17th Chemnitz Museum Night, 21 May 2016 from 6 pm to 1 am

On 21 May 2016, Chemnitz residents and visitors to the city will have the opportunity for the 17th time to embark on a night-time adventure tour of Chemnitz's museums and the local art landscape from 6 pm to 1 am. A total of 31 locations open their doors late at night and present treasures from art, history, industry and vehicle construction. The programme is available as a brochure in Chemnitz museums, cultural institutions and galleries and can be viewed online at chemnitz.de. Advance ticket sales start on 2 May 2016 and there will be a competition to win three Museum Night tickets until 6 May 2016. The competition and the conditions of participation are available as a CityCard in the city centre.

The Museum Night has been organised in Chemnitz since 2000. The Museum Night is a joint project organised by the City of Chemnitz's culture department with the participation of municipal, association-owned and private museums, galleries and institutions.

The TIETZ, the centre of activity of the City of Chemnitz's new cultural enterprise formed in 2015, will be the central attraction and meeting point for this year's Museum Night. The cultural enterprise includes the Museum of Natural History, the Adult Education Centre, the City Library, the City Archive, the Municipal Music School and the Municipal Cultural Management with the International Stefan Heym Society and the Contact Point for Cultural Education. Under the motto "Opening horizons", the educational and cultural institutions on the ground floor around the petrified forest will jointly organise a cultural fair with many surprises. The spectacular performances of the "Windriders XXL" from the HELMNOT theatre promise unique and breathtaking fireworks.

On the first floor of the TIETZ, the Museum of Natural History Chemnitz will be showing the special exhibition "Exquisite Nature - The Stars of 2016". On display are rare native animals, plants, rocks and soils, which visitors can talk shop about with scientists from the Museum of Natural History. In "Lurchi's reading corner" and during hands-on activities, children and families can learn all about the animal and plant world. A little test of courage is the photo shoot with live insects and spiders. The "Window into the Earth's History" excavation site opens at the museum's outdoor location in Glockenstraße.

The Neue Sächsische Galerie, also located on the first floor of the TIETZ, is a regular participant in the Museum Night. In the "Courasche" exhibition, portraits and prints by Oskar Kokoschka and Bernhard Heisig will be shown to the public for the first time. There will also be guided tours, puzzle fun and portrait drawing.

In the city archive, Aue 16, visitors can look back on the eventful history of the city. This time there is "music in the (archive) air". The archive has tracked down old sheet music and bequests from composers as well as historical material on ballrooms and concert halls.

The Schloßbergmuseum is showing the special exhibition "Saxony and Bohemia as reflected in art around 1500" and a live show with historical martial arts. Young visitors can look forward to a night-time story carving session and old children's games. In Rabenstein Castle, Hans Georg von Carlowitz will be presented as a master huntsman during the 30 Years' War.

The GDR music scene is the focus of this year's programme at the Chemnitz branch of the Stasi Records Office. Included in the programme: contemporary witnesses and the internationally renowned Chemnitz jazz musician Helmut "Joe" Sachse with live music.

An extended version of the "Great Chemnitzers" exhibition can be seen in the Red Tower. St Peter's Church and Chemnitz Castle Church open with guided tours and music.

The art collections open the special exhibition "Portraits, Self Portraits, Faces" on this evening. There will also be short guided tours, including the restoration workshops and creative workshops for the whole family. The Gunzenhauser Museum will be offering original picture discussions on selected artists from the collection, e.g. Thomas Theodor Heine, Alexej von Jawlensky and Otto Dix.

The Chemnitz galleries "Laterne", "artEck", "Oben" and Borssenanger, the Weltecho and the project space of the Chemnitz Artists' Association showcase works of contemporary art in many facets. The Marianne Brandt Society invites you to "a cup of tea with Marianne Brandt". From 2.30 p.m., creative people and especially families with children will have the opportunity to artistically decorate pavements and tram poles in front of the EVABU bookshop Max Müller.

In the Klaffenbach moated castle , sustainable products and their makers will be presented under the title "mit HERZ, HAND & VERSTAND". The "Barber of Seville² - live singing and shaving" can also be experienced.

At smac, everything revolves around "Techniques of Prehistory and Archaeology". The programme ranges from short technical presentations on topics such as money, bronze and salt to hands-on activities.

In the Chemnitz-Hilbersdorf railway park , it is not only the large steam locomotives that can be marvelled at. The engine house express will run between signal boxes 3 and 2, a signal garden will be opened and young visitors will learn first-hand what exciting things a marshalling yard has to offer.

This year, the Ebersdorf museum storehouse and the Ebersdorf anti-aircraft barracks will also be providing military history. In the historic classroom of the Ebersdorf School Museum, visitors can discover the wonderland of physics with amazing experiments. In addition, a "real" descendant of Adam Ries explains what the arithmetic artist taught us.

In the industrial museum on Zwickauer Straße, everything revolves around the bicycle tradition. Exciting activities centred around two centuries of bicycle history invite you to join in. Right next door, the Museum of Saxon Vehicles presents the latest publications on vehicle and transport history and shows curious photos of historic vehicles in a special exhibition.

At the Tram Museum, the programme focuses on the streets of the Kappel district. In the German Games Museum you can take a trip into the world of Asian games and play them yourself. There are 2,700 current games to choose from.

Programme:
The programme will be available as a brochure from 28 April 2016 and will be published online at www.chemnitz.de. CityCards with a QR code that links to the Museum Night pages on the Internet will be available in the city centre.

Special service for people with disabilities:
The programme brochure provides visitors with information on disabled access to the participating museums and facilities for visitors with mobility impairments as well as information on offers for people with sensory impairments. In the Chemnitz Tram Museum and the Chemnitz City Archive, there will be joint guided tours for hearing and hearing-impaired visitors.

CVAG shuttle service - on tour by bus and train:
Most of the locations can be easily reached with four extra CVAG tours. The admission ticket is also valid as a travel ticket.

Ticket service:
The Museum Night ticket is available for adults at a price of 8 euros and the youth ticket for 3 euros (also valid for concessions). Advance sales start on 2 May 2016 and tickets are also available at the box offices of the museums and institutions.
Admission is free for children up to the age of 14.

For further information please contact:
Gabriele Martin
Cultural Management of the City of Chemnitz
Telephone: 0371 488-4125
E-mail: gabriele.martin(at)stadt-chemnitz.de