20th Chemnitz Peace Day

The Chemnitz Peace Day working group and the City of Chemnitz will be celebrating this year's Peace Day on 5 March primarily online and on television. Some events and happenings will be different due to the pandemic, but will still take place live.

The City of Chemnitz will hold the central Peace Day ceremony on 5 March at 10 a.m. at the municipal cemetery. Media representatives are invited to this commemorative event.

Lord Mayor Sven Schulze: "The 20th Chemnitz Peace Day is taking place under very special circumstances this year. Nevertheless, it was important to us that we bring this day home to the people of Chemnitz in a fitting manner. Above all, I hope that the online and television programmes will be taken up and that as many people as possible will be able to take part."

Digital offerings

Due to the pandemic situation, as many elements as possible will be shown online and on television to enable people to take part in the Chemnitz Peace Day at home. The city's website at www.chemnitz.de/friedenstag will feature eyewitness reports, eyewitness films, messages from the partner cities and many other films, texts and image documents relating to the Peace Day. An originally planned exhibition of eyewitness accounts from March 1945 will also be shown digitally.

From 6 p.m., a special programme will be broadcast on this website by Sachsen Fernsehen, which will be shown simultaneously on the television channels of Sachsen Fernsehen, Dresden Fernsehen and Leipzig Fernsehen. The two-hour programme will include reports on the Chemnitz Peace Day, interviews, films and documentaries.

From 8 pm, the traditional church service will be broadcast live from the Jakobikirche, which this year will be attended by fewer people than usual. In this way, the city wants to enable the people of Chemnitz to celebrate a worthy Day of Peace despite the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.

23 new peace banners for the city

Last Friday, the traditional, seven-metre-long, colourful peace banners were hung on the façade of Chemnitz City Hall. 23 new banners were created this year, bringing the total number of peace banners to 188. The banners can be seen at the town hall, at and in the Roter Turm gallery, in the foyer of the Stadthalle, at the opera house and in the Jakobi church.

Every year on the anniversary of the worst bombing and destruction of the city, thousands of people from Chemnitz stand together for peace, democracy and against right-wing extremism and xenophobia.

Peace for the city - a city for peace

The Chemnitz Peace Day working group has prepared the following programme for the 20th Chemnitz Peace Day:

6 p.m. - Themed evening on the Chemnitz Peace Day
with numerous contributions from our city on Sachsen Fernsehen and at www.chemnitz.de/friedenstag

8 p.m. - Live broadcast of the peace service
from the town church of St Jakobi www.chemnitz.de/friedenstag


NEUMARKT - 11 am to 9.30 pm

• Peace messages from schoolchildren

23 new banners have been created and will be presented around Neumarkt - an art project by Aktion© with Chemnitz schools (Montessori School/Entdecker School/Diesterweg School/Evangelical School Centre)

• Peace cross

As always, a white cross symbolises the commemoration of all war victims and peaceful cohesion in our city.

• Peace wishes

The Chemnitz Peace Day working group is asking the people of Chemnitz to bring their peace wishes to Neumarkt on 5 March. An exhibition area will be available.

• Exhibitions

Commemoration. Remembrance. Resistance. - HISTORY BUILDING SITE

Chemnitz traces of war - places of remembrance of 1933-45. An exhibition by VVN-BdA.

• Peace messages from Chemnitz's twin towns

The City of Chemnitz has asked its partner cities to send messages for the 20th Chemnitz Peace Day, which are presented here.

• Find your way!

A look back at the life and work of the Chemnitz writer Stefan Heym. Exhibition of the Karl-Schmidt-Rottluff-Gymnasium.

• from 6 pm - Presentations on canvas

Chemnitz peace impulses "Rad- und Ratschläge vom Radschläger" (film by the AG Chemnitzer Friedenstag; 2021) / peace messages / live broadcast of the peace service from the St Jakobi city church

• from 8.55 pm - Closing of the Chemnitz Peace Day

NEVER AGAIN WAR. Pictures about the effects of war - in Chemnitz and other cities worldwide / Peace and prayer bells from Chemnitz churches / Words from the Lord Mayor / "Dona nobis Pacem" from the carillon in the town hall tower

NOTE

The current hygiene rules must be observed when participating (minimum distance of 1.5 metres between people and wearing a medical mask).


TOWN CHURCH ST. JAKOBI

12 noon - Prayer service withCoventry reconciliation prayerand pictures from "fünfter märz fünfundvierzig" by Bettina Hain (2 to 28 March 2021)

8 pm - Peace service (limited to 70 participants)


The entire programme of the Chemnitz Peace Day is available at www.chemnitz.de/friedenstag