the "Everyday People" sculptures.

With 5,000 visitors, the "smac - State Museum of Archaeology", which was immersed in its original lighting from the 1920s, became another centre of attraction at Chemnitz Museum Night 2015. The hands-on area on the 3rd exhibition level, for example, was very popular, where many young and old revellers were able to try on real knight's armour. Museum director Sabine Wolfram personally welcomed visitors until late into the night, organised guided tours and lectures with her team and was extremely happy about the continued visitor interest shortly before the "first birthday of the institution".

Hundreds of curious visitors waited patiently in front of the Red Tower, the only remaining part of Chemnitz's 13th century city wall, to gain access to the "Great Chemnitzers" exhibition organised by the Rotary Club of Chemnitz. The last time the Red Tower was open for Museum Night was in 2004. Yesterday, 520 visitors were counted. As in previous years, interest in the former prison on the Kaßberg was unbroken and waiting times had to be planned for again.

At the Saxon Railway Museum, the renovated engine house was on display for the first time as part of the Museum Night. Wolfgang Vogel, Chairman of the Richard Hartmann Railway Friends Association, enthusiastically explained the operation of the rope pay-off system together with the members of the association until late into the night. Almost 1,000 visitors were interested in the entire railway area of the Sächsisches Eisenbahnmuseum e. V. in Hilbersdorf, which was proposed by the Free State of Saxony as an "authentic location on the subject of railways" for the 4th Saxon State Exhibition in 2018.

The excavation team, led by Dr Ronny Rösler, invited interested parties and especially young night owls to dig, research and experience at the "Window into the Earth's History". The visitors were highly interested and peppered the experts with questions.

The tram museum was also very popular with over 2,000 visitors and had to order more tickets.

The Museum Night guests took up the offers in all the participating institutions, including the anti-aircraft barracks, the German SPIELEmuseum, the Schloßbergmuseum, the Gunzenhauser art collections and museum, the TIETZ, the moated castle, the city archives, the Ebersdorfer Museumsspeicher and all the other museums. Even in the Industrial Museum, where work is currently underway on the new permanent exhibition, around 1,500 visitors took a look at the construction site and attended the steam engine demonstrations.

So "A big thank you goes to all employees, volunteers and association members who once again made the Chemnitz Museum Night a special experience in 2015!" continued Katrin Voigt.